Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Why So Many Names of Women On The Plaques?

Every month, we answer hundreds of questions at the Reference Desk. Some are simple. Some are difficult. Some are "repeats"(asked more than once). And we have yet to find a definitive answer for a few.

For your enjoyment and erudition, we'll be sharing some Q&A in the Blog.

This question came from a visitor who was "charmed by all the wonderful small houses and especially..the plaques with the original owners' names on them....Is there a specific reason why so many women were owners of these houses in late 1800s and early 1900s? Do you think it had to do with Asilomar being a YWCA facility"

This is an example where we found no definitive answer. But the question was discussed in the February/March 2002 issue of The Heritage Society's Board and Batten. In the article Magic Plaques? by Adam Weiland, it's written:

"We do not know for sure why so many homes recorded only a woman as the owner. Many long time residents are surprised when they find out their family home was "officially and legally" owned by their great-grandmother with no mention of their great-grandfather. Other descendants are surprised when they find out their "family home" was really owned by a great-aunt or, in a few cases, someone not even related to their family. .....Although this is just speculation, here are some my thoughts on why there are so many plaques with a woman's name:

1) Women lived longer, so perhaps it avoided some tax issues when the man died. 2) Many of the men owned their own business, so perhaps it was to protect their home from creditors should the business fail. 3) In some cases the woman was a widow or unmarried when she had the house built. 4) Perhaps it was a generally accepted practice at the time. 5) Religion had nothing to do with it. Although Pacific Grove was founded as a Methodist retreat,nothing precluded men from owning real estate in the Retreat."

If you have additional information on this topic, we'd be interested to hear about it. Leave a comment on the Blog or stop by the Reference Desk.


1 comment:

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