Very shortly after you start researching your family you
will discover many gaps in the known information. This is where the fun begins as we proceed to
discover new pieces of the puzzle. The
maternal maiden names are often a challenge that creates brick walls to our
search. In the following article I will
discuss steps that can be taken to eliminate these brick walls.
The most
important issue in this search is that most records were created and for
men. Property records were normally
created in the man’s name. Men ran
businesses and ran the government.
Women’s names were changed with every marriage and did not provide a
good paper trail. Men were the creators
of the paper trail that allow us to follow their lives throughout time.
The place
to start this search is with the women’s name.
Write out as much of the name as you know. Make sure to include as part of your list all
the various spellings of the first, middle and last names. A simple name like Elizabeth can also be called Mattie, Betty,
Liz and Sally. Individuals did not
always go by their birth name. In my own
family my paternal grandmother went by the name Babe for the first five years
of her life until her parents decided on the name Cleota. Ironically many people in the family would
continue to call her Babe throughout her adult life. Many vital record documents would also
include the use of the name Babe.
Knowing the variety of name spellings is often key to the maiden name
hunt.
Make a list
of the names of all husbands and children.
Be certain to list first, middle and last names. The use of previous surnames for naming
children is a common practice.
Frequently the first son and first daughter are named after the paternal
line. The second son and daughter are
named after the maternal side of the family.
With additional husbands and having children involve a new list of names
on the paternal side. Middle names that
do not sound like first names, but sound like surnames are often from the
maternal side of the family. This was
common with the creation of middle names in the 19th century. In my own family a nephew was named Andrew
Preston French. The middle name Preston is a family surname on the maternal side of the
family.
The third
step is to create a timeline of your female ancestor’s life. Start from the birth of the women and work
until her death. Include place of birth,
school attended, marriage, children’s birth, employment, children’s marriage,
and death. The timeline should include
the local and world events that went on during their lifetime. I am struck by the events that are going on
outside the family unit that effect the decisions of our family members on a
scale that we may have never even considered.
Obtaining a
photograph of the person is very valuable and may offer clues to the individual
that we are researching. What are the
distinctive features looking back at you from the picture? Does she have black hair, high cheek bones, tall
or short and does she look healthy? What
is the clothing she is wearing? Are you
able to pinpoint in where, when, what and why the picture was taken? With evaluation of the picture clues can come
out that will help with our search.
Make sure
to contact the older females on the side you are researching and ask
questions. Ask them questions that may
provide clues to your search. Do you
remember particular habits, recipes and traditions? During holidays the women were way more
likely to be talking about family matters than the men. Great family nuggets were shared during this
period of time.
Weddings
mean marriage records that provide clues on our families. Records of this type start very early in the
history of our country. Recent records
provide the greater amount of information that exists on individuals. Pay attention to the other names that are
listed on the marriage certificate.
Although early certificates do not provide a lot of names pay attention
to the people during the same time period who are also getting married by the
same person. This indicates a strong
possibility of relationship that needs to be researched to see if they provide
clues on your family line.
Birth
records of children will also provide clues to maiden names. These records date back to the 1630’s, but
there are many large gaps. Town records
often listed the maiden name of the women in birth records from an early
period. The majority of birth records do
not appear consistently until the latter half of the 19th century. This information was not always filed and in
many states did not become mandatory until the 1900’s when the states took over
collection of the vital records. Prior
to this time submission of this records can be sporadic. Many church denominations that were strong in
baptism kept the records in the church.
Often records in the protestant denominations followed the minister to
the various churches, but look for these records in the state denominations
holdings. Catholic baptisms were kept at
the parish level, but many have been transferred to the diocese. Pay
attention to the sponsor’s name, because they are often related to the mother
by birth.
Immigration
and land records also offer clues to maiden names. Females gained citizenship by their husband
gaining this status or marrying a person with US citizenship. Reference will be made to the maiden
names. Early land records will mention
the spouse and records will be conducted between paternal family members. Understand the people that your family unit
was living next to and who they were doing business with during their
lives. Spouses came from the
neighborhood in both rural and urban situations.
Complete
the search by looking through all records that relate to the husband. Some records to review are probate, military,
funeral home, cemetery, obituaries, and social security applications. Do not leave any stone unturned. Completing research of sources is critical to
resolving this brick wall.
Finally pay
attention to all witnesses on documents.
Women did not travel or conduct business during the early previous to
the early 20th century by themselves. Eliminating those around them is key. The solution often lies beyond the primary
family and is with those that live around her.
The key to
the search is collect all you know on the person. With this information evaluate what sources
are available that will be key to finding the maiden name. Only by checking all the records will you
find the solution. Complete search is
key to finding the name.
