When Searching Court Case Indexes…

This court case was not located until I searched the digital images of newspapers. It is only indexed in the plaintiffs’ index under Luella Barnett and in the defendants’ index under Velva Ray Schupp. Neither name was one I had searched for. When searching indexes of court records, it is important to search for extended family members as well as those individuals in whom the researcher has a direct interest. This is especially important in locating court records over estates in general and particularly when those cases may involve individuals who are only tangentially related by marriage.

The case apparently was to settle up some issues with the estates of Jeanette and William Miller of Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, in the 1930s. This couple had no children of their own, but Jeanette (who died first) was survived by nieces and nephews and William was survived by his second wife, Ida, who died before she could settle up his estate.

The item was located by searching the online newspapers for one of the other names that happened to be a defendant. I had no idea that there had been a court action over these estates.