Category: Wills

Adoption Records Bastard Bonds Court Records Deeds divorce records Militia Records Road Orders Wills

Court of Pleas and Quarterly Sessions

James L. Douthat

In doing genealogical research, we often ignore the sources where we will find the information because we think it is too difficult to locate. The Court of Pleas and Quarterly Sessions as some states call them, is one of those sources. In every state and every county, there is an organization established to handle the day to day matters of that area. It is called by different names, but the actions are pretty much the same. A world of important records is found in their minutes with notations that are…

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Wills

Inventories and Settlements

James L. Douthat

When we deal with Probate Records, most of us want the WILL which is the directive of the deceased as to the distribution of his estate. Sometimes this does not exist, and therefore, the county has to step in and decide how the estate will be divided. Either with or without the Will, there is usually an Inventory which lists the entire contents of the estate. This listing was especially prominent during the nineteenth century. This listing of the goods of the deceased will be found in the county records…

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Bible Records Biographies Church Records Court Records Marriage Records Wills

Finding Great-Grandma

James L. Douthat

Who was great-grandma?? This is a very frequently asked question since most of the time only her given name is known. We find this from the census beginning in the 1850 forward. We also find the name on deeds when the property is sold as is stated, “John Smith and his wife Alice sell to Robert Black….”. But the question remains, what was Alice’s last name? I’m sorry to say, there is no single silver bullet that takes us to the answer, but following are some clues to help up…

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