Probate records for tenant farmers may not provide any direct statements as to where the deceased lived–just that they had property within the county limits. Make certain to read the entire file completely, paying particular attention to anything that may list an address or location. Receipts often have a date and a place written on them. Doctors, estate appraisers, and other small businessmen who may have interacted with your ancestor likely lived close. Appraisers often live in near proximity to the deceased–giving them a better idea of what the deceased owned and what it was worth. Receipts for publication of probate notices may be to newspapers in the county seat or the nearest town with a newspaper. Receipts for payment of court expenses will be “placed” at the […]
James Orrey had four “natural children” when he died in Bedford County, Virginia, in the 1790s. The reference indicated that James and the mother of the children, Mary Parker, were not married at the time the children were born. These children would not automatically be James’ heirs during the period in question–unless he publicly acknowledged them. Fortunately, he did acknowledge his four children and provided for them specifically in his will. The Legal Genealogist has more about natural children in this blog post.
Reading the German language records was difficult and I almost didn’t bother obtaining copies of the baptismal entries for the siblings of John George Trautvetter who was born in 1798. It is a good thing I did for there was a clue in one of the relationships listed along with the name of the sponsors. And there in the entry for one of John George’s brother was the indication that their father’s brother was the sponsor. A helpful hint in this case where knowing as many relationships as possible is necessary because every family had a George and a Michael and every son’s first name was Johann. Don’t neglect those ancestral siblings.
Not all genealogy experts are created equally and sometimes giving genealogical advice is more of a guess as not all families are the same, some people lived outside the lines, some of what you think you know may be incorrect, your explanation may not be as clear as you think it is, the expert might not really be listening to what you are saying, etc. Sometimes the expert will accurately tell you something that you do not want to hear or will suggest a valid approach that seems initially to be “too much work.” There may be something about your ancestor that you really don’t want to know or don’t want to admit and it may be that the time period and location in which your ancestor lived […]
There’s still time to join me in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, at the genealogically renowned Allen County Public Library. In addition to the vast collection of books the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has, the library is a FamilySearch affiliate. That means that some of the digital images on FamilySearch I cannot access at home I will be able to access while at the library in Ft. Wayne. One advantage of going to a library a distance from home is that it makes it easier to immerse oneself in research, concentrate a little better, interact with other genealogists face-to-face, and access materials that are not in digital format. Fortunately there’s a time to organize the material I brought home from the Family History Library in Salt Lake before I head to Ft. Wayne–especially […]
Years ago after a presentation, a gentleman came up and told me that I should not suggest people rely on census records or other “secondary records” for information. While census records can be incorrect and information that’s secondary can be suspect, sometimes it is all that we have. My ancestor, Ellen Butler was born in Missouri in the 1850s. Her family moved frequently, did not attend any church that kept records, there is no family bible that I can find, and she died before there was vital registration of deaths as well. While I keep looking for a “better source” of information, there’s probably never going to be anything other than a few of census enumerations to estimate her year of birth. Of course census records can be […]
If it takes years for a relative’s estate to be finally settled, it can be tempting to think that the reason was because there was a legal wrangling over the estate. While sometimes that is the case, it is also possible that the relative’s surviving spouse had a lifetime interest in the property or was given a life estate by the deceased relative. It’s also possible that if there were minor heirs, the other heirs waited to finally settle the estate until all the heirs were legally old enough to execute documents. That’s often easier than going through the process of appointing a guardian. There are reasons why an estate could be drawn out over some time besides family drama. Although family drama is a frequent reason.
While working on a Virginia family at the Family History Library, I located some court records that partially explained a family and their relationships and partially confused me more than I already was. I thought if I just kept looking at the information, I would eventually “figure it out” and the likely scenario would dawn on me. It didn’t. Time spent drawing out the possible scenarios was better spent looking for more records, crossing sources off my search list, etc. It’s usually best to wait until the research is complete to start trying to put it all together. Of course, one is going to conjecture and speculate as new materials are located. That’s normal and it’s a good way to move your research forward. But sometimes it’s best […]
Sometimes the reason you can’t find a marriage record is because the couple was never actually married. I was working on a couple who had three children in Virginia shortly after the American Revolution. Records created after the father’s demise indicated that the couple was never married. There are many reasons why a couple may not marry–even during a time period when most people do. One reason is that one of them had a legal impediment to marriage–often a spouse hanging somewhere else.
It’s not always possible or practical, but sometimes databases can be searched without using the last name. Other information will need to be provided–first name, year of event, location, and other information in order to obtain a manageable number of search results. But depending upon what else you know and how large the database, a search without the last name may be a good search tool when the last name is extremely difficult to read on the original record. It’s up to the researcher to completely and carefully analyze the located record to determine if is a match for the person of interest.
It can be tempting to say that the text of a deed is “legal mumbo jumbo.” Sometimes it is. Many land records are comprised of boilerplate text that reveals no significant information. However there are times. This deed from the early 19th century in Bedford County, Virginia, indicated that the title to the property was clarified by an act of the Virginia legislature. That’s definitely something worth learning more about since their are other owners of the tract mentioned in the deed itself.
I was reviewing copies of land records I had made from Virginia while at the Family History Library. In reviewing the images, I discovered the next morning that I had neglected to indicate the volume numbers from which the images were made. Oops. It happens to everyone. Fortunately I had downloaded the entire image which included the page number. That will make it easier to get the actual volume number where the pages were actually located. Always review your images after you make them. Everyone forgets occasionally–those who say they never forget likely have imperfect memories <grin>.
Reading carefully solves many interpretation issues. This affidavit was not filed on 29 January 1887, but if I look at the date in haste I may conclude that this was the date of the document. The 1887 date was the pension act under which the widow was applying. Eliza Jane’s affidavit was actually made in 1892–five years later. Correct dates matter as information is given as of the date of the affidavit. That was especially true in this case as the affiant indicated that her late husband would have been 97 years old when the affidavit was made. I easily could have gotten the year of birth five years had I used 1887 as the year of the document.
If your ancestor naturalized, do you know how he had to live in the new country in order to naturalize? Do you know who could legally “vouch” for him if that was necessary? If you are using probate records, do you understand the general process of probate? What were the time requirements involved? Did they change over time? When your ancestor interacts with the legal system in any way, it’s advised to understand how that legal process worked. Not understanding the process can increase the chance that incorrect interpretations are made. Your ancestor did not naturalize the minute he walked off the boat. Your ancestor’s probate did not begin two years after his death.
I’m sitting at the Family History Library and can’t help but overhear a conversation three people are having regarding a series of family members. The verbal descriptions of the relationship are accurate, but confusion would be reduced if a quick chart was drawn out showing the family connections, marriages, etc. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a large amount of new information and relationships “in your head.” Sometimes it’s difficult to keep information we’ve know for decades straight in our head.
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