Do I deduce gender from obvious "status" words like bachelor and spinster?

rachelelizabethtalbot1

I'm working on some marriage records, and I was wondering if I would be allowed to say that the "principal" person is male by the description given of their prior status before marriage. The words given are "bachelor" and "spinster," which are each obviously matched with a specific gender.

Melissa S Himes

Check your field helps, but, usually the gender field says that you can use relationship terms to determine gender.

For instance:

"Index the sex only if it was specifically recorded or you can tell what it was from relationship terms, such as "son" or "daughter," titles or terms, or other evidence in the language."

MinnWisRoots

Other gender terms used in some of the marriage documents (male/female) are: widower/widow, divorcee (female).