Family History Tips Honors Women's History Month

Part 28 —The Mother Branches: Tracing Family Histories through the Matrilineal Line 
by Brenna Corbit, Technical Services Librarian

I have read a few times that some family historians follow only the patrilineal line. Although I have not noticed anyone following this practice, I can see why some female lines would not be followed. Many women lose their surnames when marrying, making it difficult to find the name, especially in earlier records. I remember as a kid seeing my mom sign her name as Mrs. Charles F. Corbit and asking her why she didn’t use her own name. It is as if her name didn’t matter. 

Some women maintain their maiden names by hyphenating it in front of their married names, or simply retain their names altogether and do not take on their spouses’ surnames. This could be due to culture or personal preference.

By no means should you ignore the mother’s line. In fact, in some periods in history and cultures, lineage was traced through the mother. Regardless of culture and history, there is a saying I learned in my early days as a genealogist: “Mother’s baby, father’s maybe.” Certainly, when it comes to parentage, there is never a doubt about the mother. 

There are many easy places to find a woman’s maiden name. I've listed some of them in this article.

• Baptismal church records of many periods often give the mother’s maiden name. 
• State birth certificates started in the early 1900s often will give the mother’s maiden name. 
• New arrivals/daily docket in newspapers starting in the early to mid-1900s often give maiden names of the mothers. 
• County civil marriage certificates and applications starting in the late 1800s—be careful if the woman was previously married. She may be carrying the surname of her departed husband, or she may have been divorced and still have the name of her ex. Applications often requested if either party was previously married and how that marriage ended. Therefore, you may have to look for the first marriage record. 
• Religious marriage records will present the woman’s maiden name. 
• Marriage announcements in newspapers—besides maiden names, the names of the mothers for both parties may also be listed.
• State death certificates starting in the early 1900s will often give a woman’s maiden name; also, both parents’ names are often given, so you may find two maiden names in one record.
• Obituaries—although you may find obituaries of women titled as Mrs. Franklin M. Hamlin, for example, the contents of the obituary will often give the full name of the deceased. If the obituary does not give a maiden name, see if any brothers are listed as survivors. The mother’s maiden name of the departed may also be listed. 
• Cemetery head stones sometimes give maiden names. This will often be identified as “née” or “born. (See tombstone photo above right.) 

And then there are the tougher sources and possible clues:

• Sponsors of a baptism—if the sponsors are a couple and the relationship to the child is not mentioned, the last name of the man may be a clue, such as a brother of the mother. In this case, investigate this couple as if they were your own ancestral line. Likewise, if the sponsor is listed as a single woman, she may be a sister or a cousin. 

• Middle names often are indicators of a mother’s maiden name, especially among protestants; e.g. Andrew Laird Britton. Andrew’s mother was Mary Laird. 
• Middle initials, especially if several siblings share the same: e.g. Daniel Borkert and his wife Catharine had several children bearing the middle initial G. Research indicated the mother’s maiden name was Gans. Look for others close to the family such as sponsors, witnesses, poll bearers who may have a surname starting with the said letter. 
• A married woman’s middle initial may be a clue to her maiden name. As in the above, look for others close to the family for clues.
• Wills and probate records—carefully read all the papers in an estate/probate folder and look for any mention of names related to the deceased woman or the widow of the deceased. Look for any mention of a brother or brother-in-law. 
• U.S. Census records from 1880 to 1940 list relationships to the head of a household. Look at all those living at an address. A woman may be listed as a mother-in-law, a single woman may be listed as a sister-in-law, or a man may be listed as a brother in-law. Be aware, that the status of a woman may be confusing in regards to her last name. She may be listed as divorced and still carry her ex’s name as I mentioned in marriage license applications. Also, she may be listed as single and living at home with her parents and have a different last name, an indication there may have been a previous marriage. 
• Ships’ manifests—passenger lists of the early 1900s supply tons of information. Look at all the names mentioned related to the passenger: contact in the country they are leaving, who they are meeting at their destination, and who paid for their passage. 

As you can see, there are many ways to trace a woman's lineage. Hopefully, one or more will give you success in tracing your mother's lineage.