I jokingly tell my students that as genealogists we hope our ancestors were famous or infamous. While this certainly makes them easier to find, most of our ancestors who were neither famous nor infamous will still show up in court records.
In a twenty year period, a person shows up in court records an average of three times. However these records are often overlooked because searching them can be a slow process. Not all of them have been indexed and it requires reading through the minutes to discover if your ancestor is mentioned.
There are several levels of courts in the United States, namely; Federal, State and County. As researchers, your main interest will be the State and County records.
A few things to remember about these records... Read More
In a twenty year period, a person shows up in court records an average of three times. However these records are often overlooked because searching them can be a slow process. Not all of them have been indexed and it requires reading through the minutes to discover if your ancestor is mentioned.
There are several levels of courts in the United States, namely; Federal, State and County. As researchers, your main interest will be the State and County records.
A few things to remember about these records... Read More