Founding Females

The Founding Females Initiative was introduced in the fall of 2022 as a tribute to the 250th anniversary of the United States and the national “America 250” commemorations. The goal to have more than 250 female ancestors officially listed on the National Register of Ancestors by July 4, 2026, was reached a year early. The NSCDA sought to highlight the vital and often overlooked roles women played in shaping our country’s early history.

With a register that already included over 10,000 qualifying ancestors, NSCDA members have had a wide range of figures from whom to trace their lineage. The Initiative challenged the outdated notion that women were not instrumental in our nation’s founding—when in fact, they clearly were. Central to the effort is a broader understanding of what constitutes “service,” expanding beyond traditional definitions.

We hope you enjoy reading the short biographies of our Founding Females in the Index. You will find, as we did, that our Founding Females were brave, industrious, smart, and extremely strong in spirit. The Index provides a short biography of each Female as well as their full names, birth and death dates, qualifying service, colonial state and the reference proving service. Every attempt has been made to be as accurate as possible given the resources available today.

Biographies are added to the Index as they are written. There may be a time lapse between when a Founding Female is approved and added to the NSCDA Register of Ancestors and when her biography is added to the Index.

Historic Founder Females of our American Colonies

Delaware

Georgia

Maryland

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

185: Sherburne, Rebecca (Gibbons)

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Virginia

Founding Females Fighting Oppression

Founding Females of Business

Founding Females of Medicine

Founding Females of Places Important to the Colonies' Development that Still Thrive Today

Founding Females of Religion

Founding Females of the Written Word