When starting our family history most of us know our mother’s and grandmother’s maiden names, but do you know your great-grandmother’s or her mother’s? Women often left their maiden names behind when they got married and they can be incredibly hard to uncover in some cases — and not being able to find one can often mean a complete dead end.

If we’re lucky, we can find a maiden name in one of the usual resources — on a marriage certificate or death record, in the census, or listed on the birth or baptismal record of a child. Here are some tips to help you with each of these sources.

Census Records

Census records are a huge part of building most family trees since they provide so many valuable clues. A maiden name can be one of them, but usually not. Here are two ways to find some clues:

•  Take a look at the people listed directly before and after your ancestor in the census – at least on the same page and the page before and after. These were your ancestor’s neighbors, and they could be family!
•  Look for an elderly mother or father living with the family. Very often, as a person aged and their spouse passed on they went to live with family. Also check the census records of grown children too. This person would be listed as ‘mother,’ ‘mother-in-law’ or ‘grandmother,’ but not always.

Family Photo Albums & Records

This image below is an image found in an old photo album that was tucked away in a dusty closet. You never know how much information you might find from a diligent family member! 

Here’s the included caption: “This picture was taken in Copenhagen, Denmark during the year 1904. The lower row from the left to right: My uncle Florian Thomsen, and his wife Emma Thomsen, what was Emma Werner before her marriage. She was my father’s sister. On the extreme right is their daughter Betty. The three ladies in the rear row from left to right are: Mrs. Christine Kaufman, whose maiden name was Christine Werner, my father’s sister. Next is my father’s sister Mrs. Emelie Junker, and next to her is my father’s sister Mrs. Pauline Clausen, who was my father’s oldest and most beloved sister in the family.” –Aimee McDaniel