Thursday, November 20, 2008

and another one (or two)

i hope i didn't offend with that last post, because that wasn't the reason for it. i was just wondering. just musing to myself. and i have to admit, those that commented did give me more to think about.

but now i have another question.

i have been doing some family history research. probably 10 years ago i got bit and started finding my roots. it's cyclical though. some months i spend way too long online, doing research, and other times, i can go a year without even thinking about it.

i found some headstones a couple of years ago, almost in my same town, that i knew i was related too. some of my ancestors settled this area when they came across the plains as pioneers. which was so cool to find out. anyway i took some pictures of the headstones. however, at the time i couldn't figure out who they were, or how we were related. it was crazy and i sort of gave up on them. i knew we had to be related, but i just didn't know through who or how.

fast forward to the other day. i'm online doing some research, and looking, when i realize that the headstones that are for these two women, have their married names on them! i mean, duh! but it got me wondering, why don't we put the maiden name on the headstones, since all our records are done that way? it really would make it easier on us simple people, who don't know who was married to who.

that made me think of my posterity, and how crazy it would be to try to piece my history together, so when i die, please carve my maiden name on my grave marker. you can throw it all up there. not that anyone will ever try to find out who i was or anything, i just like to give credit to my family too. seriously.

i did figure out where these two ladies fit. they were polygamist wives of some guy from my family history. they were buried side by side. i still find it kind of weird, but kind of cool too. they are my great great (great?)aunts. it's nice to know.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's a generational thing. My grandmother has her maiden name on her headstone next to my gpa(she's still living). And on my mom's side all the women have the headstones with the family name one one side and then the husband's name dob/dod and wife's maiden name dob/dod on the other side.

Laurel said...

I don't really know much about it, but judging from the info I had, I always assumed it just depended on family traditions/backgrounds. My ancestors not born in America have done it differently than those born here. Maybe there's no pattern to it?? Anyway, I think it's cool you found those family stories!