After exhausting online resources, genealogists often wonder what else can be found in a government archive. These important repositories house many collections important to researchers, such as government records, county records, manuscript collections, and more.
In my recent visit to the Alabama Department of Archives & History, I discovered another record that shed light on the life of my ancestor, Thomas B. Royston. I had researched him extensively in both DeKalb and Chambers County Alabama records and found him in the census, land, and court records. I was unsure when he moved to Chambers County since he was enumerated in 1840 in Dekalb and in 1850 in Chambers. My timeline for him below shows the two Alabama locations.
- 1837: Settled on land in DeKalb County1
- 1840: Census enumeration in DeKalb County2
- 1845: Land patent in DeKalb County issued3
- 1850: Resided in District 19, Chambers County, Alabama4
- 1860: Resided in Northern Division, Chambers County, Alabama (September 13)5
- 1867: Created his will (September 18) in Chambers County, Alabama6
- 1868: Died on September 21 in Chambers County, Alabama7
- 1868: Buried in Bethel Cemetery, Chambers County, Alabama8
Tax records are one of my favorite record sets for determining residence since they are typically taken annually. However, no tax records were available through the FamilySearch Catalog page for Chambers County. The catalog page for Alabama only showed the Internal Revenue Assessment Lists of 1865-1866. Could the state archives hold any tax records for Thomas B. Royston that would clarify his move to Chambers County?
About the Alabama Department of Archives & History (ADAH)
The Alabama Archives is housed in a beautiful building built in 1940 and expanded in 1974 and 2005. It houses both a museum and research facilities. The webpage states:
In 1901, Alabama created the first state-funded, independent department of archives & history in the United States. The Archives was originally housed in the state Capitol, where its museum collections were displayed in the legislative chambers when the House and Senate were not in session. . . . The Archives has been the home of Alabama history for more than a century. Today, it continues its mission to tell the story of the people of Alabama as the state’s official government-records repository, as a private-collections library, and as the home of the Museum of Alabama.
Researching at ADAH
The EBSCO research room holds records and is where genealogy research begins. Before entering, I registered on the computer with my name, address, and phone number. The archivist then helped me register for my research card and assigned me a researcher number. I used that number as I filled out order forms for materials.
Asking the Archivist
Who better to help with your research than the archivists who know the collections, the catalog, and the layout? I explained that I was researching an ancestor in Chambers County, Alabama, between 1840 and 1880 and asked for help accessing any records, books, or manuscript collections in the archives.
I had previously looked through the online catalog and discovered an extensive list of county records on microfilm. I wondered how this compared to what FamilySearch had available, and the archivist indicated that the films came from that initial filming by FamilySearch. However, the archives assigned their own titles and film numbers to the films, so comparing is a challenge. He showed me that each microfilm box did have a notation if it was from FamilySearch. I decided not to spend time in the microfilm because I had done that previously at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.
Instead, I asked the archivist for any manuscript collections for Chambers County that might mention my ancestor. He navigated the complex catalog entries and found several items of interest:
- Tax Assessments
- Chattel Mortgage Records
- Miscellaneous Court Records
I filled out the forms for these collections and the archivists went in search of them in their vaults.
Checking out the Books
While they were pulling the records, I headed to the book section. Several of the books I recognized from my research at the FamilySearch Library, but two were very helpful for this research trip. In Chambers County, Alabama, Nineteenth Century Records by Ruth Royal Crump, I found an entry for Thomas B. Royston in the 1855 state census that I had previously overlooked. 9
I’m interested in tracking the people he enslaved, and this gave me new information about his household in 1855.
- Thomas B. Royston, head of household
- 7 White males under 21 years of age
- 1 White males over 21 years of age
- 4 White females under 21 years of age
- 1 White female over 21 years of age
- 13 Total number of whites in household
- 11 Enslaved individuals in the household
The summation of the numbers indicated that there were 11,931 total number of whites in the county and 11,407 total enslaved people, with only six free persons of color in the county.
Searching the Manuscript Collections
While I worked in the books, the archivists pulled the items I had requested from the vault. Three of the items were negative searches with no mention of Thomas B. Royston:
- Tax Assessment Book 1920-1927 – this was too late for the time frame of 1840-1880.10
- Chattel Mortgage Records – the records in this book began in 1911, again too late for my Royston research.11
- Miscellaneous Court Records – this was a fascinating folder with loose papers dating from 1819 to 1893. Searching through the papers, though, found no mention of any Royston.12
The tax assessment book of 1842, however, included an entry for Thomas B. Royston.13 Based on his timeline, I hadn’t thought he would be in Chambers County by 1842, since his land patent was finalized in 1845 in DeKalb County. This put a new slant on the records and my conclusions.
Thomas resided in Beat 16, which was Milltown. This list was not arranged alphabetically like many tax lists are, so it serves as a record of his neighbors. He was assessed taxes for the following:
- 3 Slaves under 10
- 2 Slaves over 10
- 1 Clock Metal
- 2.50 Studs and Jacks
- 1 Poll
The total amount was $4.32. Reviewing the page, we see that any man who held slaves was taxed accordingly.
With this new information, I checked the 1850 slave schedule and saw that Thomas B. Royston owned thirteen enslaved people. He had added eight more enslaved individuals in the eight years since the tax list. Three were likely children, perhaps born on the plantation, but the other five were either inherited from family or purchased. I had searched the deeds of Chambers County previously and found no mention of any purchase, however there are few early deeds in the deed book covering this period.
This one record has opened up new ideas about Thomas’s life in the 1840s and given me new ideas for additional research. The tax book is only at the Alabama Department of Archives & History and well worth the effort required to find this valuable record.
Tips for Researching at a State Archive
- Do as much research on the ancestor as possible before your visit so you can narrow down your search to specific dates and places
- View the online catalog to familiarize yourself with the collections
- Understand and follow the requirements for visiting
- Ask the archivist for assistance
- Take a notebook or laptop to record all searches, negative and positive
- Take photos of the records, including the title pages of books and front of folders
Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!
Sources
- Thomas B. Royston (DeKalb County) witness statement, cash entry file, 1842, state volume patent no.5969, Lebanon, Alabama, Land Office; Land Entry Papers 1800-1908, Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- 1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern District, S.C. Newnan, p. 7 (penned), line 31, F.B. Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 September 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 4.
- Thomas B. Royston,(DeKalb County, Alabama), cash entry patent no. 5969, “Land Patent Search,” images, General Land Office Records (www.glorecords.blm.gov : accessed 13 September 2016).
- 1850 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, 19th District, p. 318 (stamped), dwelling 749, family 749, Thomas B Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 August 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 2.
- 1860 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern Division, Milltown Post Office, page 130 (penned), dwelling 915, family 895, Thomas B. Royston household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 29 April 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 roll 4.
- Chambers County, Alabama Estates, box 26 folder 24, Thomas Beverly Royston, for will of 1867; “Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999,” case file for Thos B Royston, 1867-1883, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 August 2016), digital images 138-140.
- Chambers County, Alabama Estates, box 26 folder 24, Thomas Beverly Royston, for petition papers of 1868; “Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999,” case file for Thos B Royston, 1867-1883, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 August 2016), digital images 145-146.
- 1868 Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 8 September 2016), memorial 60407551, Thomas Beverly Royston (1806-1868), gravestone photographed by Churchwell, member 46607715.
- Ruth Royal Crump, Chambers County, Alabama Nineteenth Century Records (Huguley, Alabama: Genealogical Roving Press, 1985), 22.
- Chambers County, Alabama, Tax Assessment Book 1920-1927, negative search for Thomas B. Royston, Alabama Dept. of Archives & History, LG 4974, Montgomery, Alabama.
- Chambers County, Alabama, Chattel Mortage Records, 1911, negative search for Thomas B. Royston, Alabama Dept. of Archives & History, LG 000504, Montgomery, Alabama.
- Chambers County, Alabama, Misc. Court Records, 1819-1893, negative search for Thomas B. Royston, Alabama Dept. of Archives & History, LG 000414/RLG 157, Montgomery, Alabama.
- Chambers County, Alabama, Tax Book, 1842, Beat 16, p. 146 Thomas B. Royston, Alabama Dept. of Archives & History, LG 4976, Montgomery, Alabama.
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Thanks for the note!