{"id":3844,"date":"2026-05-29T00:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T00:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=3844"},"modified":"2026-05-29T00:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T00:50:13","slug":"book-review-searching-for-sisters-a-guide-to-researching-catholic-nuns-in-the-united-states-by-sunny-jane-morton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=3844","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Searching for Sisters: A Guide to Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States by Sunny Jane Morton"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Available as an ebook or paperback at Genealogical Publishing Company<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Recently, I obtained a copy of Sunny Jane Morton\u2019s newest work. If you already own her earlier book co-authored with Harold Henderson, How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records<\/em>, you\u2019ll want to add this one to your collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the book is designed for researchers with a religious sister in their family tree, I would argue it extends beyond that audience. Anyone who has known a Roman Catholic nun, even casually, will find value here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although my maternal line has been Roman Catholic for centuries, I\u2019ve uncovered no nuns in recent generations. My husband\u2019s predominantly Lutheran line, however, includes several Harbaugh women who entered religious life between 1880 and 1913 in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many who grew up in parochial schools, I had frequent contact with sisters, as teachers, colleagues, even supervisors. And yet, it never occurred to me to ask what became of them. No long-term correspondence, no reconnection later in life. I simply moved on. In some cases, that\u2019s a blessing. In others (I\u2019m thinking of former Sr. Jeanne Hiller) it feels like a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morton\u2019s book brought that realization into sharp focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also presents statistics that genuinely surprised me. In the United States, women religious outnumbered men as early as 1820. By 1965, the height of my own parochial school years, there were an estimated 209,000 nuns, marking their peak. At that time, the Roman Catholic school system was the largest private educational network in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was aware that historically widowed women could enter religious life once their children were grown, but I hadn\u2019t realized that this practice continues today or that divorced women, following annulment, may also join. Nor had I fully appreciated the role of the dowry in entering a convent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even terminology challenged my assumptions. Like many, I used \u201cnun\u201d and \u201csister\u201d interchangeably, unaware that in the past they carried distinct meanings. The discussion of naming practices was particularly valuable, especially the possibility that a woman might retain her surname. For genealogists, that detail alone has real research implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the sisters I remember most vividly, Sr. Martina, Sr. Aloise, Sr. Jerome, Sr. Roserita, carried pre\u2013Vatican II names that now feel like artifacts of another era. Yet I cannot recall the name of my sixth-grade religion teacher, nor my overwhelmed but kind eighth-grade principal. Memory is selective and often unfair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morton provides numerous strategies for tracing these women, including those who left religious life. Her success in accessing diocesan records stands in contrast to my own experiences, which have been far more restrictive. (You can read about it here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She notes that some baptismal records include annotations when individuals later entered religious life, an invaluable clue, when available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many religious communities close or consolidate, this book becomes not just useful, but necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importantly, the scope extends beyond convent records. It hadn\u2019t occurred to me that school or employment records, my own included, might someday reside in an archive, waiting to be discovered. Morton also raises the possibility of wills written by nuns, which initially struck me as puzzling given that income was typically directed to the convent. Yet, as she demonstrates, even this avenue can yield results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her observations about the historical marginalization of sisters resonate deeply. In the commemorative history of St. Mark\u2019s Roman Catholic Church in Gary, Indiana, the sisters, who formed the backbone of the parish school, are nearly invisible.[1]<\/a> A single photograph of the convent. A group faculty image. Minimal acknowledgment. Even the name of their order is omitted; I only know it from a report card: the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morton closes with a call to recognize the humanity of these women, a point I wholeheartedly support. Childhood impressions often obscure the fuller truth. As adults, we are better positioned to ask: who were these women, really? What shaped them? What did they give up and what did they gain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book concludes with case studies that walk readers through the research process. In her acknowledgments, Morton mentions a proposed database, introduced at a June 2025 conference, intended to honor these women collectively. As of now, it has not materialized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If ever there were a moment for the Roman Catholic Church to formally preserve and elevate the legacy of these women, who labored largely unseen, it is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a practical, eye-opening guide that fills a genuine gap in genealogical research. Even if you think you don\u2019t have a nun in your tree, you may find yourself reconsidering and looking a little harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/a> Leo J. Armbruster. History of St. Mark\u2019s Parish, No publishing info, 1958, digital image; archive.org: accessed 21 Apr 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, I obtained a copy of Sunny Jane Morton\u2019s newest work. If you already own her earlier book co-authored with Harold Henderson, How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records, you\u2019ll want to add this one to your collection. While the book is designed for researchers with a religious sister in their family … Continue reading “Book Review: Searching for Sisters: A Guide to Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States by Sunny Jane Morton”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1391,1392],"class_list":["post-3844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","tag-nuns","tag-sunny-jane-morton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3844"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3865,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844\/revisions\/3865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}