Master Accreditation of the Genealogical Institute M.A.G.I. Course Lesson #4 A Rose by any other name...

By Floyd Thomas Pratt F.H.C., M.A.G.I.

Subjects: Female birth surname, surnames, female surnames

Description: To acquaint the family researcher with a proper understanding of identifying female birth surnames. After 39 years of researching family histories and accumulating over 42,000 ancestors in my primary tree, I have discovered there exists a great deal of confusion when it comes to displaying maiden names, married names, subsequent married names and adopted names when it pertains to our female ancestors and relatives. I have been dismayed, by an indifferent attitude or concern writers, authors, researchers and newspaper editors have displayed by publishing various documents, purposely confusing their readers by not using a standardized identifying process or method concerning female birth surnames. I have been using a method developed over the last 39 years, which clarifies and displays to the reader an easy and recognizable method immediately removing any confusion concerning the marital status of our female ancestors.