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Tip of the Week
Why Are Female Ancestors So Hard to Find?
There are several reasons: Years ago, property was in a man’s name; most taxes were paid by men, businesses & governments were run by men. Women had few legal rights, so they had few legal documents.
Not to worry…there are other places to look:
- Census Records: After 1850, women’s names were added.
- Cemetery and Mortuary Records: They usually listed everyone buried in a plot & sometimes, their relationship to the plot owner.
- Court Records, Death Records, Land Records: Deeds, especially land changed hands.
- Naturalization and Pension Records: These can be a gold mine of information.
- Obituaries, Newspapers and County History Books: Available from a variety of repositories.
- Journals and Other Records: Specific items that were generated by women.
Trivia that is helpful to know:
- Women almost always remarried soon after their husband died.
- Women seldom inherited the family farm. It usually went to a son and she could live there.
- If she inherited a horse, she would have to pay taxes and would be on the tax rolls.
- Women’s maiden names were often repeated as a middle name for a son, so the name would not be lost.
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