The essence of finding one's ancestors is to research all available avenues. It starts with interviews of family members, family bibles, tombstones, and the census records from 1790 to 1940. However, the most critical (and accurate) source is county records. That is, the county where your ancestors resided, as well as the surrounding districts or counties. It is important to note the name of the parent county. when it was formed, and the years that your people resided there. The old wills give the most
umph for the effort. In other words, you gain a world of accurate information by reading the old wills and estates. A visit to the probate or surrogate court yields a ton of data which you could not get anywhere else. The census taker is a stranger to the family and takes information from whomever he is interviewing. However, the old wills are written by the testator; these are his last wishes. He names his children, parents, siblings, friends, etc.
South Carolina Pioneers has collected a large number of old wills, in transcript format for easy-reading. To see what is available
click here
FREE newsletter. Follow us via email ... use form below ... easy ...
No comments:
Post a Comment