by Judy G. Russell | Nov 13, 2019 | Court Cases, Records Access |
… Gone to Kansas City Researching federal court records has always been a bit of a problem. First, of course, a researcher like The Legal Genealogist needed to know what record group the National Archives of the United States had assigned the specific type of...
by Judy G. Russell | Oct 8, 2019 | Court Cases, Records Access |
… it’s a grave matter The Legal Genealogist cannot resist the pun: calling the case of Knick v. Township of Scott a grave matter. It’s factually a case about access to graveyards.1 That’s not even remotely the legal issue involved, which...
by Judy G. Russell | Aug 27, 2019 | Court Cases, Records Access |
New access to case reporters Some time ago, The Legal Genealogist was over the moon at the very thought of having free online access to the case reporters held by the Harvard Law School Library. It was nearly four years ago that Harvard announced that it had partnered...
by Judy G. Russell | Jun 19, 2019 | Court Cases, Resources |
The stories to be found How many times has The Legal Genealogist said it? There’s so much to be learned by simply sitting down and poking around in volumes of old legal records. Whether it’s a private law evidencing a soldier’s loss of an arm while...
by Judy G. Russell | Apr 19, 2019 | Court Cases, Resources |
When the internees fought back It remains one of the most shameful episodes in American history. That time when the United States rounded up tens of thousands of people, the vast majority of them American citizens, and locked them up in camps far from their...
by Judy G. Russell | Apr 15, 2019 | Court Cases, Resources |
The records of a life-changing event Her name was Lucy Ridsdale. She lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 107 years ago today she lost a gold English watch, a silver tea pot, Spanish lace scarves and more, amounting to more than $3,000 in value. His name was Emilio...
by Judy G. Russell | Apr 2, 2019 | Court Cases, Legal definitions, Resources |
Doubling down on the records Reader Steven Morrison worked hard to find an answer — but didn’t come up with a good explanation for a perplexing question: What in the world was meant by the use of the term “order books” for some early Virginia court...
by Judy G. Russell | Mar 6, 2019 | Court Cases, Legal definitions, Methodology, Statutes |
To understand the records, understand the law The Legal Genealogist is looking back over Alabama court cases in anticipation of this weekend’s 2019 Alabama Genealogical Society seminar at Samford University. And there’s still not much to beat 1/4 of 1/8 of...
by Judy G. Russell | Jan 7, 2019 | Court Cases, Legal definitions |
“To the Worshippful County Court” Reader Michael Lee Stills had a “stop and think” moment looking at court records from Greene County, Tennessee, filed in 1877. He was looking at probate records involving a widow’s claim for the set-off of dower and a homestead...
by Judy G. Russell | Dec 18, 2018 | Court Cases |
Case law as entertainment Okay, so this isn’t exactly genealogy, but it is law, and it’s far too rich for The Legal Genealogist to let it pass without passing it on. It’s the whole idea of case law — written opinions or documents by judges...