— A recent genealogy research question brought up a problem that is common to a lot of people: finding a female ancestor. This is a challenge that can really test the skill and patience of the most avid genealogist.

One of the books in the Grant Foreman Collection at the Muskogee Public Library is “Discovering Your Female Ancestors” by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. Several strategies are given in this book for helping the researcher find that “elusive lady.”

Just the fact of being female in the time period of early United States history limits the amount of resources that are available to find women. Early on, they were basically looked upon as property of their father and/or husband. Many times, the only mention of them is in the will or probate file of their male counterparts.

The early Federal Census records are hardly any help, because they are listed only by name of heads of households and then it only tells the number of males and females that were living there and what age group they were in.

Many times the female is just a name on a chart with birth and death dates and little else. Hunting for a maiden name or any other name change due to marriage, a spouse’s death, divorce, or abandonment can take much time and searching. Carmack gives us a great overview of women’s social history and includes examples of documents to look for as well as a fresh way to think about gathering details pertinent to those female ancestors.

Carmack gives two basic categories of sources for female ancestors: those created by a woman herself, and those created about her.

Letters, journals and diaries can give an intimate look into the lives of women. Check your home sources and those of relatives to see if you are lucky enough to have any of these types of records. They can give details of events you might not find anywhere else. Look for clues about relationships between family members. You may find answers to questions that have plagued the family researcher for years.

She recommends checking the places your relative lived for “papers” (a catchphrase historians and archivists use for letters, diaries, etc.) in special collections at libraries in universities, historical and genealogy societies.

Search for family Bibles since women were often the most likely ones to record events of birth, marriage and death. Artifacts and heirlooms can sometimes reveal details of a female relative. Needlework such as quilts and samplers often has dates and names of the maker.

Interview your relatives to gather oral histories of your family. Focus on the why, how and what. Why did the family move at this particular time? How were they able to manage when the father died? What was it like to give birth at home? Other questions given in the book are: What has been your guiding philosophy in life? What has been your biggest regret in life? What would you like to be remembered for? All the information you can gather about your female relatives will be helpful to understand her life and the choices she made.

Ms. Carmack suggests thinking about your relative in terms of her roles in life: daughter, wife, widow, mother, grandmother, stepmother, sister, niece, granddaughter, friend and neighbor. She may be mentioned in a will, probate, or land record. If married, she may have applied for a pension. If she had children, she may be listed on a birth, death or baptismal certificate.

You may find information on marriage records and in city directories. These are two sources we have at Muskogee Public Library. Ours cover both local and national records on microfilm and in books. School records can also be found. We have school enumeration records for Muskogee County on microfilm. These list the parents, children, names, ages, race and postal address.

Ms. Carmack also reminds us of the importance of documenting our sources. Remember, “Genealogy without documentation is mythology.” So, cite your sources as you do your research. Note for each record you find what kind of record it is, who wrote, abstracted or edited it and where was it published.

I like the way Ms. Carmack said it, “This is family history. Her life has substance; it has meaning. She was part of history. She wasn’t just a name on someone’s pedigree chart. The research is only half of the fun of genealogy—telling a forgotten woman’s story is the rewarding half, giving you a real sense of accomplishment.”

Don’t forget you can always find good books to read and help with your research at the Genealogy & Local History Department at Muskogee Public Library.



Jere Harris works in the Genealogy & Local History Department of the Muskogee Public Library.