Just one day…
… in 1870 There are days in history when nothing much happens. Nothing that The Legal Genealogist would say is something that was likely to change lives or — more importantly for us as family historians — to create records. Perfectly ordinary days...The beginning of the end
214 years ago today It was a baby step as steps go, but one by a Very Big Baby. One of the major players in the international trade finally called it quits as a matter of law. Exactly 214 years ago today, 25 March 1807, England said “enough” when it came to the slave...The law that never was
Published doesn’t mean adopted The Legal Genealogist recently got a request for research assistance that was absolutely perfectly right up the proverbial alley. A request for help in locating specific laws on a specific topic in several jurisdictions. It was...The laws of Christmas: 2020 reprise
It wasn’t always a holiday Here in the holiday season of this crazy year of 2020, The Legal Genealogist is trying to hang on to as many holiday traditions as possible. Which, given the pandemic and travel limits and the like, isn’t all that much. But at...More on dower
Some nuances this time In The Legal Genealogist’s experience, it never fails. Answer one reader question with basic information, and the “well, what about…” questions come rolling in. You’d think I’d have learned by now to add in some of the...Tarheel dower
Researching dower in North Carolina Reader Marcia is puzzled. “I have been doing family history in North Carolina and dealing with Dower and other goodies,” she writes. “When she got the land as a dower right did the widow own it outright?” Great question, because a...Review: how white was white enough?
Race and the naturalization law Note: As we all struggle to come to terms with current events, it may prove helpful to look back at some of our history. Believing firmly that knowing how we got here may help us all see the way forward, The Legal Genealogist will...Just peachy…
Historic Georgia laws Reader Gay Solomon has one of those questions for The Legal Genealogist: where do we find the laws? “An unmarried man died in Georgia in 1832,” she writes. “His estate (personal property–no real) was evenly divided amongst his siblings...What the future will know
The 2020 census The Legal Genealogist has been among the many many United States citizens who began receiving the envelopes from the U.S. Census Bureau. “This is your invitation to respond to the 2020 Census,” it begins. And there’s no chance we won’t all...Subscribe by Email
