Category: Female Ancestors

Big Hats in Family Photos

Ronnie O'Rourke's great aunt Mary (Mamie) Smith (b. 1892) wears an enormous hat in this family portrait. Her grandson identified her in the image, but now the family wants to know who's standing with her. Her hat and dress are quite stylish for this outdoor event. The presence of the...

Researching Women Who Served in WWII Premium

Expert Answers for Your Genealogy Questions: Tracing Members of the WWII Women's Army Corps

Clothing Clues for Women in Old Photos: Bloomers

In 1849, a group that advocated reform dress for women advised them to wear "Turkish dress." That meant a billowy pant that ended below the knee, worn beneath a shorter dress. This illustration is from sheet music composed by William Dressler in 1851. He called his piece "The Bloomer...

Solving Old Photo Mysteries: Clues in Curls

Eunice Amelia Paulk (1842-1913)Jana Last knows a lot about her ancestor Eunice. She was born in Ohio, lived in Washington, Iowa, and eventually moved to California. At 19, she was a teacher in common school, a job she likely held until she married in 1876. You can read...

WWI Genealogy Websites and Books for Tracing Female Ancestors Premium

Use these resources to start exploring the experiences of your female ancestors who served in World War I, whether as a nurse, volunteer, or on the home front.

Tracing Women Ancestors in World War I Premium

Discover the experiences of your female ancestors who nursed soldiers and served on the home front during World War I.

free family tree chart

Women at Work: Switchboard Operators

Somewhere in these two pictures is Carilyn Bernd's maternal grandmother, Delma Ragan. Delma was born in 1902. She married Leo Ragan in 1922 and gave birth to twins in 1924. Just three years later, she died at age 25. At some point, Delma was a telephone switchboard operator...

Hats and Hair

Last week the focus was work hats for men. This week it's all about the ladies. When I go photo shopping, I love to find more than one image of the same person. I have two images of this woman—one in a hat and one without her hat...

Wacky Hair or Fashionable Foible?

I can't help it. I love the hairstyles and facial hair in photographs so much I'm actually thinking about a second volume of my Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900 book. The curls and whorls of nineteenth century styles definitely provide insights into your ancestor's fashion sense and their personality...

Resources for Finding Your Female Ancestors

Happy Mother's Day to the moms out there and those on my family tree, including my great-grandma (here in the early 30s, holding one of her little ones) and my grandma (the little girl with her hands folded in front of her).One of your biggest brick walls, you tell...

Making Herstory: 4 Great Women’s History Archives Premium

Discover four archives where you can learn about the ordinary—and extraordinary—lives of your female ancestors.

Popular Historical Female Names Premium

Knowing popular given names of a particular period can help you identify your ancestor in databases, indexes and records.

Records + Documents

Get Started

North America

Europe

DNA

Heritage

Female Ancestors