As we pause and give thanks to mothers everywhere on this Mothers’ Day, we should note the special place that they have in our family histories and pedigrees. As genealogists, sometimes we get distracted by looking only for male ancestral lines, to see how far back we can extend a link. There is much more to family history than that, and finding complete families wherever possible should certainly be the priority.

That brings us to finding female ancestors on our lines, which can sometimes be challenging to do. In the United States page of The Family History Guide, Goal B4  has some great resources to help, whether you are researching in the U.S. or in other countries.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights in Choice D: of Goal B4. You can click a link below to explore an article or watch a video about the topic, or do the same on The Family History Guide website.

• Learn strategies for finding females in your family tree.

☆  AAC—Finding the Females in Your Family Tree—Video series (acct. req.)
☆  AAC—How to Find a Maiden Name—2:03 (acct. req.)

• Learn how to find female ancestors by married and maiden names.

☆  GC—Maiden Name
☆  AJC—3 Practical Strategies for Finding Female Ancestors

• Here are some additional strategies for finding maiden names in research.

☆  TH—Top 10 Sources for Locating Maiden Names

• Watch this video for tips on finding maiden names.☆

  AC—Finding Women’s Maiden Names—24:08

• Read the article or watch the video to learn about using maiden names to further your research.

☆  TH—Top Places to Find Maiden Names
☆  AC: Finding the Maiden Names of Women in Your Family Tree—18:01