WOMEN IN FAMILY HISTORY
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation
by Cokie RobertsWhile much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. Roberts brings us the women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. While the men went off to war or to Congress, the women managed their businesses, raised their children, provided them with political advice, and made it possible for the men to do what they did. The behind-the-scenes influence of these women — and their sometimes very public activities — was intelligent and pervasive.
Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favored recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington — proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might never have survived.
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Finding Maiden Names
It's not all that unusual to find genealogists only interested in tracing the line of their family tree which carries their surname back through each generation. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach, it completely ignores all of the thousands of other ancestors whose genes came together to create you. Each female in your family tree you neglect to research, means one more line of ancestors you know nothing about. Honor the women in your family tree by investigating the fascinating women in your family tree. By Kimberly PowellTop 10 Places to Find Maiden Names
Can't find the maiden name of your female ancestor? These ten records and resources are often good sources for maiden names.
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Family History Tips for Learning Women's Maiden NamesFive Tips for Learning Women's Maiden Names - Use these five strategies to help discover your female ancestors' maiden names.
Research the woman indirectly, seeking records of her relatives-husband, father, siblings and children. She may be named as an heir, witness or traveling companion. A letter may mention her, too.
Marriage records are most likely to contain a woman's maiden name. If you notice from censuses most of her children were born in one county, start your marriage records search there. Look for a certificate and license application in county records. Churches many have marriage bonds or banns. Study historical newspapers, for an announcement.
Seek records on each of a woman's children, even those not in your line, including birth and baptism records, marriage records and death records. One may give a maiden name if others don't. Also note others named, especially witnesses, as they may be her relatives.
In the tombstone, look at plots near hers, since families often were buried near each other. Study the caretaker's burial records for more information about those people, and to see if anyone was buried nearby without a headstone.
Once you have a guess at a surname, start researching families in the area with that surname to see if any have children with your female ancestor's first name. Keep note of all the clues that support, as well as those that refute, the conclusion you've found your ancestor's maiden name.
It's likely that a collection of clues will lead to her name, rather than a single momentous record that states, "I, Mary Smith Pearson ...
---FamilyTree Newsletter, November 8, 2007
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