Researching 19^th century women in business is a burgeoning field. Across the globe historians are making full use of the digital archive to investigate the experiences of a surprising number of women in small business. To date, much of this research has been undertaken independently, with few transnational conversations. With different sources available in each location, Historians have used varying degrees of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, drawing different conclusions and making comparisons difficult.

This paper is part of an innovative experiment, with British historian Jennifer Aston, to explore the influence of methodologies on the drawing of historical conclusions. Aston found a preponderance of widows in business in late 19^th century Leeds, estimating 10% of businesses were run by women. I have estimated 15-20% of businesses in Sydney were run by women in the mid 19^th century, most by wives. Each used slightly different means to obtain these results. We have now switched methodologies, as far as possible, to see if our results reflect this rather than a significant difference in women’s experiences of business in the colonies and metropole. This paper explores the relationship between local quantitative data and microhistorical studies and how these can contribute to an international story.