Daily AncestorFeme sole
Feme sole is old law French for a woman acting in her own legal right, such as a single woman or widow, able to own property, sue and make contracts.
Feme sole literally means "woman alone." An adult unmarried woman, including a widow, kept the right to hold property and make contracts in her own name. Marriage turned her into a feme covert.
Georgia court records show what this meant in practice: if a feme sole was plaintiff in a case and married while it was pending, the suit went on in the names of the new husband and wife.
As seen in a recordCourt minutes, 1800s
Sarah Gantt, widow, a feme sole, plaintiff, vs. Jno. Hart, defendant
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Feme sole." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/feme-sole. Last checked 2026-10-12.