The Mad Genealogist

I know many times I have found myself trying to figure out one of my ancestors birth date, especially before 1850 when census records only listed age ranges for everyone. Well I have a list here to help find out at least when someone was born before.

For example, I am looking for a birth date for John Doe. The earliest record I show for him is in 1780 as a witness on a court document. Well I use my little chart here and see that males needed to be 14 to legally witness a document. So I can at least determine that John Doe was born before 1766 (1780 – 14 = 1766).

This chart has helped me many times in the past and I hope you can use it as well.

So, you go to the courthouse to get a copy of a simple marriage record….. and you are hit with the fact that the courthouse was destroyed at some point in the past. What are you to do?

Well old Newspapers are a good option but unless you are in a major city, actual copies can be spotty at best. Well here is a great option that is often overlooked…. DIVORCE RECORDS!

Divorce Records are a great substitute for a missing marriage record. Divorce records were not always filed in the local courthouse. Courthouse filings didn’t start until later years in most states. Divorces that occurred early in a states history were recorded in published journals of the statehouse or senate. The marriage date and place were often part of the divorce record.were not

Sometimes the divorce was never finalized for whatever reason. In those cases a petition may have survived. Petitions far outnumber divorces granted. Some divorces were appealed to a higher court such as  a Superior or Supreme Court. So look there as well.

In the 18th or 19th century, if a man died and left a young widow, that widow probobly would have asked that her father of brother to be named administator of the estate. This was a common practice, and for the regular  genealogist, this appointment is a wonderful clue to the young widows maiden name.

Case in point is my ancestor Christopher Brooks. Christopher Brooks married a Susanna Williams shortly before 1780 in North Carolina or Virginia. Thier marraige records did not show up in Caswell County, NC so at the time I did not know Susanna maiden name. I looked and found administration papers for Christopher Brooks and is stated Susann’s father, Henry Williams, was administrator of the estate.

This burns me up that some idiot would do something like this. I hope this guy resist arrest so the police can subdue him… WELL!

Here is a link to the Lancaster County Courthouse (Built 1828), Lancaster, South Carolina (http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Population/Photos/ShowCH.asp?FIPS=45057). I have ancestors from this county so this breaks my heart for such a beautiful building to be destroyed for nothing.

Thanks God most if not all records were saved that was stored there. Hats off the the Fire Department for saving these valuable records. Below is the story of the fire then a response to from the people there on the recovery of the records:

Authorities say arson caused fire at SC courthouse -The Associated Press

LANCASTER, S.C. – A fire gutted Lancaster County’s historic courthouse Monday, and officials said arson caused the blaze that ripped through the building designed by the creator of the Washington Monument.

No one was injured in the early morning fire, officials said.

Rudy Carter, chairman of the Lancaster County Council, said a broken window was discovered on the first floor of the 180-year-old, two-story courthouse when firefighters were called shortly before 5:30 a.m., leading to the suspicion of arson.

“The whole roof is gone. The interior area where the judges sit is gutted. It’s a total loss,” Carter said.

Police chief Hugh White told reporters the blaze was clearly arson.

“It’s a historic place,” he said. “I just hate it. I really do.”

The State Law Enforcement Division sent an arson team and arson investigation dog, said Jennifer Timmons, an agency spokeswoman. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also were summoned, said Steve Willis, the county administrator.

Carter said the roof of the courthouse had collapsed and there was heavy fire damage to the second floor. He said a team would have to be brought in to assess the damage to the building, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The courthouse’s architect, Robert Mills, also designed the Lancaster County Jail and is perhaps best known for the Washington Monument. According to the city Web site, the courthouse dated to 1828.

One witness, Patty Reynolds, the owner of the Red Rose Barber Shop, located on a block next to the courthouse, said the flames were knocked down and the fire was smoldering more than two hours after the initial alarm.

Carter said he wouldn’t even guess the dollar amount of the loss.

“We don’t even know where to begin right now,” he said. “We’re going to have to bring in structural engineers to make sure the walls are still sound. We’ll just have to go from there.”

The ground floor, where the clerk of court offices were located, did not have fire damage but did suffer heavy water damage, Carter said.

The building was only used for court – other county offices are located in the nearby county administration building, Carter said. A session of court had been scheduled for Monday. Carter said jurors were asked to report Tuesday to the county administration building.

Someone made contact with someone today about the courthouse fire and here is the response.

We are just now getting to move out records as ATF has released the fire
scene but it appears that court records, other than indictments actually in
the courtroom are OK.  We will be working with SC Archives & History to make
sure dampness, etc. in the records are taken care of.  There were no vaults
in the building so most records were in filing cabinets.  The FD did a great
job deploying salvage covers over the cabinets.  Records from Probate Court,
Voter Registration, Register of Deeds (land records) etc. were not kept in
that building – just Clerk of Court records.

Steve Willis

This is something very useful that I discovered that will help me in those old records before the 1790 census. The below chart describes the min age a person had to be to perform certain actions. So if your ancestor performed a certain action then you at least know a min age and can determine a fairly close birth date. I am finding it most useful. I have also posted this on my website at http://www.familyhistory101.com/research-probate/index.html#8