ONLY
THE MEN HAD BABIES
My
ancestor William had children
All
named, with birth dates and places.
But
his wife is not even mentioned;
Of
her there are not even traces.
Surely
she must have existed,
Was
born, was a child, & had dreams.
Grew
up and learned how to keep house,
Was
a person---but nameless, it seems
She
had parents, and someplace, a home.
Her
brothers are listed no doubt.
But
she was only a girl
So
not really worth telling about.
She
was half my ancestor's heritage;
Without
her he wouldn't have life.
His
genes are half hers,
but
I find She was only his father's wife.
Once
a girl was first "dau", then was "wife."
She
belonged to her father, till married,
And
then she belonged to her husband,
And
beside him, unnamed, she was buried.
How
awful to think MY descendants
Might
search for a name for me,
Be
unable to find my identity,
And
wonder just who I might be.
Dr.
Dorothy Branson
(Thanks to Orange County California Genealogical Society Quarterly)
This page is dedicated
to the women you will never know in the vast works and research I've done. For generations, they were barely made mention of in legal documents. Some weren't referenced with anything more than a first name. But their contribution to history was no less great than their counterparts --- in American history, their respective country of origins, their cultures, and their families. They were as brave as anyone else parting their homeland to challenge the unknown for the freedom and promise that America offered. Their possibilities inhibited by gender, all the same, they came.They didn't become generals, lieutenants and majors. They didn't become landowners or voters. They settled and built homes, raised generations upon generations - farmed the lands. It is for these invisible people who contributed to our heritage that I cannot document, that I dedicate this page to. For they were no less proud or brave than anyone else and while we may never fully know their impact and contribution, they are not forgotten and I am proud to be a descendant to them all.