Read Online The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-And-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors by Marsha Hoffman Rising - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marsha Hoffman Rising
Tags: Non-Fiction
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others at twenty-one. You simply have to know the law of the particular area in which you are working. You can find these laws in the legislative chapters on “Revenue.” For instance, I am currently working in early Missouri. The first revenue act of 18 December 1822 taxed all free white males above age twenty-one. The next, passed in 1825, exempted men over sixty-five, one in 1833 exempted men fifty years and over, and in 1835, the legislature settled on a law that taxed all free white males over twenty-one and under fifty-five years of age. The variations can keep you on your toes, but it can also help make your estimations more accurate — who would pay taxes when they no longer have to?
5. Time and type of migration can be an excellent clue to age. Age is a crucial variable in the analysis of migration trends.
When
people move, where they move, and
how often
they move all are influenced by age. A young, single man is the most likely to initiate the exploration of new country, to strike off on adventures, and — since he is also the most likely type to get in trouble with the law — the most likely to find it necessary to become scarce for a while. The established, mature man with a family of half-grown children is more likely to migrate with extended family, or to a location where family members and people from his previous community have already settled. The older person (widowed or with grown children) is likely to move only to where close family members have already established homes.
Probate Records
Probate records can help you estimate the year of birth for an ancestor in several ways. If the testator's (one who leaves a will) brother or brother-inlaw is appointed executor of the estate, the children are probably minors. Usually an older testator will name an adult child or his wife as his executor. A middle-aged woman, often with the help of someone close to her, will retain the responsibility of handling the estate. However, if the wife is very young she may relinquish her right. Whomever she chooses to replace her as executor is probably a relative of hers, and this can give good suggestions regarding her family. If she is quite old, she will probably relinquish her responsibility to administer or execute in favor of a child. Often, you will find this relinquishment in the loose probate papers.
DEFINITIONS
Loose probate papers are the files kept in probate packages that consist of original accounts, receipts, distributions, and other papers not recorded in the probate books.
The contents of the will itself can give you clues to the ages of the individuals involved. How is the wife provided for? Will she live with a son, or have access to a corner of the house and a portion of the garden? The testator may not expect her to remarry because of her age. Or is the testator careful to provide for her
only
until the time of her remarriage? If he expects her to remarry, he probably wants to make sure her second husband does not have access to his children's money. Does the testator name grandchildren, and do his granddaughters have married names? Doing some arithmetic will help you estimate the age of this testator.
Land Records
Deed books may be the most versatile of all the records we use. You never know what will be recorded in a deed book. Although it is rare to find birth dates within deeds, they can give you a clue to the age and physical health of the grantor. In order to avoid probate court, fathers may begin to sell or give land to their children as they reach maturity and/or marry. An aged man or woman may also sell property to a son or son-in-law in exchange for care during the remainder of his and his wife's lives.
Franklin County, Missouri, Deed Book B:269 6 December 1833, Mary Pepper of Franklin County, for $1 paid by William Pepper of Jefferson County, Missouri, who had obligated himself to maintain Mary during her natural life with good and decent boarding and lodging, and in return she granted
5. Time and type of migration can be an excellent clue to age. Age is a crucial variable in the analysis of migration trends.
When
people move, where they move, and
how often
they move all are influenced by age. A young, single man is the most likely to initiate the exploration of new country, to strike off on adventures, and — since he is also the most likely type to get in trouble with the law — the most likely to find it necessary to become scarce for a while. The established, mature man with a family of half-grown children is more likely to migrate with extended family, or to a location where family members and people from his previous community have already settled. The older person (widowed or with grown children) is likely to move only to where close family members have already established homes.
Probate Records
Probate records can help you estimate the year of birth for an ancestor in several ways. If the testator's (one who leaves a will) brother or brother-inlaw is appointed executor of the estate, the children are probably minors. Usually an older testator will name an adult child or his wife as his executor. A middle-aged woman, often with the help of someone close to her, will retain the responsibility of handling the estate. However, if the wife is very young she may relinquish her right. Whomever she chooses to replace her as executor is probably a relative of hers, and this can give good suggestions regarding her family. If she is quite old, she will probably relinquish her responsibility to administer or execute in favor of a child. Often, you will find this relinquishment in the loose probate papers.
DEFINITIONS
Loose probate papers are the files kept in probate packages that consist of original accounts, receipts, distributions, and other papers not recorded in the probate books.
The contents of the will itself can give you clues to the ages of the individuals involved. How is the wife provided for? Will she live with a son, or have access to a corner of the house and a portion of the garden? The testator may not expect her to remarry because of her age. Or is the testator careful to provide for her
only
until the time of her remarriage? If he expects her to remarry, he probably wants to make sure her second husband does not have access to his children's money. Does the testator name grandchildren, and do his granddaughters have married names? Doing some arithmetic will help you estimate the age of this testator.
Land Records
Deed books may be the most versatile of all the records we use. You never know what will be recorded in a deed book. Although it is rare to find birth dates within deeds, they can give you a clue to the age and physical health of the grantor. In order to avoid probate court, fathers may begin to sell or give land to their children as they reach maturity and/or marry. An aged man or woman may also sell property to a son or son-in-law in exchange for care during the remainder of his and his wife's lives.
Franklin County, Missouri, Deed Book B:269 6 December 1833, Mary Pepper of Franklin County, for $1 paid by William Pepper of Jefferson County, Missouri, who had obligated himself to maintain Mary during her natural life with good and decent boarding and lodging, and in return she granted
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