SGS2026: Hidden Half

For Women's History Month, the writing prompt for the SGS Write All About it! group is #hiddenhalf. The theme was inspired by a classic reference work, The Hidden Half of the Family by Christina Kassabian Schaefer. 

I have several "hidden" women in my family history, I have written about previously in Hidden Mothers and Hellion Fathers, including Mary Grainger Keely Johns (1834-1871) and Catherine Thomas Younker (1834-1912). 

Since I first wrote about Mary and Catherine, I have made some headway by connecting them to their parents and gaining a deeper understanding of their lives. There is certainly more to learn, but their stories are both starting to take shape. The third woman, however, Mariam Williams Kirkendall, remains stubbornly cloaked by obscurity. 

The details of Mariam's life are scant:

• Mariam Williams was married to Robert Kirkendall in Green County, Wisconsin, on 26 August 1838.
• Robert Kirkendall appears as a head of household in the 1840 Federal Census for Green County, Wisconsin, with one female household member between the ages of 15 and under 20, presumably Mariam.
• Mariam and Robert were divorced in 1849. Their divorce records are the stuff of headline news today, with both sides alleging infidelity, drunkenness, and more. In keeping with the time, custody of their two daughters, Eliza Ann Kirkendall Shultz (1841-1929) and Mary Lucas Kirkendall Eastwood (1843-1928), was awarded to their father. 
• Mariam is mentioned as Robert's first wife in his 1897 obituary, which seems unusual.

Unidentified hidden mother photo. 

Mariam's fate following the 1849 divorce remains a mystery. There is a Miriam Kirkendoll in the 1850 Federal Census, living in neighboring Lafayette County, Wisconsin, with Elisabeth and John Chilton.

Mariam and Elisabeth are close in age, both born in Delaware, suggesting they might be sisters or some other relationship. The Chiltons have a five-year-old daughter named Miriam, which also strengthens the possibility of a family connection. 

Also enumerated with the family is two-year-old Caroline Kirkendall. There was no mention of Caroline in Robert and Mariam's divorce. Was she the result of the infidelity alleged in the divorce? Because of her young age, did she remain with her mother? Was she born after the divorce was finalized? Or, did the enumerator simply make a mistake, and Caroline was actually the daughter of John and Elisabeth? Since the 1850 census does not indicate how members of a household are related, confirmation of relationships requires additional research.  

Neither Mariam nor Caroline has been located in subsequent censuses. John Chilton died in 1857, and his probate file indicates his wife, Elisabeth, predeceased him, leaving two daughters, Louisa and Mariam. Caroline Chilton does appear in later Wisconsin records, but at this point, potential relationships are just speculation. So, for now, Mariam's story is still shrouded in mystery, and her half of the story remains hidden.

Copyright 2026 by Lisa A. Oberg, GeneaGator: Vignettes of Yesteryear. All Rights Reserved.