Troubleshooting Those Missing Maiden Names
Lesser Known Sources for Tracing Lost Ladies
Before the last century, a woman’s mark on the world was rarely made outside her home or beyond the bounds of her husband’s property. Once she reached adulthood, reasons for existing had little to do with her shed maiden name.
A previous article listed 10 resources for finding maiden names. Now it’s time for some lesser known, or readily overlooked, sources.
Lineage Societies
Most people don't think of lineage societies until they wish to join one. Meeting many hereditary society requirements means document ing your line. That includes furnishing women’s maiden names!
Most towns have DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) chapters; all have historians, but some also have genealogical records keepers. The smaller the town, the more apt they are to know about most families living there between the Revolutionary War and 1900.
Many libraries have volumes of DAR lineages. The Mayflower Society, the Huguenot Society and other lineage-based organizations also published lineage books.
Military Pension Records
A highly readable, sometimes entertaining, source of maiden names is military pension applications of Revolutionary War soldiers. When Congress passed pension laws, most soldiers were past their 60s; many were deceased. In order to claim her husband's pension, a wife had to prove she married to him. When no marriage record existed, affidavits given by the wife and corroborated by relatives, wedding guests, etc., were often accepted.
Many of these marriages were between the 1760s and 1820s...some more than half a century before the pension claim was filed. There are also pension records for other wars. Inquire through the State Adjutant General and the National Archives. Records from these two sources often complement--not duplicate--each other.
Divorce Records
Divorce Records often reveal maiden names. They vary by state in content and time period. The first Virginia divorce was granted in 1803, but Connecticut divorce records go back to the early 1600s. There were no Maryland divorces during the colonial period, but there were in New York. Pennsylvania has divorce records back to 1682.
Depending on the state, these records could be handled by chancery court, the court of common pleas, the governor, the legislature or various other judicial bodies. These examples only hint at the variety and complexity of tracking down the earliest divorces. By the mid 1800s, most states had standardized procedures and easier-to-locate records.
Hospital Records
Hospital records are an obvious source many neglect to check. Most hospitals keep records for parents of babies born there. They also have records for persons who died, but often these don’t contain maiden names. Address your letter to either Admissions and Records, or Public Relations.
Passport and Social Security Applications
Passport applications from 1791-1925 are at the National Archives, but ones less than 75 years old are restricted. They give birth information for women. Social Security applications give name, parents and birth date and place, but don’t start until the 1900s. You can find abstracts of individual records online or write the Social Security Administration at its Baltimore headquarters for the complete record.
A very rare source for maiden names is a government list of mothers and widows of World War I soldiers buried in Europe. Mothers and widows eligible for a pilgrimage to visit the graves are in a document full of information available at government document repositories. Request House Document 140 of the 71st Congress, Second Session.
