In the United States, Justices of the Peace performed a variety of legal functions, but were authorized to execute their duties in a specific geographic location.
That location can be a clue as to where your ancestor lived or at least were at one point in time. If your ancestors acknowledge a deed before a Justice of the Peace, that acknowledgement should be recorded on the record copy of the deed and it will say where the JP was allowed to work.
If a document your relative acknowledges includes the JP’s name and location, use that as a geographic clue to search for your ancestor in other records.
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