Have you ever looked at a photograph of a female ancestor and wondered about her life? Perhaps you've been told how the woman is related to you, but otherwise, she's a mystery. We all have brave and inspiring female ancestors—women of conviction—deserving to have their stories told.
Surfacing information about your female ancestors can provide great inspiration. However, it can be more challenging than discovering details about male relatives. Many historical documents only list women by their married name or by the name of their husband. Let the following 3 tips guide you to unraveling the mysteries of undiscovered or little-known female relatives.
1. Research Male Relatives
One way to learn more about your female ancestors is to consider their male relatives. Records for fathers, brothers, husbands, and even sons, may contain information about your female ancestors. Genealogist Michael John Neill of RootDig.com suggests “fully documenting the male ancestor...to look for hidden clues that will lead to information about the women in his life.”
For example, start by looking at probate records. Women in the past often didn’t receive automatic guardianship of inherited money or estates. Therefore, if a husband died owning property or a business, the remaining family members would often go to probate court in order to determine who would oversee finances.
You can also check estate records of male relatives, which can reveal names or locations of female ancestors. Male relatives may have left part of their estate to the women in their family. Even if the will doesn’t give a female ancestor’s last name, accounting records might have more details. You can locate probate records, estate records, accounting records, and more through FamilySearch’s historical records search.
2. Let History Be Your Guide
To shine a light on the stories of female ancestors, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist recommends creating a timeline of historical events that took place during their lives. These events can shed invaluable perspective and identify cause-and-effect situations. For instance, you might find that the Great Depression or World War II propelled your mother or grandmother into the work force.
War widows also frequently had to provide details about their relationship and life when applying for a pension after a husband’s death. If a male ancestor served in the military in the 19th or early 20th century, details about female ancestors may be contained in pension records.
Use the following guidelines to create a historical timeline that matches up with your female ancestor’s life:
- Establish a timeline that begins with the woman’s birth and ends with her death.
- Detail everything you know about her, including her marriage date and children’s birth dates and places.
- Add in life events, such as migrations and hospitalizations, as you uncover them.
- Incorporate significant national and international events, such as wars and epidemics.
- Work in local events you discover in county histories, which are often available at libraries and online bookstores.
You can get started on a timeline by finding birth and death records through the historical records search at FamilySearch.
3. Hunt for Headstones
“Loving wife and mother of six dedicated to helping those less fortunate.”
We can learn so much from gravestones. Tom Comstock of BillionGraves says a female ancestor’s final resting place can be an excellent source of detail about her life. Her gravestone may provide the last place she lived and uncover family relationships, middle and maiden names, and dates of birth and death.
Emblems on headstones can also reveal religious beliefs, professions, and memberships. Epitaphs may reveal a wide range of details about an ancestor’s life.
To start your headstone hunt, Tom recommends visiting the BillionGraves Index on FamilySearch. “If you can find one member of your family,” he says, “you can often find many others who were connected with that person by looking at the people who were buried nearby."
Enrich Your Family Legacy
Researching female ancestors can be a challenge, but just one hidden clue can help you unravel the mystery of that little-known great aunt—or another relative who proves to be a woman of conviction. By piecing these stories together, you’ll enrich your family legacy while honoring the heritage of female ancestors during the 2023 Women’s History Month.
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