Dunklin County Genealogical Society had an interesting meeting Saturday. Virginia Reid discussed one of the problems she has researching her family. One of her relatives came from North Carolina by covered wagon. She does not know the date they moved or how to find out when or why. One suggestion was looking at Census records which would narrow the time from to within a decade. However, checking the history of the area from which they moved to see if there was a movement of several families may indicate a closer time frame. Things to look for might be the stability of the economy in that area, a notice of good, cheap farm land, rumors of economic change in the area of destination such as better commerce conditions. Another topic discussed was looking closer at resources, especially probate records such as land records and wills. Sometimes it is better to look at the original document because copies may not clearly show the whole document or the information may not be clear. Sometimes land records may be hard to find. John Fisher discussed the fraud connected to claims of relief for those whose land was damaged or destroyed during the New Madrid Earthquake. Those who could provide proof of ownership of the land could relocate elsewhere. Sometimes a strip of land would be sold several times. In some instances the owners did not know of the assistance and would sell their land cheap and the new owners would sell it at good profit. Another research tip taken from the newsletter from Michael John Neil suggests that sometimes a will may not be as it appears. An early 19th century will appears to disinherit a daughter when he leaves everything to her two children and appoints a guardian for them. In the early 1800s a man would be able to exercise control over his wife’s property. By leaving the property to his grandchildren and appointing a guardian, the testator was providing for the children and by-passing the son-in-law. Each month we try to discuss different areas of researching family history as well as sharing from our local county history.
