Re the husband: See the Mahrsha on the braisa in yoma where the story of Kimchis is brought. He tries to explain why they asked Kimchis what zechus SHE had, and did not think that perhaps the zechus was due to her husband (IE the father of the kohanim gedolim). He answers, they knew her husband and KNEW the zechus couldnt have come from him 🙂
It would seem her Midas Chassidus in this area helped as a zchus for her children, but not her husband (another answer he brings is that they were her children, but she had them with several husbands – IE she was an almanah and remarried).