Posts in August 7, 2023

Remember that throughout much of US history, a person could easily change their name without going to court at all. Don’t expect to find a court record of a name change for your ancestor who started going by a different name in the 1860s. You might find comments about the varying names on land deeds (if the ancestor purchased land before the change and sold it after) or military pension records (where applications were made after the name change). It is possible that other records may reference the change–possibly a death certificate.