Hello my genealogical friends and welcome back to the blog! I hope in these past weeks you have been finding the topics of specific record types and techniques helpful as you continue on in your geological research journey to expand your family trees! Today I would like to tackle a topic that may have crossed your mind, but you are unsure of how to approach that of your female ancestors. Perhaps, you have avoided the topic and these ancestor’s altogether in your uncertainty. First off you are not alone. Knowing what to search and of what value they bring to your family research can be challenging if you have no previous experience. As we go forward today, I wish to show you the importance of your female ancestors’ stories and how they contribute to the overall family story you are assembling as a genealogist. I also want to provide you with some tools to help you get started on how you can go about discovering their stories.
It can be somewhat discouraging when we realize that for most of our female ancestor, they were housewives. Maybe in this perspective you might wonder: what could these ancestors supply me as a genealogist, what more could their stories entail? Well, it turns out our female ancestors may have been housewives, but it does not mean that they did not participate in other services or activates. Our female ancestors could have been volunteers in local or national groups, served in various capacities during world wars, started late careers after raising children, and may have left detailed recipes that help connect you back to your roots. These robust activities can help us more fully understand are specific ancestors or find where family traditions (such as family meals) may stem from. As you research you may note that often times you female ancestors may be referred to as Mrs. (their husbands name), remember that this is not necessarily discounting their individual accomplishments, at the time marital status was met with respect, thus the use of this title.
Now sometimes we may notice that there are female ancestors that appear to be “black sheep” or seem to disappear from the family narrative. This may be due to their involvement in prostitution. Sometimes women in the past who were living on their own could not make enough in traditional women held jobs and thus turned to brothels to receive a better wage. Researching these ancestors can help us fill in the gaps in our family trees.
The search for these stories and documents regardless of what additional activities your ancestor(s) may have participated in can be difficult, but if you have already compiled many types of records, it may be helpful to start with what you already have. Maybe you know that your great, great grandma left a cook book, or you have collected local newspapers where they have lived that detail some of their accomplishments. Another great way to gain information about these persons is to talk to relatives that may have been alive at the same time and recording their memories of them. When it comes to searching for records on female ancestors that may have been prostitutes it may be important to check health certificates given during war time periods (if that’s relevant to when your ancestor lived), permits for prostitution, court records, and licensing. It may be helpful to note that these ancestors in particular may have gone by a different surname or name. If this is the case pay attention to family stories or local gossip that may point towards spots that your ancestor may have run off too.
Gathering together stories of female ancestors is very important to creating a more complete family tree record. Remember to research both the “housewives” and the “black sheep” female ancestors as they will allow you to fill in missing details or holes in your family tree. If you are unsure of where to start on their stories go back to records you have already gathered. If you are still feeling overwhelmed remember to reach out: whether that be to me or other genealogists around you. As always if you would like to hear more about this topic or others check out my webinars located on this same website. To discovering new stories, happy researching!
Winona I Laird, “The Genealogy Granny”, https://www.genealogyeducationcenter.com
