Many indexes do not include every name, indexes can contain errors, and some records are completely unindexed. No matter the situation, there are times when the researcher needs to undertake a manual, page-by-page search. The questions to ask are: How are the original records organized? Is it by: date of the event or document–sometimes this is known, sometimes it is not date the item was recorded–often not known–but it is after the event took place the person’s residence, burial spot, or other geographic location–sometimes known, but not always military unit or some other assigned number–can be difficult to know, is there some other record that provides this information? something else–variability here To find the person in the desired record, it may be necessary to look at other records (organized […]
Reading through a relative’s entire probate file, page by page and word by word, can provide you more than just the occasional relationship clue–it can also provide insight into their life. This 1862 reference indicated that the family paid the doctor bill of the deceased with two pigs and a rifle.
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