Who did she marry

Searching for family history is so much fun! And at some point or another you are bound to run across a daughter or aunt or other female that you found as a child but have absolutely no idea who they married and what happened to them.

Often searching for a grown daughter will lead you to what happened to the parents in their declining years and where they are buried. Sometimes these grown daughters will take in nieces and nephews to raise. Sometimes they ended up with the family bible or family pictures. There is no telling what interesting family tidbits you will turn up as you search for a grown daughter, sister or aunt.

1. Marriage records. The marriage records are the best place to look for the name of a spouse. The index on ancestry http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7838 1800-1969 is a pretty good index to search in. Some of the entries will only list one spouse. If that is the case for yours then run a new search using the same date and same place but no name and you will find the name of the other person. If you find a marriage from this index for the years 1936-1969 then I will be happy to supply you with a photo copy of the marriage certificate for $8 each.

Just because a Alabama marriage is not listed in the above index does not mean that it did not take place. There are other marriage records and index. Visit my page and let me tell you some more about finding a copy of an Alabama marriage record

2. Census. Often a census search for a aging parent will find them in the home of their grown daughter. The relationship column lists the relationship to the head of the household. Example: If you ran a 1930 census search for Martha Cook and you found her living in a household as a mother-in-law then the head of the household would be her son-in-law, who’s name you did not know, and the wife would be her daughter.

Often girls married the boys that lived nearby. So check out the families that lived nearby on the earlier census to see if they have a son that was of marriageable age.

Sometimes on the census under the marriage column you will find the letter M with a little 2 beside it. That means that this is the second marriage. That means the first marriage record will list the female’s maiden name but the second marriage record may list her first married name and not her maiden name.

Often the girls lived in a home right near their parents. So on later census be sure to carefully check out any near by families to see if any of the wives could be the one that you are searching for.

This is the new Alabama death certificate index put up by FamilySearch. It is possible to click on the words “Advance search” and fill in only the name of the parents. The results may turn up the girls with their married names! Be sure to try various way for the parents…. Search only the mother or only the father or nick names such as Bill for William, also try searching for the mother with her maiden name and married name.

Also try this idea: say you have Louise Baker as a child and you wonder who she married. This time you run the search enter Louise Baker as the mother. It is possible that she had a child that died as an infant and she herself was listed as the mother. If you that turns out to be the case then the name of the father will be her husband!

4.Death certificate for family member. Often a married daughter will sign the death certificate or be the informant for a death certificate of her siblings or parents, aunts or uncles. Her married name and the town she lived in are often listed at the bottom of a death certificate. I am happy to assist you with copies of death certificates 1908-1959 for $3 each and copies 1960-1974 for $8 each. http://alabamadeath.tripod.com/death8.htm

5.Newspapers. If you know when one of the siblings or aunts or uncles married, then if there was an account in the newspaper of the wedding, often it will list the other females in the family by their married names. Obituaries for a parent or sibling also will list the married names of the grown daughters and siblings.

It never hurts to read the old newspapers for the area your family lived in. Often the social columns will say things like “Sally Ann Hornsby and her three children came to visit her mother/grandmother Bessie Oliver this week” And right there it gives you the married name of Sally. There are always lots of interesting things in those old newspapers. You can order copies of the old newspapers from the Alabama state archives. http://www.archives.alabama.gov/newsmicro/search.cfm

6.Cemetery. Often family members are buried near each other. So look around the cemetery and see the last names buried nearby. Daughters like to be buried near their mothers and perhaps the tombstone will reveal the married name that you are searching for. While you are there be sure to check out the sexton record (cemetery record). It tells who is buried where and sometimes it tells who purchased the plot. The stone for an unfamiliar infant child buried near the grandparents may end up leading you to the married name that you are searching for.

7.Church records. If you search for the parents names in church records and the children are listed with them then later church records may list the marriage of the child or where the child moved to. Which in turn may lead you to the spouse’s name that you are searching for.

8.Deeds. When you make a trip to the court house be sure to check out the deeds. Sometimes a parent will deed property to a married daughter when she marries or the married daughter will have to sign over her rights to a piece of property. Or the death of a parent may cause the property to be deeded to a daughter and her married name and often even her husband will be listed. Check all deeds for the last names that you know. You never know when someone will be listed in someone else’s deed. If you can not make a trip to the court house here are the instructions on how you can view the court house records on microfilm at a Family History Center near you.

9.Wills. Wills of parents will often list children by their married names. But don’t stop there! Be sure to check out the wills of aunts and uncles and siblings and grandparents to see if one of them might list the daughter with her husband that you are searching for. If you can not make a trip to the court house to view the wills, here are the instructions on how you can view the court house records on microfilm at a Family History Center near you.

10. Signatures. Carefully check out the signature of witnesses at the bottom of legal papers. A name that you do not recognize may be the name of a son-in-law. Try to figure out who signed the paper and how they are related to the family. You might stumble onto the very name that you are searching for.

11.Family records. Bibles and journals of family and friends may list the marriage of a female and her husband. Also old family pictures may list on the back the daughter’s name and her husband’s name. Family letters may also reveal the spouses name. It never hurts to ask the decedents of the neighbors if they have any information about your family.

12. Military pensions. If the father had a pension application then the married daughters might be listed. Civil war and Rev war pension records can be found in various places, one being on http://www.footnote.com

13.Others research. And lastly don’t forget to check out other people’s research and see if they know who the daughter married. Post a note on county sites and places like http://genforum.genealogy.com/ and attend family reunions. It is possible that your aunt or uncle may already know the answer to the question you are seeking.

14.Talk to older family members and friends of the family. You never know what someone else might remember. Track down long lost cousins and descendants of neighbors that live next door. Who knows what interesting tidbits they might have to share and one might even be the name of who she married.

And I am happy to assist you with photocopies of Alabama death certificates 1908-1959 for $3 each and 1960-1974 for $8 each anytime that you might need them.


	Alabama Death Records Who did she marry home Other types of Alabama records Frugal Map Finding a Maiden Name \| Finding the Parents \| Searching tips for the death index \| Learn to Analyze \| Who did she marry Finding a Family History Center near you Links Who did she marry Searching for family history is so much fun! And at some point or another you are bound to run across a daughter or aunt or other female that you found as a child but have absolutely no idea who they married and what happened to them. Often searching for a grown daughter will lead you to what happened to the parents in their declining years and where they are buried. Sometimes these grown daughters will take in nieces and nephews to raise. Sometimes they ended up with the family bible or family pictures. There is no telling what interesting family tidbits you will turn up as you search for a grown daughter, sister or aunt. So here are 14 ways to help you find out “Who did she marry”: 1. Marriage records. The marriage records are the best place to look for the name of a spouse. The index on ancestry http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7838 1800-1969 is a pretty good index to search in. Some of the entries will only list one spouse. If that is the case for yours then run a new search using the same date and same place but no name and you will find the name of the other person. If you find a marriage from this index for the years 1936-1969 then I will be happy to supply you with a photo copy of the marriage certificate for $8 each. Just because a Alabama marriage is not listed in the above index does not mean that it did not take place. There are other marriage records and index. Visit my page and let me tell you some more about finding a copy of an Alabama marriage record http://alabamadeath.tripod.com/marriage/index.html 2. Census. Often a census search for a aging parent will find them in the home of their grown daughter. The relationship column lists the relationship to the head of the household. Example: If you ran a 1930 census search for Martha Cook and you found her living in a household as a mother-in-law then the head of the household would be her son-in-law, who’s name you did not know, and the wife would be her daughter. Often girls married the boys that lived nearby. So check out the families that lived nearby on the earlier census to see if they have a son that was of marriageable age. Sometimes on the census under the marriage column you will find the letter M with a little 2 beside it. That means that this is the second marriage. That means the first marriage record will list the female’s maiden name but the second marriage record may list her first married name and not her maiden name. Often the girls lived in a home right near their parents. So on later census be sure to carefully check out any near by families to see if any of the wives could be the one that you are searching for. 3.Death certificate index. http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=collectionDetails;t=searchable;c=1307888 This is the new Alabama death certificate index put up by FamilySearch. It is possible to click on the words “Advance search” and fill in only the name of the parents. The results may turn up the girls with their married names! Be sure to try various way for the parents…. Search only the mother or only the father or nick names such as Bill for William, also try searching for the mother with her maiden name and married name. Also try this idea: say you have Louise Baker as a child and you wonder who she married. This time you run the search enter Louise Baker as the mother. It is possible that she had a child that died as an infant and she herself was listed as the mother. If you that turns out to be the case then the name of the father will be her husband! 4.Death certificate for family member. Often a married daughter will sign the death certificate or be the informant for a death certificate of her siblings or parents, aunts or uncles. Her married name and the town she lived in are often listed at the bottom of a death certificate. I am happy to assist you with copies of death certificates 1908-1959 for $3 each and copies 1960-1974 for $8 each. http://alabamadeath.tripod.com/death8.htm 5.Newspapers. If you know when one of the siblings or aunts or uncles married, then if there was an account in the newspaper of the wedding, often it will list the other females in the family by their married names. Obituaries for a parent or sibling also will list the married names of the grown daughters and siblings. It never hurts to read the old newspapers for the area your family lived in. Often the social columns will say things like “Sally Ann Hornsby and her three children came to visit her mother/grandmother Bessie Oliver this week” And right there it gives you the married name of Sally. There are always lots of interesting things in those old newspapers. You can order copies of the old newspapers from the Alabama state archives. http://www.archives.alabama.gov/newsmicro/search.cfm 6.Cemetery. Often family members are buried near each other. So look around the cemetery and see the last names buried nearby. Daughters like to be buried near their mothers and perhaps the tombstone will reveal the married name that you are searching for. While you are there be sure to check out the sexton record (cemetery record). It tells who is buried where and sometimes it tells who purchased the plot. The stone for an unfamiliar infant child buried near the grandparents may end up leading you to the married name that you are searching for. 7.Church records. If you search for the parents names in church records and the children are listed with them then later church records may list the marriage of the child or where the child moved to. Which in turn may lead you to the spouse’s name that you are searching for. 8.Deeds. When you make a trip to the court house be sure to check out the deeds. Sometimes a parent will deed property to a married daughter when she marries or the married daughter will have to sign over her rights to a piece of property. Or the death of a parent may cause the property to be deeded to a daughter and her married name and often even her husband will be listed. Check all deeds for the last names that you know. You never know when someone will be listed in someone else’s deed. If you can not make a trip to the court house here are the instructions on how you can view the court house records on microfilm at a Family History Center near you. http://alabamadeath.tripod.com/lesson/id29.htm 9.Wills. Wills of parents will often list children by their married names. But don’t stop there! Be sure to check out the wills of aunts and uncles and siblings and grandparents to see if one of them might list the daughter with her husband that you are searching for. If you can not make a trip to the court house to view the wills, here are the instructions on how you can view the court house records on microfilm at a Family History Center near you. http://alabamadeath.tripod.com/lesson/id29.htm 10. Signatures. Carefully check out the signature of witnesses at the bottom of legal papers. A name that you do not recognize may be the name of a son-in-law. Try to figure out who signed the paper and how they are related to the family. You might stumble onto the very name that you are searching for. 11.Family records. Bibles and journals of family and friends may list the marriage of a female and her husband. Also old family pictures may list on the back the daughter’s name and her husband’s name. Family letters may also reveal the spouses name. It never hurts to ask the decedents of the neighbors if they have any information about your family. 12. Military pensions. If the father had a pension application then the married daughters might be listed. Civil war and Rev war pension records can be found in various places, one being on http://www.footnote.com 13.Others research. And lastly don’t forget to check out other people’s research and see if they know who the daughter married. Post a note on county sites and places like http://genforum.genealogy.com/ and attend family reunions. It is possible that your aunt or uncle may already know the answer to the question you are seeking. 14.Talk to older family members and friends of the family. You never know what someone else might remember. Track down long lost cousins and descendants of neighbors that live next door. Who knows what interesting tidbits they might have to share and one might even be the name of who she married. And I am happy to assist you with photocopies of Alabama death certificates 1908-1959 for $3 each and 1960-1974 for $8 each anytime that you might need them. I hope you have a great time searching for your ancestors! Happy Hunting! Susette Cook 2010 January