Just the facts
… of whatever flavor… Reader David came across the reference in an 1877 court case he was trying to figure out. And it made no sense to him whatsoever. “The court,” he wrote, “appears to be drawing a distinction between facts and facts. And I don’t...The essential difference
… between dower and dowry … The Legal Genealogist is putting the finishing touches on a presentation about a particular variation in genealogical records of our early female ancestors. And that reminded me that I keep meaning to explain the essential...Banning the marriage
Well, not exactly a ban… It was the law in colonial Virginia, enacted in February 1631/32. Marriage, in that colony, was almost always banned.1 It was the law in colonial Massachusetts, enacted as least as early as November of 1692. Marriage, in that colony, was...Those OTHER patents
… for inventions and the like So… last week, The Legal Genealogist tackled the difference between patents and deeds. You know… the difference between a document evidencing a land transfer from the sovereign to a private owner (like the patent the...Of patents and deeds
What’s the difference anyway? Pop quiz time. What’s the difference in American law between a patent for land and a deed for land? This was an issue up for discussion on Facebook yesterday when a poster had a copy of a land patent in favor of an ancestor in...That lie under oath…
Perjury… or false swearing? A lie under oath is a lie under oath. But that doesn’t mean all lies under oath are equal in the eyes of the law. The issue came up for The Legal Genealogist in a pair of reported court cases. One is kind of an oddball case, out...Snippets 2021 v.8
Consorting with… One more institute to go this summer and The Legal Genealogist’s schedule will start getting back to normal. Whatever “normal” is these days. In the meantime, another snippet of genealogy…. This time a bit of definition, sparked by a...Snippets 2021 v.7
That -ix ending It’s still busy season around these parts — catching up after a series of institutes and getting ready for another one coming up fast. So… Another snippet of genealogy in this busy time. And this one is a snippet of terminology...Snippets 2021 v.5
That exceptional administrator A week of law. Almost a week of African-American research. A week of DNA. A week of federal records. Heading into a week of methodology. Oh, and don’t forget the more than a week of the Germans. It’s institute season, plus a...Subscribe by Email
