In the last couple of months I’ve written about sorting out men with the same name. But often the ladies are the ones that give us the most trouble. They all seem to be named Mary, Sarah or Elizabeth.
Frequently, they have no last name – only the surname of their spouse. How are we ever to tell them apart?
First we must find her in every census, noting her husband in each case. We think of women dying in childbirth, but sometimes it’s the women who remarry multiple times – each time changing her surname.
We must note her age and her birthplace as recorded on each census. From long experience, I’ve learned that women consistently lie about their age. They frequently age only five years for every ten year decade. By putting each census year data in a chart, we can see a pattern.
Then we need to look at her location. Was she born in that state? Was her first child born in the same state she was born in? Can you trace her movements by tracing the birthplaces of her children?
Could she have given birth to all the children listed in the household, or would she have been too young to have birthed the older children? She is likely a second or even third wife.
Finally, look for marriage records for this lady and her spouse. Look first in the state where the first child is born. Then broaden the search to surrounding states. When you find a maiden name, test that name against her birthplace for likely parents. With these facts in hand, you should be able to unmask even the most contrary Mary.
~ Carol Cooke Darrow is a certified genealogist, writer, and researcher in Denver. She is teaching free Beginning Genealogy classes at the Central Denver Library starting Sept. 10, 10–noon.