{"id":107519,"date":"2026-03-30T09:50:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/?p=107519"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:50:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:50:59","slug":"genealogy-tips-research-her-in-his-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-tips-research-her-in-his-activities.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Tips: Research Her in HIS Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 one last celebration of Women\u2019s History Month \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega provides tips to find information about your female ancestor. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Recently a friend sent me some vintage items she thought I could use. One of them was this 1 October 1918 issue of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen\u2019s Magazine<\/em>. When I looked through this magazine I made a surprising discovery that provided a helpful hint for genealogists researching their female ancestors.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: cover of the 1 October 1918 issue of the \u201cBrotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen\u2019s Magazine.\u201d Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I paged through the magazine, I saw articles that ranged from rules that railroad employees would need to know, to news and statistics of their members. All the content made sense considering the audience was men who worked for railroads. But at the bottom of one page, I was surprised to see:<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: a page with a death report from the 1 October 1918 issue of the \u201cBrotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen\u2019s Magazine.\u201d Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What? A short list of women\u2019s deaths? A death report of women in an occupational magazine for men?<\/p>\n

This women-focused article is an example of how you can find women listed in reports of the activities of their male relatives. When we research, we need to consider time, location, and what our ancestors were doing \u2013 and what records documented those activities.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore this more. First, we need to take a look at the Brotherhood and then we need to learn more about why women are featured in their publication.<\/p>\n

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Brotherhood was originally a benevolent society that evolved. One website describes its history as:<\/p>\n

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873, at Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood early on emphasized insurance, although in the late nineteenth century it became involved in labor\/management relations. By the turn of the century, the organization also had changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, thereby permitting locomotive engineers to hold membership.*<\/p>\n

Who were members of the Brotherhood? Men. In particular, white men who worked for railroads as locomotive firemen and enginemen. Women and African American men were not allowed in the early Brotherhood. But women did participate as part of an auxiliary to the Brotherhood.<\/p>\n

The Ladies\u2019 Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like many groups that limit membership to men, the Brotherhood had a ladies\u2019 auxiliary.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Ladies\u2019 Society page in the 1 October 1918 issue of the \u201cBrotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen\u2019s Magazine.\u201d Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Brotherhood magazine devoted a few pages to the auxiliary, in which women reported on auxiliary chapter news, correspondence from members, statistics, and the death of members.<\/p>\n

Searching historical newspapers, we can learn more about the Ladies\u2019 Society. Here is an article from the Denver Post<\/em>, featuring a photo of Mrs. Agnes M. Strong, who is the Society\u2019s international grand president.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Denver Post (Denver, Colorado), 6 July 1941, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The article accompanying this photo gives details about the Society.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Denver Post (Denver, Colorado), 6 July 1941, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This newspaper article, reporting on the 1941 auxiliary convention, reveals that the 57-year-old Society\u2019s membership was up to 33,000, 10,000 of which were added in the previous four years. Members belonged to 670 lodges throughout the United States and Canada. According to the article, the auxiliary was founded in 1884 in Tucson, Arizona.<\/p>\n

A body entirely separate from the Brotherhood, the Ladies\u2019 Society cooperates with the Brotherhood in matters political, organizational and social. It is secret, both in ritual and in operation. Membership is predicated on close relationship with Brotherhood members \u2013 father, brother, husband, or son.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though it includes only two names, this article tells us important information about the auxiliary, including who could be a member.<\/p>\n

In searching for mentions of auxiliary members in historical newspapers, you will find longer articles like the one above \u2013 but you might also find shorter mentions of local meetings with information about members, officers, and program speakers.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Galesburg Labor News (Galesburg, Illinois), 25 October 1918, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Death Report<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have found a newspaper obituary for your female ancestor, or maybe even have her death certificate, what\u2019s the benefit of seeking out another report of her death? The death report in the Brotherhood\u2019s magazine provides information about the women pertinent to their membership:<\/p>\n