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Finding the women in your family tree can be challenging. If you don’t know a woman’s maiden name, you can’t track her back through the census before she married, discover her birth record or make the leap back a generation to her parents.

Men created the records, owned the property and interacted with government authorities, so it’s his name you find on most documents. My ninth great-grandmother’s name is a mystery. It’s not documented (so far). Even in her husband’s will, she’s referred to as “my wife.” But, women wielded some power in deeds, wills and personal accounts.

Most marriage licenses list the wife’s maiden name ... but some don’t. And, what if you can’t find a marriage license or there are many John Smiths and you’re not sure which is yours?

I got lucky on my paternal third great-grandmother’s side because her mother, Amanda, came to live with them and is listed in the 1880 census as “mother-in-law” to the head of household. And, with Amanda’s married name, I could search for her husband’s name, their marriage license and, ultimately, her maiden name.

So, how do you ferret them out? Treat the problem the same as any other line. Create a timeline for your mystery woman to discover what pieces are missing. Fill in all the gaps you can. Then, start looking in all the usual places for the missing information.

• If researching vital records, get the originals. Abstracts can leave information out.

• Look for letters and/or diaries for her or a family member. My fifth-great-grandfather’s diary mentions his wife’s kin (especially brothers) often. Research family Bibles and any other records that could glean information on her family.

• Talk to your oldest relatives — and their friends. They remember a lot and don’t always volunteer it. I discovered my paternal grandmother’s maiden name was incorrect (she was using her stepfather’s name) by talking to one of her best friends, who is in her 90s.

• Genealogies in print and online include maiden names. Just double-check them. They aren’t always accurate.

• Nowadays, it’s all Caitlyns, Britneys and Megans, but years ago, many families gave a child or grandchild the wife’s maiden name as a first or middle name.

• Newspaper articles (births, weddings and obituaries) could have information not included in vital records.

• Check town histories if the family was well-known

• Baptismal records could list her siblings as sponsors or godparents.

• The wives and children of men who became naturalized from 1790 to 1922 automatically became naturalized, so their names aren’t in early records. But, you might find naturalization papers for a widow. Names of wives and children begin appearing in 1906 records.

• If her husband died or they divorced, search for all the children in the census or city directories. She will probably be living with a daughter, maybe a son, sister or brother. If she remarried, there’s another marriage license to seek out.

• Look at her tombstone. Search the surrounding area for related families.

• Check all land records for her husband. Names on deeds are often family members on both sides. Check abutters and other neighbors. If the couple were from the same town when they married, her family probably lived there, too. While women didn’t have a lot of rights, they had a “dower right” in their husband’s property; so, they are included in deeds because they had to sign over their dower right (one-third of the husband’s property) if the land was sold.

• Probate records are a gold mine. Check the husband’s will. If he predeceased her, there’s a good chance her male family members are named as executors, guardians to children or in charge of the inventory.

• If you still have gaps, check everything in the husband’s history. Siblings sometimes married siblings. Was she a sister of one of his classmates? Was she the daughter or sister of a work associate? When did they court? Where was he living at the time? Check neighbors in the census and/or city directories.

Lynda Rego has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lynda.rego where she shares tips on genealogy and other topics. Stop by, click on Like and share any interests you have for upcoming columns.