Are you a probate attorney, paralegal, estate administrator, fiduciary, or investor? Probate courts are beginning to open. Be prepared and beat the rush! Our team of forensic genealogists’ shares tips to ensure you’re ready to notify. As probate courts begin to reopen, the courts will be inundated with new cases. It will be more important than ever to be ready and to achieve as much progress as possible in each hearing and avoid unnecessary continuances. Each state has very specific laws … [Read more...]
Forensic and Probate Research Frequently Asked Questions
Legacy Tree Genealogists has a dedicated probate research division, and has been servicing the forensic needs of attorneys, paralegals, estate administrators, fiduciaries and investors since 2004. Check out our forensic and probate research FAQ. What is forensic genealogy? Forensic genealogy is genealogical research in relation to legal matters. This most often involves genealogical research to define the identities and locate contact information for potential heirs based on descendancy. … [Read more...]
How a 200-Year-Old Family Feud Solved a Brick Wall Problem
In a recent case we worked on, a dispute over land led to identifying the parents of an individual and solving a family brick wall problem. We share this story with permission to illustrate the importance of thorough searches - not just in vital records, newspapers, and censuses - but in land, probate, and court records. Our client asked us to trace the ancestry of his Boykin family, and research had stalled with a direct-line ancestor named William T. Boykin of Southampton County, Virginia, … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Finding Female Ancestors
Are you struggling to find female ancestors in your family history? We share 5 tips for locating those elusive ancestresses! “The husband and wife are one, and that one is the husband.” – William Blackstone, English jurist and judge Such a quote sounds grating and out-of-place in our twenty-first century society, but it was the legal and cultural reality under which American women lived during most of history, due to our heritage of English common law. Blackstone’s quote above is in … [Read more...]
Deeds and Other Land Records
If you're stuck in your genealogy journey, access to deeds and other land records may help break through your genealogy "brick wall"! Deeds, and land records in general, can provide helpful pieces to the puzzle you are trying to solve about your United States ancestor. They are especially helpful in areas or time periods where few records of other types are available, like the southern United States before 1850. Most counties and some towns in the United States kept deed books, … [Read more...]