Women's History Month 2013: Women's Occupation Resources

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

Resources for Researching Your Female Ancestor, Day # 8

Did your female ancestor work outside of the home? Don't be so quick to assume she was just a housewife. Unless her family was well off there's a good chance she worked at some sort of occupation whether it was for a few dollars or to support her family. The following are some websites and books you might be interested in.

Websites

Women’s Work: Home/Work                     

Women & Mines in the UK                  

                           

A Dictionary of Employments Open to Women (1898) 

Occupations for Women…by Frances Willard (1897)                    

Atlanta’s Washerwomen Strike                                                            

Iowa Pathways: Working Women 

Harvard University Library: Women Working 1800-1930              

Cyndi’s List,Female Ancestors                                                                 

Bibliography

Books

Carmack, Sharon D. B. A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors: Special Strategies for Uncovering Hard-to-Find Information About Your Female Lineage. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1998.

Schaefer, Christina K. The Hidden Half of the Family: A Sourcebook for Women's Genealogy. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1999.

Sparks, Edith. Capital Intentions: Female Proprietors in San Francisco, 1850-1920. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.

Ward, Margaret. Female Occupations: Women's Employment 1850-1950. Newbury, England: Countryside Books, 2008.

Theses

Mundy, Robyn L. A Profile of Virginia Businesswomen During the Civil War Era, 1999.