{"id":384,"date":"2009-11-19T15:11:50","date_gmt":"2009-11-19T22:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/?p=384"},"modified":"2009-11-19T15:11:50","modified_gmt":"2009-11-19T22:11:50","slug":"new-england-research-new-strategies-that-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/2009\/11\/19\/new-england-research-new-strategies-that-work\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Research: New Strategies that Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

New England Research:\u00a0 A Matter of Jurisdiction <\/strong><\/p>\n

(<\/strong>by Linda E. Brinkerhoff, visiting author)
\nBefore you begin searching the records for your New England Ancestors, spend some time learning the jurisdictional breakdown of the state where your ancestors say they originated.\u00a0 Each state is a bit different.\u00a0 We have prepared two research aids that will help you in this study:<\/p>\n

1) Chart:\u00a0 New England Genealogy Records<\/strong> [send your name and address\u00a0 for a free copy of this chart]. This chart identifies the jurisdiction for core genealogical records, state by state, and key indexes available for those core records. For additional details, consult Val Greenwood, The Researcher’s<\/strong> Guide to American Genealogy<\/strong><\/em>, American Society of Genealogists, 3 editions.<\/p>\n

2) Description of court records for Old Hampshire County MA<\/strong> in the western part of the state.\u00a0 Hampshire, created in 1662 from Middlesex County, had two county courthouses<\/strong> because it was so large:\u00a0 Northampton<\/strong> in the north and Springfield<\/strong> in the south.\u00a0 In 1812, Hampden County MA was created from the southern tier of Hampshire County with Springfield as its county seat.\u00a0 Hampshire County in the north retained Northampton as the county seat. It is common in New England to have two courthouses in large counties.<\/p>\n

Hampshire County court records hold a hidden booby trap for the unwary searcher.\u00a0 Thanks to Grace Pittman, an experienced New England genealogist, here is her re-do of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for records of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace, 1715-1798.\u00a0 The “first 24 volumes:”<\/p>\n

Volume 1, 1677-1728, #866420, item 1
\nVolume 2\/A, 1728-1735, #886420, item 2
\nVolume 3\/B, 1735-1740; Volume 4\/C, 1741-1745, #886421
\nVolume 5\/D, 1746-1757; Volume 6\/E, 1758-1762, #886422
\nVolume 7\/F, 1762-1764, #886423, item 4
\nVolume 8\/G, 1764-1766; Volume 9\/H, 1766-1770, #886424
\nVolume 10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1766-1771
\nVolume 11\/I, 1770-1773, #886425, item 2
\nVolume 12\/K, 1773-1780; Volume 13\/M, 1771-1781, #886426
\nVolume 14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 May 1781-Jan 1790
\nVolume 15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1782-1783, #866427, item 2
\nVolume 16\/O, 1783-1784; Volume 17\/P, 1784-1785, #886428
\nVolume 18\/Q, Aug 1785-Sep 1788; Volume 19\/R, 1790-1799, #886429
\nVolume 20\/A, 1715-1790, Executions and Sessions; Feb 1789-Jan 1790, Common Pleas, #886430, item 1
\nVolume 21\/S, 1791-1794, #886430, item 2
\nVolume 22\/T, 1794-1795; Volume 23\/U-V, 1796-1797, #886410
\nVolume 24\/W, 1797-1798, #886411, item 1<\/p>\n

Grace based her inventory on the actual<\/em> titles and title pages of the original court volumes themselves.\u00a0 She gave a copy of this inventory to the Family History Library and the catalogers tried to incorporate the changes into their entry.\u00a0 Since her version differs from the microfilmer’s inventory, the catalog entries are still incorrect.\u00a0 So my advice:<\/span> use this list to retrieve the microfilms. And watch for the missing items on rolls of film that will include Volume 10 and Volume 14.<\/p>\n

These volumes are “completely” indexed, according to the county court officials.\u00a0 The Family History Library also microfilmed the indexes.\u00a0 The index entries will match the actual titles and title pages of the original volumes.\u00a0 The indexes are alphabetical, most of them compiled on cards.\u00a0 Use the FHL Catalog to retrieve the call numbers for these indexes by court and dates of interest.\u00a0 Here are the index titles from the FHLC:<\/p>\n

Massachusetts, Hampshire – Court records – Indexes<\/strong>
\n__Court records index cards, 1677 – ca. 1830 [Hampshire, Massachusetts] \/ Massachusetts. Inferior Court of Common Pleas (Hampshire County)
\n__Index to attorneys admitted to the bar, 1743-1925, Hampshire County, 1743-1925 \/ Massachusetts. Superior Court (Hampshire County)
\n__Index to common pleas, v. 1-33, May term 1798 – Oct. term 1853 \/ Massachusetts. Court of Common Pleas (Hampshire County)
\n__Index to general sessions and common pleas, volumes 1-24, inclusive, 1677 to Jan. 18, 1798 \/ Massachusetts. Court of Sessions (Hampshire County)
\n__Index to marriages, 1758-1789, in the Court of Sessions, Hampshire County [Massachusetts] \/ Massachusetts. Court of Sessions (Hampshire County)
\n__Index to superior court records, 1853-1986, Hampshire County [Massachusetts] \/ Massachusetts. Superior Court (Hampshire County)
\n(\u00a9 2002 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Remember: \u00a0 part of Hampshire County became Hampden County in 1812.\u00a0 When the new county was formed, clerks copied the records that applied to the area encompassed within the new county’s boundaries. (This, too, is a common practice in New England and New York where so many New Englanders settled.)\u00a0 These records have also been filmed:<\/p>\n

Court records, 1664-1812, #905340
\nCourt records, 1638-1776, #905342<\/p>\n

This is the note in the FHLC: “The Court of General Sessions of the Peace handled mainly criminal cases, however, the records of other courts as well thus some civil cases will also be found as well as financial records.”\u00a0\u00a0 Until the population warranted a split in the criminal and civil cases, all court actions were included in the same court, as noted in the actual title–Court of Common Pleas and General Session of the Peace–and the same set of records.\u00a0 These records will also include equity cases involving property and its divisions among heirs.<\/p>\n

There is a Massachusetts Court Records Index on 44 rolls of microfilm, #543878-922, 543892-4.\u00a0 For a description of this court index (which will include both Hampshire and Hampden court actions), see Utah Genealogical<\/strong> Association Journal<\/strong><\/em>, first quarter, 1980: 3.<\/p>\n

Consult, also, Arlene Eakle’s “American Court Records,” Chapter 6, The <\/strong>Source:\u00a0 A Guidebook of American Genealogy<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0 Ancestry, 3 editions. The most complete study is in the first edition, 1984.\u00a0 This chapter will tell you how to search the court records, how to interpret them, and how to find ancestors in the evidence.\u00a0 Actual court cases and documents are reproduced.<\/p>\n

PS\u00a0 We are getting ready for the 25th Annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour, 6 -12 December 2009\u00a0 conducted by Leland and Patti Meitzler.\u00a0 What a grand time we have.\u00a0 Some people have been coming for 25 years–including moi.\u00a0 Want to join us this year?\u00a0 You can still sign up:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www. Salt Lake Christmas Tour.com<\/a><\/p>\n

PPS\u00a0 The Family History Library is quiet and uncrowded and festive with local high schools performing Christmas music in the Library<\/span> 2 times each day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New England Research:\u00a0 A Matter of Jurisdiction (by Linda E. Brinkerhoff, visiting author) Before you begin searching the records for your New England Ancestors, spend some time learning the jurisdictional breakdown of the state where your ancestors say they originated.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}