Women's History Month: Who Is Your Favorite Female Ancestor?

Today is the first day of Women's History Month. I descend from some pretty amazing women - starting with my mother and my grandmothers and stretching back through the generations.

Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist has given us 31 blogging prompts to celebrate these women whose blood runs through our veins. I haven't read ahead through all of them yet but here is the one for today:

"Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about?"

I don't know if I can pick a "favorite." But, there is one woman in my ancestry that continually captivates my attention. Carrie Inman was born in Ohio in 1861. Her father died when she was three years old and her mother died before she turned six. She was raised by her maternal grandparents in Medina County.

I have a few pictures of Carrie. She was a striking woman. She was also about six feet tall. When she was 22 years old she married a man who was two years younger and about six inches shorter. They had two sons, the younger of whom made the local newspaper for weighing over twelve pounds at his birth. Before that boy, my great-grandfather, was ten years old, Carrie's husband left her and headed out to California where he worked his way through a few more wives.

Carrie never remarried. And years later when her oldest son did the same thing to his wife and their four daughters, Carrie headed down to New Orleans (where her daughter-in-law was from) to help raise her granddaughters. She died there in 1945.

For years all we knew of Carrie was what was contained in her son's birth announcement, what scant information we found in her marriage certificate, and a few stories told by an aunt we aren't certain ever even met her. A few years ago I found the cemetery record that contained her death information. Shortly after that I came across a book written in 1890 about her mother's family history that provided me with the clues I needed to find the records that told her life story.

I think that's probably why I feel most drawn to her - because first she was a genealogical "brick wall." She was a challenge and a puzzle. I worked and worked - over years with my dad and on my own - to find more about her. And she was the first brick wall I ever broke through. And like most things that we have to work for, I feel more value because of the effort.

I recently came into possession of a few pictures of her that have really brought her to life for me. My favorite was taken in 1932, when she was 71 years old. She is sitting on the front porch of her New Orleans home, surrounded by her daughter-in-law, three of her granddaughters and a great-granddaughter. Best of all, she wrote on the back and now I have her handwriting as well as a glimpse into her personality.

"The whole family, Aug 1932.  Something was on the door and landed on my nose.  Looks as tho I had a bird."

I think she is a woman I would have loved to have known better. I can't wait to meet her someday!