This year, I am participating in Amy Johnson Crow’s 2025 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, weekly prompts to tell your ancestors’ stories.
She recently released the prompt for January 29-February 4: The theme for Week 5 is “Challenge.” Which ancestor has been challenging to research? What ancestor faced an enormous challenge?
When considering the ancestor who presents the most significant challenges for me, I would rank any female ancestor who lived before the 1850 census. Researching these ladies requires considerable effort to find information about them. I spend a lot of time reviewing wills, probate records, land records, newspapers, and church records and piecing together information from pre-1850 census records (and more). Sometimes, information is easy to find, but other times, it is not. Many of my US ancestors lived in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, where I almost always encounter some form of record loss that affects my research. So, I have had to use a significant amount of creativity in my research, which can sometimes be fun and eye-crossing.
I have found my subscription to Genealogical.com super handy when I need to find information about a specific county, period, or reference material such as tax lists. The ebooks work for me because I have run out of shelf space, and I like to read as I go. If there is a title that I enjoy or constantly reference, I will buy the book version.
Speaking of guidebooks for female ancestors, one of my favorite titles I have tabbed and organized for my research is Telling Her Story by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. This book has helped me find female ancestors and enhanced my research knowledge and methodology. It also explains how to write their stories. It’s worth a spot on your reference shelf.
I think these ladies will always be challenging, but as more records are digitized and made available to the public, I think it will get easier.
Leave a Reply