Female Ancestors – Finding a Wife’s Massachusetts Court of Sessions

Finding Female Ancestors

As genealogists most of us have stone walls: could be any right time, spot or location. There’s no one solution for re solving an end that is dead our lineage. Every issue has to be approached differently. Because most records generally in most areas and schedules are centered around guys, we usually only have a name that is first of wife, or frequently, no title after all. We simply understand she ended up being the spouse of Thomas Jones. To resolve this type of dilemma we ought to figure out the time, location and circumstances in accordance with our feminine ancestor. We ought to lay the groundwork for attacking the difficulty in a way that is special.

Probably the many simple solution to strike such a challenge is always to produce a schedule of her life. Collect all information known about her. If you don’t much is well known, give attention to her husband. Where had been they whenever, from wedding as well as delivery, towards the time that they had kids, into the close of these life.

1. Search for the wedding record it self. Get the initial wedding record. The wedding licence or application could be more valuable compared to the original. In the event that you can’t get the marriage, look for it in surrounding areas, or always check different marriage indexes.

2. Always check all records that are possible spouse to have clues to greatly help determine who she had been.

3. If ancestor fought within the military, check retirement papers when it comes to widow. Military retirement Papers important, especially if spouse outlived spouse. Best for Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Union Civil War, Spanish-American War, Indian Wars, etc.

Ancestry.com has Union Pension Papers. A female had to show that she had been legal spouse and widow of soldier. Refused Pension Applications frequently contain sigbificantly more details than accepted people.

4. Land records, deeds., homestead documents or any other court documents might give wife’s first name, and on occasion even her maiden title. Land Records: One of major sources for determining name that is maiden. They are maybe not useful in big urban centers or if perhaps the grouped family rented. If guy passed away with out a might, their real-estate had to be split among heirs. Included all young young ones, also daughters with married names. See them in grantor-grantee indexes. Court Public Records Sample.

Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Court of Sessions of Peace 26 Dec 1710

Rachel Codury of Marblehead seems and confessed herself accountable of ye

criminal activity of fornication with Andrew Tucker Jr. Of Marblehead.

5. Immerse yourself in most the documents regarding the area. Learn other families, specially her husband’s family members, their career, socio-economic status, etc. Did spouse go usually, or result from a well-established category of the region? Did he cope with individuals of other surnames? He may been employed by together with wife’s dad, therefore discover with who he’d company transactions. Whom did he purchase and sell land to/from/with? Don’t simply concentrate on the partners. Broaden your research. Just just exactly What occurred into the kids? Possibly another descendant has information.

6. Trace the household in every census that is possible. US or Canadian censuses, specially 1841 or 1851 and soon after. Husband’s sis hitched in nj-new jersey, therefore check always N.J. and also you will dsicover their marriage here too. Census: U.S. 1790-1930 will get access to most returns that are census line. 1940 or later on can be had for the cost.

Uk census 1911, 1921 may also be searched by communication.

Canada through 1901; FamilySearch 1880 and 1881 census

Old girl coping with household in census, may be mother-in-law. Look for her DC

7. Always check papers that are private your very own family members documents and records, family members Bibles, etc.

8. The wedding might not anywhere have been recorded that endures, particularly if in N.Y., PA, Southern States, or any frontier. Also a wedding in brand brand brand New England may well not endure.

9. As soon as a lady had been widowed, she became mind regarding the home. whenever she requires help as just one girl or perhaps a widow, who can she look to work as a surety in a relationship or witness to land transaction? She will probably head to her brothers or daddy in your community. Names on appropriate papers working with a widow might be her loved ones.

10. Sources to check on to find her name:

a. Church documents

HENRY IRISH IMMIGRATED FROM BRITISH ISLES TO NYC IN 1819. HE LIVED IN NYC AND QUEENS. 1850 CENSUS STATED EACH HE AND WIFE BORN ENGLAND. LOST MONITORING OF FAMILY IN 1920’S. DISCOVERED A COUSIN INTERESTED. UNCOVER WHAT SHE KNOWS CONCERNING THE IRISHES. A LARGE was had by her PULPIT BIBLE WHICH CLAIMED:

HENRY & ANN IRISH MARRIED 1 JAN 1807 KINGSTON, PORTSEA, ENGLAND. HENRY WAS SON OF JOSEPH AND SARAH (LANGE) IRISH. HENRY WAS CREATED 15 NOV 1787 AT HAVANT, HAMPSHIRE. ANN IRISH WAS DAUGHTER OF JOHN AND MARY (REED) HILL, BORN PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND.

GENEALOGICAL EPIPHANY. ! It struggled to obtain David Dearborn, it might be right for you. Seek family members and bibles on Web, etc.

c. Newspaper notices of wedding, delivery, death, going, etc.

Example:

Montrose Democrat, PA. 9 Apr 1873

Hitched at Franklin township, Susquehanna, PA 28 Mar 1873, Henry Dearborn to skip Cordelia Annis, child of Mr. Robert Seamans (just source of wedding for that right time frame). 24. Private Records

d. Personal journals, diaries, letters in family’s possession, etc. Families have actually records, MS or printed. Samplers – cross-stitch and needlepoint, Asia ink or watercolor. Includes Family Group, parents and children’s names, delivery times, view of family members farm.

Banton Family (masonic rock symbols)

Samuel Banton (passed away, age) md. Rebecca Gilham (passed away and age)

ag ag e. Gravestones or cemetery documents. Took 30 years to even find the parents after found the death rock. Found descendants a few generations later on to obtain required information.

Esther spouse of William Barth passed away Feb 28, 1832 age 78 years

child of Thomas and Tabitha Barlow of England

Had currently traced William Barlow to Esther Bantin. Rock stated, “Esther Barlow had three or four kids.”

f. Death certification of a lady must have her name that is maiden on, along with her moms and dads’ names and birthplaces. Her husband’s death certificates must have her maiden name. Her children’s death certificates also could have her maiden name. Her children’s wedding documents additionally may have it. Civil or public information, for instance, California Death Index: Pembrook Banton passed away 1940 in Ca. Marital Reputation: Divorced. Searched divorces and discovered them. Divorce papers suggested:

Hitched in Dubuque, Iowa 14 Mar 1887

We never ever knew they ever lived in Iowa. Their siblings additionally had been present in Iowa.

g. Obituaries of spouse, spouse or loved ones.

Brand Brand Brand New Hampshire Morning Celebrity, Dover, N.H.

Died in Jackson, N.H. 16 Dec 1850 Mrs. Martha, spouse of Moses Anderson and youngest child of Mr. George and Mrs. Catherine Johnson, aged 17 years 8 months. An infant was left by her child. (Death certificate doesn’t offer any one of this information. Obit much more valuable)

h. Divorce records: often give wife’s maiden name, or tell where so when hitched. May inform where from

i. Probate record of her daddy or her brothers. You may have to read all wills within the county to ascertain her title. Probates may be published, indexed and abstracted . brand New Hampshire has all wills published and abstracted with an every title index. NH State Papers, vol. 31-39.

11. Prepared or published Indexes:

IGI or FamilySearch.com
VRI
FHL surname catalogue
NEHGS or other major libraries, neighborhood towns, universities, etc.
There are lots of CDs with marriages for a state or province
United states Genealogical & Biographical Index (AGBI) has a huge selection of volumes. Indexes all true names in 1790 census, includes all soldiers whom fought in Revolutionary War. Indexes countess county histories, esp. Brand Brand New England. It’s at NEHGS.
Every-name index to NEHGR – available on CD or posted. This published that is quarterly since 1847. It really is a treasure trove of data.
PERSI – index of journal articles from 19thC for this. Can look for all entries of the surnames, not indiv >County histories, particularly Midwest – OH, IN, MI, IL, PA, NY areas. Called Midwest “mug books” by Vanity asian hookup sites Press Publications. Information had been self-serving, flattered individuals to put your very own bio and picture of self, family members or farm. Not necessarily accurate.

NEHGS has CD along with info within their number of bibles.

13. Other Sources to get name that is maiden

Transcribed or posted monograph or article in log on the surname.
The thing that was faith? Don’t assume just like you may be today. RC, Protestant, Jewish, which branch?
Variance in records: Church record calls her Harriet Irish; civil enrollment calls her Sarah Irish.

There are numerous sources, documents and methodologies for finding a maiden title.

*Your ancestor failed to appear away from nowhere. Had life and lived somewhere just before wedding.

*When ancestor married her family members didn’t disappear completely – they probably reside in the exact same area.

*Learn in regards to the area: history, topography, faith,

*There is not any guarantee we shall find maiden title. We look and appear, look for recommendations and sources and methods to approach an issue.

*Look in the family that is whole all kids, siblings, of spouse. The partners might have hitched siblings of 1 another. Seek residing descendants, bibles, death certification of family relations, to resolve a maiden name problem.

Bibliography

Allen, Donna Murray, “12 techniques to Find an Ancestor’s Maiden Name, Family Chronicle, 7:1 (Sept/Oct 2002);62

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, A Genealogist’s help guide to Discovering Your ancestors that are femaleCincinnati: Betterway Books, 1998).

Deerborn, David C., “Methods to Identify a Wife’s Maiden Name,” The Essex Genealogist, 12 (1992):3-15

Dollarhide, William, “Identifying Female Ancestors: Some Case Records,” Heritage Quest, 17:3 (May/June 2001):8-17.

Hogan, Roseann R.. “Female Ancestry,” Ancestry, 12:2 (March/April 1994): 26-28.

NEHGS Lectures on Tape