Searching for the ‘Hidden Half’ of our Family
March is Women’s History Month and it’s soon coming to an end. Women’s History Month is an observance and
celebration of the vital role of women in American history. As a family historian, I am glad we celebrate Women’s History. But in some ways, the phrase "Women’s
History" is an oxymoron. Throughout the
early part of America’s history, most women are not only difficult to find, their
history is almost non-existent.
Finding female ancestors is challenging at the best and almost
impossible at other times. Women changed their name when they married and took their husband’s name. So, unless a marriage record can be found, a woman's maiden name is often elusive. Laws, legal rights, and social mores further
complicates the finding of information about our female ancestors. Under common law, a husband controlled
everything – even land or money given to a woman by her father.
Prior to 1850, the United States census only listed the head
of household. So, if a woman was
married, only her husband would be listed by name, while the wife and other household residents were enumerated by tick-marks in columns.
Obituaries are wonderful sources of genealogical information, but women were often shortchanged in their own obituaries. Married women were quite frequently referred to by their husband’s name -- such as “Mrs John Doe”. Sometimes their own given name is not even mentioned! Click here for an example of Pearl Hatfield Wilson's obituary. Note that all of Pearl's daughters are referred to by their husband's name, not their own name.
In a husband’s will, women were often referred to as “my wife”, or in a probate she might simply be called the “Widow”. A father's will might also refer to his daughter by her husband's name - although she can be referred to by her name.
It was not until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified that women were granted the right to vote. Prior to that time women did not even show up on voter lists or in poll books.
Obituaries are wonderful sources of genealogical information, but women were often shortchanged in their own obituaries. Married women were quite frequently referred to by their husband’s name -- such as “Mrs John Doe”. Sometimes their own given name is not even mentioned! Click here for an example of Pearl Hatfield Wilson's obituary. Note that all of Pearl's daughters are referred to by their husband's name, not their own name.
In a husband’s will, women were often referred to as “my wife”, or in a probate she might simply be called the “Widow”. A father's will might also refer to his daughter by her husband's name - although she can be referred to by her name.
It was not until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified that women were granted the right to vote. Prior to that time women did not even show up on voter lists or in poll books.
DNA Testing to Help Find Maternal Ancestors
DNA Testing might be one of the best ways to find female ancestors.
Autosomal DNA will connect to all relatives within the last 5 generations.
Mitochondrial DNA will connect with maternal-line heritage. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is given to us by our mothers. Mothers pass mtDNA to all of their children - both male and female, so we all have mitochondrial DNA. But, only females can pass it down. That means our mtDNA came from our mother, who got it from her mother, who in turn got it from her mother, and so on, back to the beginning of time.
DNA testing is a great way to find missing women in your family tree. At the bottom of this post are several links to posts about finding women using DNA.
Remembering the Women in My Family
My goal is to remember the women in my family history and try to find their stories. Below are photos of the grandmothers in my family. They were the very heart 💗 and soul of their families. They settled new lands, traveled in wagons, gave birth at home with only their husband or neighbor to help, cooked over campfires or wood stoves, washed clothes on a washboard, grew gardens, made bread, preserved their own food, sang lullabies to their babies, taught their children to believe in God, buried their children and husbands, had faith to carry on, and most of all they loved their families. We would not be here without their love, strength, and courage.
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| 3 generations of grandmothers from my family tree |
I have spent countless hours searching for the “hidden half”
of our family. Many of our female ancestors have stories written and/or photos posted on this blog. They are listed below by generation. Just click on their name to go to their story.
Grandmothers:
Great-Grandmothers:
2nd Great-Grandmothers:
Anna
Maria Heim Weiss
3rd and 4th Great-Grandmothers
Rebecca ‘Beckie’ Morgan MedlinSarah Gilbert Stewart
Using DNA to Help Find Women:
