Are you interested in genealogy research and struggling to find elusive female a...

Strategies for Finding Elusive Female Ancestors

The author, Julie Stoddard, has a bachelor's and master's degree in family history and genealogy and grew up with a love for family history passed down from her mother and grandmother.
Women can be harder to find in historical records due to legal rights being tied to their husbands and being recorded under their married names.
Legal rights of women varied over time, so it's important to research what laws applied to women in the time period being researched.
To successfully find female ancestors, it's important to understand which specific records to search and to think broadly about researching their "fan club" (i.e. family members, friends, associates).
Applying specific research strategies, such as keeping a timeline, can increase the chances of finding elusive female ancestors.
Records to search for women include vital records, census records, family trees, cemetery records, probate records, social security records, and DNA testing.
Marriage records were kept on the county level (or town level in New England) and started when the county was created.
Birth and death certificates didn't start until the early 1900s in most states, so other records may need to be searched for earlier time periods.
Census records can provide clues on a woman's maiden name, such as searching for other household members with different surnames or searching for the husband in a census record before he was married.
Prior to 1850, census records only listed tick marks for age and gender, so it may require more work to find possible families who lived nearby.
It's important to look for every possible clue in records, such as occupation of the husband or neighbors living nearby.
Using more targeted searches in specific record collections can increase the chances of finding elusive female ancestors.Strategies for Finding Maiden Names in Genealogy Research
Narrowing down birth years using census forms can be helpful for identifying ancestors before 1850.
State censuses can also be a useful resource for finding ancestors.
Published family trees can be a good source of information, but caution should be taken when using them.
Probate records can provide information on maiden names, particularly if a daughter is listed with a married name.
Social security applications can list a mother's maiden name.
Cemetery records can provide information on family plots and nearby surnames.
DNA evidence, particularly autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, can be used to find maiden names.
Shared matches in DNA testing can help narrow down possible maiden names.
Obituaries can provide information on parents and maiden names.
Land records can list a wife's first name or provide information on family transfers.
Military records, particularly pension records, can list wives and children and provide genealogical information.
Trace back land deeds using descriptions to find possible maiden names.Researching Women in Genealogy
Pension records can provide good evidence, including family bible pages.
Church records can be a great source of information, including baptism, marriage, and membership records.
Analyzing naming patterns can indicate family names.
Researching a woman's fan club, including family, associates, and neighbors, can provide important clues.
Elizabeth Shown Mills has a quick sheet on how to research a woman's fan club.
Analyzing every record thoroughly is crucial, including location, occupation, religion, and men in their lives.
Original documents should be sought out to avoid losing context in indexed records.
Indirect evidence can be useful, including neighbors, witnesses, informants, negative evidence, and naming patterns.
Understanding the laws of the time and place is important, including inheritance and property laws.
Creating a timeline is essential, including all known family members and their records.
Analyzing every record for possible clues is necessary, including those of the woman's immediate and extended family.
Researching the woman's fan club, especially those closely related, is important for finding clues.Tips for Using Historical Records in Genealogy Research
Land records can be used as evidence of a marital relationship between two individuals.
Probate records may contain information about land, money, or household items left to a spouse.
Census records before 1940 do not indicate who the informant was, so it is important to find multiple records to confirm information.
Little boys often wore dresses in the past, so it is possible for a girl named Augusta to become a boy named Augustus in later census records.
Finding more census records and building a strong case for a name change can help correct errors in online genealogy databases.
A spreadsheet can be used to track age ranges in census records and narrow down birth years.
Pre-1850 census records had inconsistent age brackets, making it difficult to determine exact birth years without comparing multiple records.
Ancestry sites may be off by a year in their age ranges, so it is important to check the original census records for accuracy.
Examining the enumeration date on census records can provide helpful information.
It is important to gather as much evidence as possible to build a strong case for genealogy research.
Original records are often more accurate than transcriptions or indexes found online.
Roots Tech is a genealogy conference where individuals can learn more about using historical records in their research.

Strategies for Finding Elusive Female Ancestors

The author, Julie Stoddard, has a background in family history and genealogy and emphasizes the importance of understanding which records to search, researching the "fan club" of ancestors, and applying specific research strategies to find female ancestors.
Women are harder to find in records because colonial laws often covered married women under their husbands' legal rights and they were recorded under their married names. Women who were widowed, divorced, or single may be easier to find in records.
It is important to understand the legal rights of women in the time period being researched.
To successfully find female ancestors, a focused and targeted search is necessary, rather than a general search.
FamilySearch and Ancestry have tools such as "Find a Collection" and "Card Catalog" to search specific record sets.
Keeping a timeline is critical to finding female ancestors as it can help narrow down the search and identify specific events and locations to search for.
Vital records, census records, family trees, cemetery records, probate records, social security records, and DNA testing can all potentially contain information about female ancestors.
Marriage records, birth and death certificates, and vital records for the spouse and children can provide clues to a female ancestor's maiden name.
Census records can be useful in identifying females in each census, finding the husband before he was married, and identifying other household members with different surnames.
Prior to 1850, census records only had tick marks for age and gender, but it is still possible to find clues by looking for possible families nearby where the groom was located.
It is important to analyze census records for all possible clues, including occupation and neighbors.
Documentary research can be used in conjunction with census records to narrow down possible surnames and identify female ancestors.Strategies for Finding Maiden Names in Genealogy Research
Narrowing down birth years through census records can be helpful in identifying ancestors.
State censuses can also be useful in genealogy research.
Published family trees should be used with caution, but can provide valuable information and save time.
Probate records can be a good source for identifying maiden names.
Social security applications can list the mother's maiden name, providing valuable information for genealogy research.
Cemetery records, such as those found on Find a Grave or Billion Graves, can help identify family plots and nearby surnames.
DNA evidence, particularly autosomal DNA and mitochondrial DNA, can be used in conjunction with traditional research methods to identify maiden names.
Labeling and grouping DNA matches can help identify unknown matches and maiden names.
Obituaries can provide valuable information on maiden names and other family members.
Land records may list a wife's first name or reveal family relationships through property transfers.
Military pension records can provide genealogical information on wives and children.
Broadening the search to less common record types can help break through brick walls in genealogy research.Researching Women in Genealogy: Strategies and Records
Pension records can provide evidence of marriage and relationships, even if not listed in other records.
Church records, such as baptism, marriage, and membership records, can also provide valuable information.
Analyzing naming patterns, such as using family surnames as middle names, can lead to identifying family relationships.
Researching a woman's fan club, including family, associates, and neighbors, can provide additional clues.
When researching a fan club, prioritize individuals with strong connections, frequent appearances in records, and high-quality sources.
Analyze every record thoroughly, looking for location, occupation, religion, and other details, including men in the woman's life.
Original documents provide more context and information than indexed records, which may not include all columns or facts.
Consider indirect evidence, such as economic information or naming patterns, to assemble clues.
Understanding the laws of the time and place, including inheritance laws, can provide insight into women's roles and rights.
Create a timeline for the woman and her family, including siblings and extended family.
Use the timeline to identify which records to search and prioritize.
Use a method of organization, such as a spreadsheet or Google doc, to track information and share with family members.Tips for Using Historical Records in Genealogy Research
Land records can serve as evidence of marriage between two individuals.
Other types of records can also be used to confirm relationships between individuals, such as probate records.
Census records before 1940 do not indicate who the informant was, which can impact the accuracy of the information provided.
Finding multiple census records can help confirm information and make corrections to indexes on genealogy websites like Ancestry.
A child's gender on census records may not be accurate due to cultural norms of the time, such as young boys wearing dresses.
Using a spreadsheet to track age ranges across multiple census records can help narrow down birth years and identify potential errors in age ranges.
The age brackets on census records before 1850 were not consistent, making it necessary to compare overlapping age ranges across multiple records.
Looking at the original census records can provide additional information, such as the date of enumeration.
Ancestry indexes may be off by a year from the actual census record, so it is important to verify information using the original record.
The speaker has a URL for a spreadsheet that tracks age ranges on census records before 1850, which is available on her website.
The speaker recommends using multiple types of records to confirm relationships and build a stronger case for genealogy research.
Using a combination of records and techniques can help overcome challenges and inaccuracies in historical records.