After my successful morning discovering over twenty Harris family deeds at the Love County Courthouse, I was eager to dive into tax records that might reveal more about my ancestors’ financial status during their time in Oklahoma. What I didn’t expect was to find myself kneeling on a concrete floor in a converted jail cell, using an upturned plastic bin as a makeshift desk while my phone battery slowly died. Sometimes the most valuable genealogical...
Ever had an unsuccessful research trip where you spent time and money traveling to a facility, only to leave feeling frustrated and empty-handed? This is the first full post in our Onsite Research series (introduced here), where we’re diving into how to prepare for an onsite research trip and the essential research planning that should be done in advance. The good news is that with proper preparation, you can avoid those disappointing experiences and make...
This podcast episode discusses visiting county courthouses for genealogical research. Diana shares her experience at the Chambers County Courthouse in Alabama, where she researched her ancestor, Thomas Beverly Royston. She explains the importance of preparing a research plan before visiting, including creating a timeline and identifying potential records. She also mentions learning about what records are available beforehand, either online or by contacting the courthouse. Diana describes the process of researching at the courthouse, such...
What can you find at the county courthouse? Records kept on the county level, such as deeds, mortgages, marriages, wills, guardianships, etc., are vital for our research. Although many of these items may be available online, some likely exist only at the courthouse. A trip to the courthouse may be in order if we want to perform reasonably exhaustive research. I recently visited Chambers County, Alabama, the residence of my ancestor, Thomas Beverly Royston, from...
