how do i find a relative's maiden name who was born in 1800s only her married name is listed?

Answer 1

If you're in the UK...you would have to look at the parish registers. See http://www.genuki.org.uk/ as an excellent resource to narrow down the when/where/parsh listings.

Answer 2

You have a problem, in that records start to be formalised in 1837, so her birth records, and marriage will be on parish registers, which are not so accurate.

your best bet is to find her on the 1861 census, and find out where she was born, then you travel to that area and look for the original records within the county archives.

this is assuming that she has stayed within the area of her birth, and not simply adopted her husbands address.

The 1851 census is not too accurate, and the 41 is to the nearest 5 years. before this date, the records were not organised so well, so the 01, 11, 21 and 31 census returns were collected by private individuals, who mostly destroyed the data.

parish records may have the fathers name, occupation and address, which will give you your answer. Witnesses at the marriage are also a good searching place - and odd middle names helpo to locate folks.

I only hope she is not an Elizabeth or a Mary lol

Answer 3

Hello Liam,
If your relative had children born after late 1837, (UK), look for their birth certificate/s, and purchase it/them from the General Records Office. Should have mothers maiden name in the box for details of mother - example, Mother Ann Smith formerly Jones. If she had been married before, it should help you to locate a previous marriage.

Obtaining the marriage certificate will help as well, and this will also give her fathers name and occupation. Useful if the lady in question has been married before. Search for the marriage of the husband on freebmd, and cross check (if found) with the volume and page number on the site. This will give you a list of all the other people on that page number. You can also do this in Ancestry.

Also, on her children's birth certificates, they sometimes have mothers maiden name as a middle name.

Do use Ancestry search, as they have many, many records now online, I have found them so useful.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

That is probably the hardest thing to do when looking up your ancestry. I have had some success by checking marriage records, of course that presumes some knowledge of where and when. It can be very time consuming but the reward is priceless.
When searching do not overlook any tiny bit of information, when you piece it all together (just like a jig-saw puzzle) you could be surprised at the results. Each state/province has its own system but they are similar. Start at the courthouse and look up the public records, sometimes, even real estate records will give you names and dates. Good Hunting. it can be done.

Answer 5

1) Find the marriage record

2) Find a will in which Don Breaks writes "I bequeath to my daughter Paige, who married James Turner . . .

3) Find the happy couple late in life in a census with a man listed as "Father-in-law". "Brother-in-Law" and "Sister-in-Law" may give clues, as may "Mother-in-law", but there are other possibilities with each.

4) Find the happy couple early in their married life in a census, living with her parents.

5) Find her will, in which she writes "I give to my brother, Don Breaks Jr., . . .

6) Find her death record. 30% or so have the parents' names.

None are sure things. If she was born (or lived in) the USA and late in the 1800's - late enough she had an SSN when she died - her SSN application will tell you. It is $27, though.

Answer 6

What is it listed on? If it is a marriage document it should list her maiden name. If it is another document you may need to find the marriage registration on microfilm.

Answer 7

double check on this...sometimes children will take on the mothers name so you may well have her maiden name already....otherwise check as many geneology sites as you can and cross reference the info you find..its has to be listed correct;y somewhere..

Answer 8

if you know her husbands first name and have an idea of when she married you can see all marraige registers from1837 onwards on www.ancestry.co.uk...look for the page with the name you know and see who else is on the same page, then you will have a reference number if you need to send for marraige certificates etc