Colonial Records & Other Little Known Records
by Brenda Kellow, 2009
[Note: All links were active in 2009]
OVERVIEW
While a search of colonial records that seems like almost worthless information, finding and identifying spouses and children have a likelihood of being found with the help of court, church, newspapers, tombstones, marriage records.
The www.Ancestry.com database requires a fee to subscribe. It includes the families of early English colonies in America, beginning with the earliest English colonies through the beginning of the American Revolution and beyond. These may include vital records such as birthplace, marriage, and death information.
Ancestry and Footnote are available on any of our library computers for free. Check on other databases available to you in the library catalog.
First, I want to remind you that many of the genealogical books I mention in this guide are free for reading and on the Google Books site. It is wonderful for finding information in resource books when you can’t run to the library.gov to Google Books, Finding Colonial Records, and these are downloadable for free, or read the books in PDF format on your computer screen or Sony e-book or Kindle.
Go to Google Books, Finding Colonial Records, and these are downloadable for free, or read the books in PDF format on your computer screen or Sony e-book or Kindle.
Black’s Law Dictionary, any edition but preferably an older one. Very necessary.
Family Search: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp
Family Search Labs, a new way to search and find old records: http://labs.familysearch.org/
Ancestor Search; Easy Google Genealogy Searcher: http://www.searchforancestors.com/
Encyclopedia: by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.
Notable Women Ancestors
A Guide to Uncovering Women's History in Archival Collections.
American Women's History (A Research Guide)
Lost Female Ancestors Queries National Genealogical
Society Quarterly, Special Issue on Researching Female Ancestors, September 2000
Cyndi's List www.Cindys.com
Women and the Law of Property in Early America,
Marylynn Salmon.
CENSUS RECORDS:
Granted finding a person is much easier once the census offers clues to residences within the decades. Using early records and a strategy like assigning the nameless people a name such as “Male A and the estimated birth date, Female B and the estimated birth date” could help. Record all the information gleaned by using a special cheat sheet, and display so that it is available visually during your research periods, doing so just may identify those relatives of long ago. Often we find additional adults or children living in the household. These might be grandparents, parents, orphans the family adopted, their own children that died before the next census, in-laws, or older children returned home after the death of a spouse. These people must be accounted for and their estimated birth dates recorded on the cheat sheet. To accomplish this fairly accurately, look to see the date the census taker began taking the census. Remember the enumerator is only interested in the people actually alive and living with the family on the single date the census began. Therefore, if the census began on June 1, 1830, any children or adults born or died after that date will not show up in this census. Also, only those normally living in the household on that date were counted. Below are the enumeration dates of the censuses. www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/index.htm and http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/kcgs/census.htm
1790 Monday, August 2
1800 Monday, August 4
1810 Monday, August 6
1820 Monday, August 7 [Note: those born, died before or after enumeration date for all decades were not counted]
1830 Tuesday, June 1
1840 Monday, June 1
1850 Saturday, June 1
1860 Friday, June 1
1870 Wednesday, June 1
1880 Tuesday, June 1
1890 Sunday, June 1
1900 Friday, June 1
1910 Friday, April 15
1920 Thursday, January 1
1930 Tuesday, April 1
For what was asked in each decade, go to http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/census.html
It is possible to narrow the ages of the people in these early censuses by simply observing the enumeration dates and the ages of the people in each census.
Also, beginning in 1820, watch for people engaged in farming, commercial, manufacturing. The 1830-1840 censuses collect blind, deaf, etc. See: Special Census Section. Download free blank census for each decade, go to Ancestor.com, Learning Center, scroll down and on the left are the forms. These can serve as your cheat sheets or you can develop one on Excel or Access, or maybe just make it in a table in your word processing program.
SPECIAL CENSUS:
Began with the 1800 census. Special census is less known and less available. These are not found in a common place. Try libraries/archives in other states.1800.
Interlibrary loans available from Duke Univ.
Heritage Quest/AGLL has copies for loan and sale.
Seven non-population censuses.
Agriculture. 1850-1880.
Dependent /delinquent. 1880.
Industry/manufacturing. 1800-1880.
Mortality. 1850-1880
Slave. 1850-1860.
Social statistics. 1850-1870.
1885 non-population census, available with federal assistance. CO; Territories of Dakota, Florida, NM and Nebraska.
Special Veterans’ schedules (Military). 1840 (see typed version on T498-3), 1890, 1910, 1930.
Territorial censuses. OK 1890 and 1900. In GHL.
1820. AR territorial census.
1823. 1825. 1827. 1829. 1865. Arkansas Sheriff’s census.
Non-Population Census, Special Agriculture Census: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/
census/nonpopulation/.
Please check this out and the following one.
At Agriculture and Manufacturing Strategy www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/nonpopulation/# search
using microfilm list from states giving film numbers, etc.
STATE CENSUS
Lainhart, Ann S. State Census Records. Baltimore: GPC, 1992.
AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, HA, IL, IN, IO, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NB, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, REPUBLIC OF TEXAS (see TX 1867-1869 Voter Registration Lists in the genealogy library), UT, VA, WA, WI, WY. These are usually in years ending in five (5) but sometimes with three (3) or eight (8). Many are available on Interlibrary Loan (ILL). See Lainhart’s book for details.
If you do not know the census reel or roll number of the film you want, Steve Morse has a site with many search helps we all can use. It is at http://stevemorse.org/census/reelframes.html. Moreover, Steve has many shortcuts to finding other documents. You will love it once you use it.
Historical Census Statistics www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/
Historical_Publications/index.asp.
CENSUS OF PENSIONERS:
These often tell where the pensioner served, battles in, where he was married and to whom, who was there or could swear to their marriage, where they were living when he applied for the pension, and when the monthly pension stops will give his date of death. If the wife then files for widow’s pension you find out more about her. I have found the couple’s marriage record included in the records. Follow the pension and pension payments to the end.
www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/Historical_Publications/
1840/1840.pdf
Non Population www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/nonpopulation/Slave Census of 1860: www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/
slave-maps/slave-census.htm
Original Civil War Slave Census: www.sonofthesouth.net/singles/h1861p210.htm
Manufacturing Census: www.censusdiggins.com/
1880txcensus.html
Mortality Schedules: www.mortalityschedules.com/p.htm
Census Quiz. How well do you know the census content? http://tracingourroots.weebly.com/august-23.html
American Census Handbook, Kemp
Guide to the Federal Census, Hinkley
Multiple Census books by William Dollarhide on federal and state census guides.
CHURCH RECORDS:
Church records can tell you so much about births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials. Some denominations are better for keeping family records and general records than others, but you might find family history charts, family histories, and letters from researchers searching for possibly the same surname. Church archival records, obits, or announcements in newspapers often mention the ministers.
Here are a few clues for finding church records. Check for current affiliation, national origin, will or probate, deed, tombstone, obituary, tradition, death certificates, and hospital records [good luck on finding these.] New settlers went to churches close by if their preferred denomination was not close or non-existent. Locate nearby churches to ancestors locations. Find if they have an archive and search it if there is one.
Tombstones found in church cemeteries are often indicators but not always. My great grandmother is buried in a catholic cemetery but in the archives parish records a note in the margin says, “Not a Catholic.” Cemeteries are usually marked with a symbol, cross or cross below a square, on maps and easily located.
The Inventories of Church Archives, compiled by the WPA in the 30s and 40s is good for that time period, but may not be presently.
Northern KY Church Records. http://www.genhelp.org/?p=120
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, William Wade Hinshaw, 7 vols. (in 8), 1936-----. (Vols. 1-6 have been reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. Vol. 7 is available from the Indiana Historical Society.
A free search of marriage records is at www.genealinks.com/. It searches by name, surname or location. I have better results with location, but once you find a hit, it sends you to another page that charges for the records.
A Guide to Church Records in the Archives Branch of the Virginia State Library, Jewell T. Clark and Elizabeth Terry Long (comps.), (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1981).
Handbook of American Denominations by Frank Mead (Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn., 1970) and Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches (also by Abingdon, under editorial direction of the National Council of Churches) have clues relating to congregations that merge.
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, eds. Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny (Ancestry Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1984) for in-depth information on many genealogical topics. Google Books
Religious Features for the Home Historian: http://home.roadrunner.com/~gentutor/page6.html
COLONIAL NEWSPAPERS:
Before the first newspaper was attempted in Boston, letters, also called broadsides, announced momentous events. Intended marriages were sometimes posted on broadsides for the proper time per that region.
Gossip sections of the newspapers may list names of visitors, visitations, members in quilting bee, etc.
The Arkansas Union List of Newspapers is a book and it is in the genealogy library.
Newspaper archives: http://www.historybuff.com/library/refcolonial.html
See: http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=8324
Colonial Research
The Researchers Guide to American Genealogy, Val D. Greenwood. Excellent book.
Genealogical Records of the Colonial Americas, Christina K. Schaefer. An encyclopedia of available records of the American continent plus the surrounding islands. All of Christina’s books show the FHL microfilm numbers.
Free VA Lookups
http://freegenealogylookups.blogspot.com/2009/04/
virginia-colonial-records-1600s-1800s.html
Colonial Records of NC: http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/about_print.html
Database: http://colonialancestors.com/
Virginia’s available resources http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/opac/
vcrpabout.htm
Search for colonial records at http://colonialancestors.com/harvard1.htm
About Ancestry’s Colonial Families in the U.S: See www.ancestry.com/search/DB.aspx?dbid=4119
Ancestry says their database covers the families of the early English colonies in America. Beginning with the first landing at Jamestown this series covers families up through the start of the American Revolutionary War and beyond into the Nineteenth Century. Many vital records are included, as well as locations of births, marriages, and deaths. In addition to containing family genealogies this database also contains armorial bearings, or coats of arms, for some of the more prominent families from England and Scotland.
The Genealogy Research Blog: http://genealogyblog.familyhistoryresearch.net/
Colonial American http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/
Colonial Virginia http://www.lva.virginia.gov/WHATWEHAVE/mil/
va16_colonial.htm
Crime and punishment http://www.essortment.com/all/colonialpunishm_rkzt.htm
Outline of American History Revolution to Reconstruction: http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1954uk/chap3.htm
Library of Virginia Online Catalog: http://ajax.lva.lib.va.us/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas30&local_base=CLAS30
Old Medical Terms: http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/
Roads and Trails: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~
gentutor/trails.html
Map of trails West: www.intl-research.com/images/west.gif
Prison Search: www.ancestorhunt.com/prison_search.htm
COURT RECORDS:
Never underestimate the importance of court records, even divorce records. When a female is on the census with a man for a couple of decades and then disappears, check to see if they got a divorce. Sometimes a divorce is the only record of a female with her maiden name. Check to see if she also applied to have her name changed from her married name to her maiden name. As far as marriage records are concerned, when tracing a female check to see if she remarried using a maiden name or married name.
County Courts of the Quarter Sessions 1682-
Court of common pleas 1707-
Orphans Court 1716-
Provincial Court 1683-1707
Supreme Court 1707-
Chancery Court 1720-36
Prerogative Court 1625-1777
Court of Appeals 1650-1776
For more on colonial court records for the original 13 colonies see: Genealogical Encyclopedia of the Colonial Americas, Christina K. Schaefer. 1998. Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC).
Colonial New England Ancestors, Patricia law Hatcher, FASG. 2006. Ancestry, a division of My Family.com.
DIRECTORIES:
Directories hold a plethora of information relating to people and the history of the area. Each directory is different, but many have an index as well as a preface. Also check to see how often the director was published. There should be a page of abbreviations at the front of the book. Cities have various churches with many denominations. These should be listed and checked to find one your ancestor attended. A rule of thumb is that if you find your ancestor in one place in a particular time period, then he will have left other records behind. You just have to find them. Many directories are on Ancestry. Just go to the Card Catalog and search for directories.
The female you could not find might be in the directory. Mine was making hats and gowns for the ladies and she and a daughter lived above it.
IMMIGRATION AND PASSENGER ARRIVAL RECORDS:
Women and children are listed on immigration and passenger records usually because it was through the male that they could come into the country. There you might find from where they immigrated, even the town. Also you may find the port of departure, occupations, ages, and maybe a description of the person. Certainly, those coming through Ellis Island had to submit to a physical. Those who passed could stay but the sick ones had to leave.
Kansas City houses the A-files: http://tracingourroots.weebly.com/june-21.html
The A-Files: www.archives.gov/central-plains/
kansas-city/finding-aids/#aliens
Immigration Database: www.immigrantservants.com/
Emigration and Immigration: http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/ei.html
Ports of Arrival http://www.genesearch.com/ports.html
INTERNET RESOURCES.
A hefty site for EVERYTHING genealogy related. James Madison University. http://www.lib.jmu.edu/genealogy/default.aspx
Search on the many databases available to you at the local library. Some of these are available on your home PC if you have a library card. Otherwise, just Google ‘Internet sources’ and see what pops up.
LAND DEED/PATENT, ABSTRACT, GRANTS, FREEHOLD:
Headright:
The headright grant was available to any settler who financed the transportation of others into Virginia, or to a non-resident who did so, and to anyone who paid for his own transportation. It began with the London Company Charter in 1618. The process required one to produce a receipt, or make oath to acquire the certificate. The certificate subsequently became a land warrant.
The patent is issued after the warrant and may be used within a few months or several decades later. Some as long as 100 years later!
Once acquired the headright certificate can be sold like any other document. Observers seem to find that more certificates were issued than were ever used for patents. Headright patents were used in Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina, though relatively few persons claimed it in the Carolinas.
I found these were used in Maryland when it was first settled. They were in “Patent Books [sometimes spelled “Patend” in the old records].” I have had the pleasure of reading all St. Mary’s County, Maryland patent books from 1635-1745 on film rented from the FHL and read at the Plano FHC. Yes, I did find and identify my man! Not only do they tell about the indentured person, it also served as deeds and court minutes to document everything from wage default to cruelty against an indentured servant, to naming the first woman attorney who happened to be an Indian Princess.
See Dividing the Land, Edward T. Price.
Quit Rents:
Tax paid by freeholder [owner, not renter of the freeholder] to a feudal lord and be free of serving the lord in any other capacity.
Freeholder:
A Freeholder owns the property rather than rents it. The property is a Freehold.
Cyndi’s List of land records, deeds and homesteads, http://www.cyndislist.com/land.htm
Digging for Land Deeds. This is a guide to understanding the importance of land. In some states, Maryland is one such example; Patent records are used in place of a land/deed. http://genealogy.about.com/cs/land/a/land_deeds.htm
Land Research, Tracing Our Roots. http://tracingourroots.weebly.com/august-30.html
GRANTS
Government issues first time ownership in the form of a grant and it is recorded with Grants. When the original grant owner sells the property to a second party, that sale goes into the deed books.
Grantor: The seller
Grantee: The buyer
Land and Property Research in the United States, E. Wade Hone author and publisher. This is available for download free from Google Books. Just go to http://books.google.com/ and type in the name of the book. For all genealogy related books type “genealogy~books” without the quotation marks.
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, eds. Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny (Ancestry Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1984) for in-depth information on many genealogical topics. See Google Books.
Court, Land & Probate Records. Court Records, Wills, Estate Records, Deeds, Land Claims. Genealogy Databases for Family History Research. http://www.genealogy.org/category.asp?cat=court
Deed of Manumission: Freed men’s certificate. http://ccharity.com/taxonomy/term/235
Texas General Land Records. http://www.glo.state.tx.us/
Texas State Archives and Manuscripts: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/
Board of Land Management: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/
Court, land and Probate Records http://www.genealogy.org/category.asp?cat=court
TITHE APPLOTMENT: IRELAND
The Tithe Applotment books were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland (the main Protestant church, and the church established by the State until its dis-establishment in 1871). There is a manuscript book for almost every parish, giving the names of occupiers, the amount of land held and the sums to be paid in tithes. The books for Northern Ireland are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) but there are microfilm copies in the National Archives.
MARKS AND BRANDS:
Place People through Marks and Brands. Find their land location, etc:
Marks appear on the ear of the animal. The Marks and Brands books are in the courthouse. In McKinney, they are in the County Clerks’ Office. In other counties they may be in the Veteran’s Office.
See: Handbook of Texas: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/auc1.html
MILITARY:
I found in an antique newspaper that George Washington was my ancestor’s neighbor. I began to look at articles on our first president. Sure enough, I found that my ancestor was Washington’s chief surveyor. My ancestor owned and operated a mill along Three-Mile Run in Virginia. During one tight economic period, he asked Washington if he could borrow some money. In reading Washington’s diary I found Washington noted that John had paid back the loan in full. While tromping down the banks of Three-Mile Run, my husband and I found a small monument marking John’s mill put there by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The previous story gives my ancestor a personality, done through searching historical documents of the area around John’s home and farm. I found the newspaper in the library of that county as well as Washington’s diary. I found the little marker along the creek bank while walking on John’s land, while seeing the same birds, bugs and critters as he saw when he was alive. Giving an ancestor a personality is very gratifying.
Search Revolutionary War Rolls.See images of the actual regimental rolls from the National Archives. They are being put online through the joint project of National Archives and Footnote.com.
Search the images to see if your ancestors' records have been added yet. If they are not be sure to check back since this is an in-process project. Footnote.com is in the process of working with the National Archives to put images of these records online to be searched.
Search Revolutionary War Service Records, 1775-83: The Footnote database is a collection of records kept by the National Archives listing men who fought for the colonies during the war. This database contains only those records available in the National Archives and may not include all persons involved in the American Revolutionary War.
Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) Each volunteer soldier has one Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) for each regiment in which he served.
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ book: The County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ book in McKinney is in the County Clerks’ Office, but in Wichita Falls it is in the courthouse, but the collection is in the Veterans’ Department. I have never seen pictures of WWI soldiers in McKinney, but in Wichita Falls their books contain a picture and brief biography of the soldier. Inside the books are the discharge papers and it gives a physical description and lists all battles in which he served.
Search Revolutionary War Officers at Ancestry/Footnote.
Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Statements and Rosters has transcribed original records. If you have a pension record and it is not on the site, transcribe your ancestor’s record and submit it. http://southerncampaign.org/pen/index.htm.
Revolutionary War Rolls, service records, war officers. www.Footnote.com
1840 Census of Pensioners: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/
Historical_Publications/1840/1840.pdf. The 1840 census asks if there is anyone in the household who served in the Revolutionary War. If there is, you can learn the name of the soldier, physical health, relationship, etc.
Original Civil War Slave Census: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/singles/h1861p210.htm
Tennessee Questionnaires relating to Civil War soldiers: http://tracingourroots.weebly.com/march-1.html. I can’t stress how important these are, and they are located in the Tennessee Library and Archives. See: Tennessee Archives, March 1, 2009, http://tracingourroots.weebly.com/march-1.html.
Colonial Wars: http://www.usahistory.info/colonial-wars/.
Florida Confederate Pension Files: http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/
PensionFiles/index.cfm. In time I hope most states will digitize their Confederate pension files. The Florida pension files are important because so many served from the state of Georgia but registered in Florida. This is true of the counties along the border line between the two states.
Military Files: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/
U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783: Ancestry.com
Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916: at Ancestry.
NATURALIZATION:
Ancestry is slowly uploading the naturalizations to the Internet. It is a slow process because naturalization papers are filed in many places. Finding and gathering all these in one place and indexing and digitizing is a job!
Information you need to know about naturalizations refers mainly to those applied and granted before 1906. They may be found in any court of record on a local, state, federal level, criminal or marine courts.
For a while after 1906 these were sometimes filed the federal courts, but some local courts continued processing them. I tell you this so you will know that looking in one place and not finding papers does not mean they won’t be in another court of record.
Many different forms were used to collect varying amounts of information from one court to another. The person may file in one place, submit in another and receive the certificate of naturalization in yet another. The Basic Naturalization Act was passed in September 1906 which turned the whole process over to the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, but now the U.S. Citizenship an Immigrations Services. Today, those forms are uniform.
1. Declarations of Intention are the first papers and usually filed for soon after coming into the States.
2. Petitions, also called second papers and final papers, were submitted to the court after the residency requirements are met.
3. Certificates of Naturalization have the name of the person, the court presenting the certificate, and the date it was issued. The status of the individual was asked in the 1900-1930 censuses. The code used in the 1920 census to denote the residency follows:
Na. – naturalized
Pa. – first papers filed
Al. – alien
The 1870 census asked whether a male citizen of the U.S. and over 21.
Derivative citizenship is another type of citizenship. It was granted to wives and children of naturalized men. These were granted from 1790-1922. If a woman from another country married a US citizen, she automatically became a citizen. But, would you believe it is the other way around when a female US citizen married an alien man? Yes, she lost her citizenship. You must refer to the many different rules for the different decades for all the changes.
Go to www.Ancestry.com, then Card Catalog under Search; Naturalization.
For informative how-to articles click on Learning Center, then Article Archives.
U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes 1794-1995. Ancestry.com.
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE: http://colonialancestors.com/
Citizens signed an oath declaring their allegiance to America. In addition to finding these in court records you can also find some in print, in electronic databases of genealogical societies and One Name Societies.
OCCUPATIONS:
Many trades and occupations of colonial times are unfamiliar to us. We must use source books or the Internet for occupations.
www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/colonial/trades.htm.
Index of old occupations: http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html
PASSENGER LISTS:
???->NY: 1892-1924: LOWEN/LOAN/LOEWEN Surname, Ellis Island Records, 1892-1924 -
???->NY: The Lost Children of Ellis Island -
???->VA: 1634: Passengers to Virginia on Merchant Ship Bonaventure, Jan. 2, 1634 -
ENG->Barbadoes: 1634: Passengers to Barbadoes on the Ship Hopewell from London, Feb. 17, 1634 -
ENG->Barbados: 1634: Passengers to St. Christopher's (St. Kitts) and Barbadoes from London. Jan. 6, 1634 -
ENG->NY: 1914: U.S. Mail Steamer "New York", Southampton to New York via Cherbourg -
ENG->NY: 1950: M.V. "Britannic", Liverpool and Cobh to New York -
ENG->NY: 1950: R.M.S. "Franconia", Liverpool and Cobh to New York -
Ferrari DiFabio passenger list -
GER->NY: 1868: "Charlotte" from Bremen to New York, 06 July 1868 -
IRL->NY: 1803: "Wilmington", Belfast to New York -
IRL->NY: 1851: SS Alice Wilson, 4 Aug 1851 -
IRL->USA (Boston): 1848-1891: DORGAN (surname), Arrivals From Ireland To Boston -
IRL->USA (Boston): 1851: Brig. "Caroline", May 1851 -
ITA->NY: 1906: SS "Italia", Naples to New York, June 1906, Partial List -
ITA->USA: Selected Passenger List Information, Molise and Sicily, Italy to USA -
NY->ENG: 1915: Lusitania Passenger and Crew List, May 7 1915 (sinking) -
Passengers To and From Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1851 -
SCT->CAN: 1771: "Edinburgh", Campbeltown Scotland to St. Johns (Prince Edward Island) -
SCT->NY: 1840: British Barque "Tay", Aug 1840 -
SCT->NY: 1841: Brig "Czar" -
SCT->NY: 1842: British Barque "Gleaner" -
SCT->NY: 1850: Bark "Charlotte Harrison", Scotland to New York, Jul 1850 -
SCT->NY: 1850: British ship "Sarah", Glasgow to New York, Jul 1850 -
SCT->NY: 1911: SS California, 14 Oct 1911 -
SCT->NY: 1915: RMS Cameronia, 23 Jul 1915 -
SCT->USA (NC): 1770: "Edinburgh", Campbeltown Scotland to Cape Fear NC -
SCT->USA (NC): 1774: "Diana", Scotland to Wilmington North Carolina, Sept 1774 -
UK->NZ/Aus: RMS Maraoa - Australia and New Zealand Data
WILLS AND PROBATE
Land deeds, will, and probate records should be high on your list of important records after marriage records. The female names may be in any of these. In some states the wife’s name was added to deeds. They even had to sign in some cases. Besides a marriage record, or accidently finding her maiden name on a tombstone, land records, wills, and probate should be foremost.
Administrator: a woman assigned by the court to administer an estate where there is no valid will.
Concubine: a woman who lives with a man to whom she is not married.
Consort: companion: term for when the woman predeceased her husband.
Dower: a legal provision for a woman’s support and that of her children after her husband’s death; typically one-third of the husband’s property; also known as “Widow’s thirds.”
Dowry: property the bride brings to her marriage
Executrix: the woman named in a will to distribute the estate.
Grass widow: a woman whose husband had deserted her, also used to refer to a woman who has illegitimate children or to a discarded common-law wife.
Grass Widower: A man whose wife had deserted him, also used to refer to a man who has illegitimate children or to a discarded common-law husband.
Relict: a widow [See Black’s law for better definition.]
Analyzing the will: http://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/skbld955.html
Skill building site: http://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/index.html
VITAL RECORDS:
Vital records, i.e. births and deaths, began being recorded about 1903, but later for some states. They are written at the time of the event, usually the information was given by a relative or very close friend. They give names, dates, places, relationships, and sometimes occupation of the deceased and parents’ occupation. Vital records record the births, marriages, divorces and deaths in the community. These records unravel the mystery of maiden names, married names—even first and middle names. Remember to check divorce records for both the maiden name and married name of the females. I found one female who married four times—each time she used her maiden name.
There are records in the courthouse for name changes. There is no telling what you might find in these records.
Ancestry has many of these online as well as FamilySearch Labs. If you enter as much information as you can the results should be successful. Enter too little information and the results will be enormous.
FamilySearch Labs: Click on http://labs.familysearch.org/ and then click either FamilySearch Alpha, Record Search, Forums, Research Wiki, Family Tree, etc.
Free Marriage Record search, but a fee is necessary for the results. Genealinks searches by name, surname or location. I have better results with location, but once you find a hit it sends you to another page that charges for the records. http://www.genealinks.com/