The bane of my research today is initials. Initials used in a man's given name. And therefore used in a wife's legal name.
Many genealogy databases don't work well with initials. This church paper from 1948 assumes the reader will know those gents hidden behind initials.
A Texas birth certificate from 1906 is indexed without the child's first name, and with initials only for the parents' given names. Luckily I know this is a match because I have supporting documents showing the Sillivent family's full names. But again, a clear disregard for future genealogists is shown in these two images below, tut tut:
Are you old enough to recall when polite society referred to a married woman only by her husband's name? Business correspondence required that a married woman be addressed as Mrs. Husband's-First-And-Last-Name. If widowed, her given name might then be used with the title Mrs.
EXAMPLE FROM PRIDE & PREJUDICE: Miss Elizabeth Bennet married Darcy. She then became Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy, we know, lives on in film. But should he ever die, then our Elizabeth becomes Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. Actually I really don't know the English custom for names 183+ years ago.
Happy Saint Arbogast's Day (this July 21st)! Thanks for stopping by.
Postscript: Women as chattel is a subject found elsewhere on this blog.