Deborah Gurtler and Professor George R. Ryskamp, History
Garganta la Olla is a small town in the Extremadura region in Spain where partible inheritance was practiced. Each child received an equal share of the family inheritance which had economic implications for the women of the village. Their share of the inheritance often included property. This project studied the impact women had on their community economically because of their ownership of inherited property. Were the women of the village really sharing equally in the family patrimony with their male siblings and if so, did this allow them to have an impact on the community economically? These are the questions that this project sought to answer.
The research was conducted using available records that showed what women received as their legacy and what they did with what they received. Records studied were notarial records containing wills, land sales, and dowries. In the eighteenth century, the time period studied, anyone with property of any type used a notary to record the conveyance of that property whether it was as a gift, part of a legacy, or a sale. These records have been remarkably well-preserved at the provincial archive in Cáceres, Spain. For several years my mentor, Dr. George Ryskamp, has taken groups to Spain and they have filmed some of these notarial records. The eventual goal is to have filmed all of the records from this village for the eighteenth century. Part of our time in Spain was spent filming some of these records. The records filmed during our trip combined with those filmed by previous groups were vital for my research.
It was very common for propertied families to pass on their goods to their children while both parents and children were still alive. The most common way this was done was through the use of cartas de dote, or dowries. The parents went to the local notary either at the time of the child’s marriage or sometime thereafter and make a list of all the goods their son or daughter brought to the marriage through their legitima, or inheritance, either maternal, paternal, or both. Both parents could dispose of their property as they saw fit. Examining these documents provided an excellent way to see if the family goods were divided equally among siblings. This proved to be the case.
Dowry inventories also provided several other insights into the couple’s economic standing. In several documents it was found that women, at times, brought a greater value of goods and property to their marriage than their husbands. This undoubtedly gave them an influence in the management of the household economy. Other dowry documents showed that women were ready for the responsibility of property ownership as evidenced by the wording chosen by their parents in the record.
Land transactions were studied that involved women. From the years 1773 to 1791 it was learned that women participated in more than 30 percent of all land transactions taking place in the village. This indicated that women were using their property to benefit their families and to take part in the economy of the community. In several instances women were found using their land to benefit their family’s economy or to help their heirs build a better life.
Wills were examined because they gave an overall picture of what was being passed on and to whom. One of the interesting aspects of this research discovered that from 1773 to 1791 women were making as many and in most years more wills than their male counterparts. This is a good indication that women had received property that they wanted to pass on to their heirs. In their wills, women often left money for uses that would benefit their community, such as money to purchase oil for the lamps of the church, or bread for the poor. Bequests also often included shoes and clothing for family members and friends and real property such as houses and orchards. These types of legacies had an economic impact on the village.
Women in Garganta la Olla, Spain definitely had an economic impact on their community because of the goods they inherited and passed on. This research was important because not many historians have looked at inheritance practices of women in rural villages of Spain. It also enlightens us about the culture of this region of Spain. In most European and western countries during this same time period women rarely left a will or were allowed to own property. If they received property from their husband’s will, it was returned to his heirs upon her death. The opposite was found in Garganta la Olla. Husbands often only received a life interest in the estate of his wife which reverted to her heirs upon his death.
This research had some challenges but the rewards far outweighed them. Reading three hundred year old Spanish handwriting can be difficult but as time was spent digging in the records they became easier to read and understand. The formulaic style of the legal documents also facilitated the ability to locate the vital information extracted for research and analysis purposes. Becoming more aware of the contents of notarial records will benefit me in any future genealogical research as well. Because they often give the full names and relationships of those named, awareness of these documents will have great value for family history research.
As part of the research trip, a visit was made to this small village to see the houses and the orchards that were so important to the family patrimony. To be able to walk the same narrow streets and see the terraced hills where the orchards were, and still are, planted helped to convey me back in time to visualize the lives of these women. Combining the sights of the village with the written documents helped me to feel close to the women in the records and gain a greater understanding of how they could have impacted their community.
I have had the opportunity to give a brief presentation on my research and findings as part of a colloquium titled “Mentored Research on Women in a Spanish Village of the 1700s” hosted by the Women’s Research Institute on campus in September. They also helped to provide funding for my research. I hope in the future, with the help of Dr. Ryskamp, to be able to find an appropriate publication where my findings might be published. I am very appreciative of the Office of Research and Creative Activites and the Women’s Research Institute for the grants I received to conduct this research. The support of the Center for Family History and Genealogy was also very much appreciated.