MANY TAGS ON ME

How did this happen? Wouldn’t genealogy even be easier if women’s names had not changed? What was the reasoning behind hanging women with so many names?

My birth name is: Jane Doe Smith
My first married name is: Jane Doe Smith Johnson
My second married name is: Jane Doe Smith Johnson Escondido

My first husband was born: John Doe Johnson
His first married names is: John Doe Johnson
His second married name is: John Doe Johnson
(And his third, fourth, fifth, etc. no kidding)

My second husband’s birth name is: Joe Doe Escondido
His first married name is: Joe Doe Escondido
His second married name is: Joe Doe Escondido

What is wrong with this picture? John and Joe never have to change their paperwork or their social security records or retirement benefits or business cards or anything. It takes a woman at least a year to get everything changed after marriage. Plus she can kiss off any credit history she may have “stupidly” had under Mrs. John Doe Johnson. (Yes, I’m afraid it used to actually be that way. After my divorce from John in 1975 all the good credit we had established automatically became the new Mrs. John Doe Johnson’s and I had absolutely no credit history).

My niece kept her maiden name. The only thing difficult about that is having to address envelopes to her and her husband with two full names i.e. Susie Qzie Bedoozie and Alex Hotter Trotter instead of an easy one line, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Hotter Trotter. But, that is difficult for us and not for her. Was she smart or what?

Oh, for the children you say? Well how many children do you know who have the same last names as their parents these days anyway?

Wait, I like writing Mrs. Joe Doe Escondido on my notebooks and scrawling Jane Doe Escondido over and over on the sidewalk and telling my name because I’m so proud to be married to him…………….……….

What’s a girl to do?