Women lost in time

Traces spoke with Caroline about the process of piecing together the lives of the sisters’ female ancestors, whose stories had been lost in time.

What did you discover about the process of researching female ancestors?

Even in our preliminary discussions about our project, we were aware that there was more information about our male ancestors than there was about our female ones. We took a feminist approach and were determined to give a voice to the women in the family by working to uncover their stories, and have them stand with their male family members.

We have discovered the hidden lives of so many of our female ancestors by recognising that their stories are not recorded in the same way as their male counterparts. Unearthing their stories requires a rigorous, forensic approach, and a recognition that, as researchers, we have to think laterally regarding possible sources of information.

Among our female ancestors from just this one family, we have researched the lives of a domestic servant at Government House, who later moved on to farm life; a business woman with a property portfolio; an orchardist; three dressmakers, two of whom became teachers;