As genealogists continue to operate in a research climate where more records are available digitally, it’s important to ask:
What should I expect to find in this place and time for this record?
If I find an online record copy of a will in an Illinois in 1890, is that all there is? No. There should be a case file with a originals of probate documents–including the will.
If I find an online record copy of a will in Virginia in in 1760, is that all there is? There may be other references to the estate in court order books, but probably no case file of loose papers.
If a couple marries in Ohio in 1830 and I find an entry in a marriage register, is there likely some additional record? Probably not.
If a couple marries in Virginia in 1770 and I find an entry in a marriage register, is there likely some additional record? There may be marriage bonds.
The point is that we need to be aware of what records were typically kept in the time and place in which our ancestors lived. Sometimes what’s online is not all there is and many online image providers don’t indicate other records that they do not have.
One response
Even the Ohio case isn’t absolute. For example, the permission by the parent or guardian for underage individuals to marry exist in some counties but not, of course, for the county I need it from, dang it.