Could your ancestor be a witness in a criminal case? Could your ancestor be involved in a civil lawsuit? Could your ancestor’s testimony be found in a division of assets complaint? County court records are extensive and cover a wide range of topics. Using them in your genealogical research may help break through brick walls in your search and offer insight into the lives of your ancestors and the community in which they lived. So how do you find and use these documents? Well, come to the Handley Library Robinson Auditorium on Saturday, March 15 @ 10:30 am to find out. Certified genealogist and expert researcher Victor Dunn will be here to explain the important genealogical and biographical information that can be found in county court records. He will show you how to locate and access those records (for more information about the talk, click here).
The stories found in these records can be a treasure-trove to genealogists and a way to peek into the lives of the people of the past. They provide a look into marital/family disputes (such as a spouse seeking witnesses to divorce their spouse). They show criminal cases of the time (like a person charged with trespassing onto private property to steal fruit). They showcase land ownership issues (for instance abandoned land being claimed/fought over). Within the records, your ancestor may be the plaintiff/defendant, the lawyer, or a witness providing their statement. What will you find when you start looking?