Celebrate National Women's History Month with a Remarkable Scottish Heroine

March, with its promise of growth and rebirth, is exactly the right time for National Women’s History Month and the celebration of International Women’s Day this week on March 8th. We genealogists know how difficult it often is to learn more about our female ancestors, largely because for most of recorded history, they were treated as second-class citizens. Historically, women have lost their maiden names when they marry; they have usually not been heads of household; they have been under-educated and undervalued, all leading to their “disappearance” from public records. As far back as 400 years B.C., the Greek statesman Pericles stated, “A woman’s greatest glory is to be little talked about, whether for good or ill.” That mindset persisted for centuries.

Put Meat on the Bones of Your Family History!

You have undoubtedly heard many genealogists talking about “putting the meat on the bones” when it comes to their family history. Just how do you do that and what does it mean? We learn when we start working on our genealogy that it’s vital to capture names, dates, and places for everyone in our family tree. Of course, it is absolutely necessary to find documentation of basic facts and we need specific information to do that. But if we want to understand our ancestors as living, breathing human beings instead of just statistics, we need to know much more. We want to learn about their personalities, their occupations, their leisure activities, and their interactions in their communities. The more “meat” we put on those bare-bones dates and numbers, the more those people who preceded us become real.

Women's Work, Women's Lives

On this day after Mother’s Day 2020, let's take a brief look at how some of our female ancestors probably spent their lives. Many of us are used to leisure time, especially in the past months since we have been home, yet that would have been an unbelievable luxury to our working-class grandmothers, aunts, and cousins. The females in our past were often mothers, and without family planning options, the number of children in a household could go into double digits. During the Colonial period, women often worked alongside men, running a farm or plantation. They did most of the cooking and spent long hours spinning yarn, weaving, mending, sewing, and knitting. If the family had a vegetable garden or domestic animals, tending them was “women’s work,” and, of course, looking after children and seeing to their education was the job of women as well. Enslaved or indentured women often had to work in the fields alongside men. And during harvest or if a husband had to travel, all of the women, regardless of status, pitched in. Rarely did married women work outside the home. They were treated as property without personal or economic rights and men were the decision makers.

What happened to unmarried women? Certain jobs were “respectable,” and you may find a female ancestor working as a teacher or governess or, perhaps, owning a small business, such as a dress store or millinery shop. Women also worked as midwives or assisted in apothecaries, boarding houses, or taverns. If an unmarried woman had a father or brother, he often insisted on his right to “protect” her.

By the mid-1800s, industrialization created new jobs and women began to work outside the home.

 (Women at work in a textile factory; engraving, c. 1860, public domain)

Factory owners eagerly hired women and children because they could pay them less than men, and some jobs, especially related to textiles, had already been identified as women’s work. After the Civil War, educational opportunities slowly increased for women, thereby opening more doors for them. Eventually, women were allowed to study medicine, law, science and technology, areas from which women were previously banned. However, attitudes were slow to change. In fact, by the time of the 1910 census, more than three-fourths of working women held the following jobs:

• Servant
• Factory worker
• Laundress
• Teacher
• Dressmaker
• Saleswoman (in a store)
• Stenographer/typist
• Bookkeeper
• Housekeeper
• Boarding housekeeper

(Statistics from “Women’s Occupations in the Early Twentieth Century,” by Sharon S. Atkins, https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/womens-occupations/)

Our female ancestors had to combat gender stereotyping and inequality while assuming enormous responsibilities for themselves, their children, and their households. We can honor them by not losing their stories. Take a look at a few of the strong women who lived and worked in St. Louis honored in the St. Louis City/County Biographies project:

Dr. Kate Garner Walker Beall and her daughter, Dr. Mary Elliott Beall

Jane “Dearie” Hawkins Hay Cummings

Opal Gwendolyn Hudson

Margaretta (Simon) Soehngen Jantzen

Aida Lowena Mayham

Consider adding your ancestor to the project by writing her story (or his; of course, men are welcome!) for the St. Louis City/County Biographies section of our website, where you will find complete instructions for submission.

 Read more about women’s work in America:

“Women’s History in America,” Women’s International Center, http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm

“Lives of Women,” Conner Prairie, https://www.connerprairie.org/educate/indiana-history/lives-of-women/

And don’t forget to watch Judy Russell’s lecture, “’Don’t Forget the Ladies’––A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law,” part of the 2020 StLGS Virtual Family History Conference.

March Genealogy Meetings, Classes, and Special Events

Spring is in the air, and now that the weather shows signs of brightening up, March is crammed with all kinds of exciting genealogy events. In addition, there are many conferences and workshops coming up in the next few months. So, prepare yourself to keep busy doing your favorite hobby and grab your calendar!

Upcoming Meetings

StLGS Monthly Meeting: Saturday, 14 March 2020

"More Than Checkmarks: Finding Female Ancestors," by Jake Eubanks, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 10:00 a.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the StLGS website.

 

Cliff Cave Library Genealogy Presentation: Wednesday, 4 March 2020

"Researching in Alsace and Lorraine," by Dan Lilienkamp, St. Louis County Library Cliff Cave Branch, 6:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the library's website. 

St. Clair County (Illinois) Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting: Thursday, 5 March 2020

"Introduction to DNA Testing for Genealogy," by Bob McDonald, St. Luke's Parish Hall, 226 N. Church Street, Belleville, 7:00 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the group's website.
   

Czech Genealogical Researchers Monthly Meeting: Saturday, 21 March 2020

"The Irish in Bohemia," by Mary Petersen, St. Louis County Library Headquarters, East Room, 1:30 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. More information available on the group's website.
 

Upcoming StLGS Classes

• "Legacy Family Tree 101" (PC only) by Cathy Amen, Saturday, 21 March 2020

• "Intermediate Irish Research," by Carol Hemmersmeier & Kay Weber; Saturday, 28 March 2020

Classes are held at the StLGS Office from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Free to StLGS members; fee for non-members; pre-registration required at 314-647-8547.

 More information on these and more StLGS classes on our website.

StLGS German Special Interest Group Meeting

"German Genealogy: What Do You Need to Know?" by Carol Whitton, CG, German SIG leader; Wednesday, 25 March 2020, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.; free, open to all, no pre-registration needed. Click here for more information.

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March Classes at St. Louis County Library

• 5 March: "Exploring the Ancestry Database," Thornhill
• 10 March: "FamilySearch Basics," Florissant Valley
• 11 March: "Family History Online: Databases for Genealogical Research," Rock Road
• 17 March: "History and Genealogy in Newspapers," Sachs
• 18 March: "Library Skills for Genealogical Research," Natural Bridge
• 19 March: "Discovering Ancestral Military Veterans," Weber Road
• 26 March: "Finding Ancestors in U.S. Census Records," Headquarters
• 31 March: "Who Were My Ancestors? Beginning Family History Research," Meramec Valley

All library classes are free but require pre-registration. More information available on the library's website.
  

Upcoming Special Events

"That Fabulous Summer" (1904 World's Fair)
Lecture and film at the Missouri History Museum, Sunday, 8 March 2020,

Lee Auditorium, 2:00 p.m. Free; no pre-registration required.

The museum is also sponsoring several classes this month with St. Louis Community College that are historical/genealogical in content. Specific details are on the museum's website.

Tours at Bellefontaine Cemetery

Celebrate Women's History Month and the coming of spring by taking a walking or a trolley tour at Bellefontaine. Tours are planned throughout the month of March. More information in the March Events Calendar on Bellefontaine's website.

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  StLGS Trivia Night: Saturday, 7 March 2020

Richmond Heights Community Center, 8001 Dale Avenue (just south of I-64 between Hanley and Big Bend); doors open at 6:15 p.m.; questions begin at 7:00 p.m.

Questions on all topics. We'll provide snacks, fun, and an awesome silent auction!

Check out our website for more information and/or to register.

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48th Annual Family History Conference
Proof Positive . . . Evidence in Court Records

Featuring Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL
AND John Dougan, Missouri State Archivist
PLUS
Local speakers, Exhibitors, Prizes and Raffles, and More!
Saturday, 4 April 2020
Orlando Gardens, 2050 Dorsett Road, St. Louis, MO 63043
Registration and complete program information
 on the StLGS website.