{"id":57413,"date":"2020-03-31T12:25:46","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T16:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=57413"},"modified":"2023-10-05T14:21:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T18:21:37","slug":"4-tips-for-finding-women-in-the-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-finding-women-in-the-newspaper.html","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Finding Women in the Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 to help celebrate Women\u2019s History Month \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega gives four tips for finding your sometimes hard-to-find female ancestor. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she?\u201d That\u2019s a question many family historians have about their female ancestors. The nice thing about digitized newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, is that we can more easily find an ancestor mentioned in a newspaper article than we could in years past. Prior to digitization, researchers mainly stuck with searching for newspaper obituaries \u2013 but today you can learn more about all aspects of her life, even when she isn\u2019t specifically named in the article.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Iowa Women\u2019s Relief Corps, c. 1890. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, even with all these advances in technology, we still need to keep in mind some techniques as we research.<\/p>\n

Search by Her Married Name<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, finding her maiden name is important. That\u2019s how we connect her to her parents. But when we are searching newspapers, one way to find her maiden name is by searching by her married name. For example, she may be listed in her obituary as Mrs. John Smith or Mrs. Margaret Smith, but the obituary might also give her maiden name. It would be a mistake to not search for her using a married name in the rush to find her maiden name.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Manchester Democrat (Manchester, Iowa), 3 January 1900, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She Might Be Listed by Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently someone approached me and addressed me as \u201cDaniel\u2019s mom.\u201d I joked that I actually wasn\u2019t born with that name. Well, it\u2019s possible that your female ancestor may have been listed using her husband\u2019s name (as mentioned above) or simply as his \u201cwife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 17 September 1922, page 13C<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Birth announcements for her children and other newspaper articles might simply list her as the vague \u201cMrs. Smith\u201d or the even vaguer \u201cMr. Smith and wife.\u201d So, one of the searches for her should really be a search for her husband.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that as you conduct these searches, you need to consider every variation of her husband\u2019s name including initials (first initial and surname as well as first and middle initial and surname), nicknames, and misspellings.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Coldwater Daily Reporter (Coldwater, Michigan), 1 January 1900, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use a Timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every research project you conduct should include a timeline. That timeline should include important dates in her life (such as birth, marriage, and death) as well as events\/activities she was involved in. Why? This helps you to not only keep track of what you know, but also provides other research possibilities. A timeline might open up other ideas for possible newspaper articles that go beyond those that name her specifically (more on that below).<\/p>\n

For more information on timelines, see this article: Genealogy Timelines: Helpful Research Tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get to Know the Newspaper<\/strong><\/p>\n

One step that most researchers ignore is finding newspaper articles that involve events or activities from your ancestor\u2019s life. Not all articles about your ancestor name your ancestor. But that doesn\u2019t mean that they aren\u2019t relevant. By creating a timeline, you can search for historical or community events that may have impacted your ancestor\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Breckenridge News (Hardinsburg, Kentucky), 18 April 1900, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, if she was a member of the Woman\u2019s Christian Temperance Union, newspaper articles about the group\u2019s local activities may provide some insight into her life and activities that she participated in, even when they don\u2019t mention her specifically. Being aware of what she was involved in can help you find articles that can add more information to the story of her life.<\/p>\n

I also highly recommend that you take some time to get to know your ancestor\u2019s newspaper. Read some issues. Learning more about the newspaper and what they printed can help you as you consider articles that she might be mentioned in.<\/p>\n

Look for Her during Women\u2019s History Month<\/strong><\/p>\n

The nice thing about researching historical newspapers is that they are the great equalizer. They record everyone, young and old, men and women, rich and poor. They are a great resource for your female ancestors, but you must take some considerations in mind as you search.<\/p>\n

Take some time this month to learn more about your female ancestors in the newspaper!<\/p>\n

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