Close readings of individual genealogical records — deeds, court minutes, wills, and more — demonstrating how to extract and evaluate evidence to the Genealogical Proof Standard.
In the days before ballpoint pens, typewriters, and computers the court clerk transcribed wills, estate appraisals, and inventories into the county record books. It must have been tedious work because they used quills and metal nibs dipped in ink wells. An entire page could be ruined by a careless dribble …
People are taught cursive, but they simply don’t practice it. In losing that practice, they miss the chance to leave behind a small trace of their own personality for future generations to find. Cursive also has a remarkable, well-documented benefit: the act of writing it helps the brain commit information …
An error in a court house record could be a bit of spilled ink or a misspelled name. What happens to research when the clerk of the county court gets confused and says the wrong person is dead? How far down the research rabbit hole does that misinformation send a …
Darn it, why is everyone named John Pryor? It’s common to run into a family where they lacked creativity when naming children. Haven’t you found in your family tree a grandma, mother, and child who all share the same name? I was looking at a man named John Pryor in …
