When using a term in an old record–ask yourself if you are using the term and understanding the term in the legal context in which it was used and at the time in which it was used.
Not everything is written from a 21st century perspective.
When using a term in an old record–ask yourself if you are using the term and understanding the term in the legal context in which it was used and at the time in which it was used.
Not everything is written from a 21st century perspective.
Are you using Civil War pension papers that cousin Ken got fifteen or twenty years ago? Did he get the complete set or just the “genealogically relevant” ones? The complete set may contain information not shown in the “relevant” pages.
And if you’ve never heard of the “complete” set and didn’t know it existed, it’s time to do a little searching.