UK : Female Ancestors - Finding a Wife’s Maiden Name

As genealogists we all have brick walls: can be any time, place or location.  There is no one solution for solving a dead end in our lineage.  Every problem needs to be approached differently.  Because most records in most locations and time periods are centered around men, we often have only a first name of a wife, or often, no name at all.  We just know she was the wife of Thomas Jones. To solve such a dilemma we must determine the time, location and circumstances relative to our female ancestor.  We must lay the groundwork for attacking the problem in a special way.

Perhaps the most straightforward way to attack such a problem is to make a timeline of her life.  Collect all information known about her.  If not much is known, focus on her husband.  Where were they when, from marriage or even birth, to the time they had their children, to the close of their lives.

1. Look for the marriage record itself.  Find the original marriage record.  The marriage licence or application can be more valuable than the original.   If you can’t find the marriage, seek it in surrounding areas, or check various marriage indexes.

2. Check all possible records on husband to get clues to help determine who she was.

3. If ancestor fought in the military, check pension papers for the widow.  Military Pension Papers valuable, especially if wife outlived husband. Good for Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Union Civil War, Spanish-American War, Indian Wars, etc.

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About Price Genealogy

Located one block from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Price & Associates is able to trace
most family histories back four or five generations without difficulty. With additional assistance from our research professionals across the globe, we have successfully traced genealogies back as many as thirty generations—to William the Conqueror, 1066 A.D. and beyond.

Price & Associates professional genealogy researchers have been helping people discover their heritage for more than thirty years. As one of the United States’ largest genealogical firms, we have assisted thousands of families to organize, chart, and verify their ancestral lines.Price & Associates uses the best software andgenealogy resources available, and even provides access to free databases and researching aids to everyone interested in their family history.

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