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Do you need help finding your Southern Ancestors and want to learn how to start climbing that tree? Follow these tips from Amy Carpenter, a young genealogist specializing in Southern research.
I spoke with Amy Carpenter from Musings of a Young Genealogist, who shared 5 fantastic tips and strategies for finding your relatives in the South.
Tip 1: Know Your Jurisdictions
It’s really important to know where records are held, especially in the American South. Where the records are housed can become crazy, especially since the jurisdictions may have changed often.
For example, South Carolina originally had parishes. Then, they switched to counties. Then, they scrapped that for jurisdictional districts. That didn’t last long, and soon, they returned to counties and districts. There were still more changes to come!
If you have family in South Carolina or anywhere in the South, you have to know in what location they lived and when they lived in that location. This will help you know where to look for records. They won’t all be at the county courthouse. They could be at a district facility.
Tip 2: Become Skilled With Land and Probate Records of the South
In New England and the North, they were much better at keeping specific records about birth, marriage, and death. In the South, they didn’t have the culture that wanted to keep these records. There is one source that will dramatically increase your chances of finding your southern ancestors: PROPERTY!
As such, land records, deeds, and probate records were important to ensure that things were passed down correctly. Marriage records were kept well because if you weren't a legitimate child, you couldn't inherit.
Even if your ancestors are from "Burned Counties," these locations were really good about recreating their land and probate records. Many records were destroyed in the 1850s-1860s, but many government offices recreated them, and you should be able to find some decent stuff.
Tip 3: Utilize the FAN Network More Than You Typically Do
The FAN network stands for friends, associates, and neighbors. In the South, especially with land records, people tend to buy land around people that they are connected to. When they move, they typically move as a group.
When researching probate records, pay attention to who was buying and who signed as a witness, purchaser, and bound neighbors. Research those surnames as a group so that you can easily track your family when maybe the county records did burn, but another family survived.
Amy then shares how she discovered a probate record that helped open a brick wall. That record recorded a female ancestor with three different married surnames. That record caused her to look for more probate records using the other surnames, and she discovered the woman had a daughter, a son, and two stepchildren.
Tip 4: Access Southern Land Records using FamilySearch
Amy's go-to location for finding land records for southern ancestors is the FamilySearch website, specifically the card catalog. When you key in your location, you should be able to find the deed books for the area. Since many of the original records were destroyed, you'll see books compiled by other authors about what they found through news clippings or probate records.
When you find land records, always check the volume indexes. They are usually at the right of the book. If you don't see one at the beginning, flip to the end of the book because they often have indexes at the back.
Check for your surnames, but ensure you're looking for variable spellings.
Tip 5: Don’t Superimpose Our Current Views on the Past
Amy says, "It's important when you're researching the American South not to superimpose our current views on their historical choices. Respect them for who they were and accept them completely as part of your family."
If you discover your ancestor was a slave or held slaves, the best thing you can do is not judge them. For many Southerners, it was an economic decision, or it was the way that they were raised. Surely, be sensitive, but if we can stay objective and understand that they were just doing what they were taught, it makes it a bit easier to process.
Bonus Tip: Trace Slavery in Probate Records
In probate and land records, researchers may find slave ownership. You will also find bills of sale of the slaves. You may find agreements where slaves were rented out to other plantations.
Sometimes, you will find a will that names all the slaves separately and sets them free after death. It's not very natural to think about a person as property, but this is where you research slaves and slave owners.
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What Questions Do You Have About Finding Your Southern Ancestors?
Amy shared many great tips. If you have more questions, share them in the comments section on this blog post or the video above. If you are looking to hire a researcher in the American South, contact Amy at https://musingsofayounggenealogist.weebly.com/
