Just because something is handwritten does not always mean that it is the original. Many older courthouse records are handwritten transcriptions of the original documents-commonly referred to as the record copy. This is especially true with deeds before other reproductive techniques were developed.
Some wills were copied by transcriptionists into record books as well.
It is not bad that something is a handwritten copy, but bear in mind that you could be looking at a handwritten reproduction of the original document.
And some handwritten documents are the original document.
2 Responses
A VERY good point! Thanks for posting this, Michael.
Thanks, Celia.
Even those of us with experience occasionally forget this 😉