Ancestry Academy  > Education  >  Finding Your Hidden Female Ancestors

 

Finding Your Hidden Female Ancestors | Ancestry Webinar with Crista Cowan & Angie Bush

 

Women in history often disappear from the records—but that doesn’t mean their stories are lost. Join Crista Cowan and Angie Bush from Ancestry^® in this expert-led webinar where they unpack proven strategies for uncovering the elusive female ancestors in your family tree. From name changes and hidden marriages to overlooked record types, this session is your roadmap to solving some of genealogy’s most stubborn mysteries.

 

In this webinar, you'll learn how to:

 

Overcome the “maiden name mystery” using vital records, probate, and religious documentation

 

Reconstruct identities through the FAN Club method—studying the men (Family, Associates, Neighbors) around a woman

 

Find hidden gems in death certificates, marriage licenses, and even Social Security applications

 

Trace maternal lines despite stepfathers, adoptions, or surname changes

 

Apply a real-life case study using census clues, land deeds, and legal disputes to crack open a family mystery

 

🎓 Bonus: Angie Bush walks through her personal research process to uncover the true origins of a hidden female ancestor—with a twist ending that includes false assumptions, name changes, and a divorce scandal that changed everything.

 

🔍 Chapters:

0:00 – Introduction & Common Challenges in Female Research

3:00 – Where to Start: Family Stories, Vital Records & Naming Patterns

12:00 – The Power of Original Records (and Why Indexes Aren’t Enough)

26:00 – How to Research the Men to Find the Women

35:00 – Real Case Study: Gail Penn, Adoption, and a Buried Maiden Name

53:00 – Q&A and Final Research Tips