Chancery Court Records for Genealogy Brickwalls

Sally Grimes, daughter of Gabriel Winston

Kinships Named: Parents and Maiden Names

As family researchers and genealogists, one of our common brick-walls is a result of the lack of resources to confirm kinships. Familiar relationships, parents’ names,  maiden names are all needed to complete family units, but what happens when we’ve exhausted all the normal resources - census, wills/probates, deeds, vital records, church records…etc.? Well, hopefully the researcher has not overlooked Chancery Records when they are available.

What are Chancery Court Records?

Chancery Court records hold a wealth of genealogical information. Although not necessarily a part of every states’ historical legal system, when available it will behoove the researcher to take more than a cursory glance at these genealogical-rich documents. Researchers will find personal testimonies that include family relationships. In some states (i.e. Virginia, Tennessee, etc) chancery court records are available from the early 18th century through early 1900’s. In Virginia alone there are over 233,000 multi-paged cases. More on Virginia Chancery Courts can be found at this informative piece on ancestry.com. 

What is Next Friend?

Of course the key to understanding any court record relies on period vocabulary. In the Chancery Court record of Sally Grimes of Hanover County, VA vs. Joseph Grimes, Sally’s father Gabriel Winston is identified as both “father” and “next friend.”

A next friend can be considered the person who represents and speaks on behalf of the plaintiff. The next friend may be a parent, a guardian, an older sibling , etc.  By no means should the researcher assume it is a parent or even a relationship. We have uncovered many next friends proven not to be of blood relation.  In many cases the next friend is identified, removing the tempting guessing game and solidly identifying kinships. This is most useful, when also looking for a maiden name.  

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible answers

Icelandic-American Genealogy

Icelandic-American Marriages

Islendiga-App -"App of Icelanders"

By now most genealogists researching their Icelandic-American ancestors have heard of the Islendiga Android App. This app is based on an online database of most of the 320,000 citizens of Iceland compiled in the Islendingabok - "Book of Icelanders." The Islendingabok  traces 1200 years of genealogy back to the 9th century Viking settlers. The Android app was actually designed for Icelanders to bump phones and verify relationships. The app includes an anti-incest feature for a country where practically everyone is related.  Its use as a genealogical tool to assist Icelandic-Americans too can be key to a successful genealogical search. The Islendiga App can be used to identify and trace Icelandic-American relatives. 

Tracing Icelandic-Americans

The migration of Icelanders began before 1910. About 5,000 United States residences reportedly spoke Icelandic in the home, even though many were enumerated as Danes. Many more Icelandic immigrants came to the United States after World War II. 

WWII Military in Iceland. a3Genealogy has been working on a large military project that included Icelandic marriages of US WWII soldiers and native women. The Icelandic government opposed the fraternizing of Icelandic women with US and British soldiers.  And the US Military imposed a ban on Icelandic marriages on 24 March 1942 - 22 May 1944. Large military troops were stationed in Iceland, including the 5th Infantry, the 29th, 115th, and more, and morerelationships were formed. By 1 Dec 1945 122 marriage applications to Icelandic girls were approved by the Army; most were privates and sergeants, but officers, too, were included (2 majors, 6 captains, 16 lieutenants). Some of the soldiers returned to Iceland to marry their bride, other single women joined their mate in the USA after the war.

At the end of the war, the US military provided transportation for the Icelandic-American family units. The British and American soldiers fathered hundreds of children, many with the surname Hansson.  Hans translates in Icelandic as "his" stating Hansson, was the offspring of an unknown father (his son/child).  By Oct 1945 sixty-five wives and children traveled to the USA and joined their husbands. 

5 Other Resources

1. Service Records. Be sure to pull your veterans military records to prove his service in Iceland
2. Fold3. Digitzed American service men information in Iceland (keyword) is available. 
3. Morning Reports. You may find where your veteran ancestor was reprimanded for fraternizing with the Iceland women.
4. Passport Records. More than once a3Gen has verified American Icelandic women to their Iceland heritage via Passports. This may also assist in uncovering the family name of your Icelandic ancestors. 
5. Social Security Applications. Researchers may also provide additional genealogical information to include parents names. 

Be sure to review the Major Genealogical Record Sources in Iceland. For an excellent case study and uses of various sources, read The War Bride: Icelandic Woman. 

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible answers

Wyandotte County, KS Historical Museum

Researching at Local Repositories

Wyandotte County Historical Museum, Bonner Springs, KS

It’s not often that a county museum Wyandotte County Historical Museum holds the original marriage license and marriage affidavits.  But, the Wyandotte County Historical Museum  is the repository of the Kansas City, Kansas marriage records as well as other towns within Wyandotte County.

Recently when looking for a marriage record you can probably imagine my surprise when I received a negative response from the County Court House, the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka, and the Kansas Room of the Main Library in my attempt to locate these original records.  My last resort was to check the Trowbridge Research Library at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum located in Bonner Springs, Ks.

Being familiar with local repositories is always a plus; and having researched at the Trowbridge Research Library before, reminded me that they had a few original records plus cemetery records and newspapers from the 1860s.  I’ve also referenced their index of wills, and tax rolls which span from 1869-1905.  But, what about marriage records?  Could there be a chance that original marriage records were also archived in the small cramped research space of the Museum?

Trowbridge Research Library

Having already exhausted the well preserved ledgers of indexed marriage records at the Wyandotte County Courthouse, it was clear they did not house the original applications and affidavits, with the intimate details.  These were held at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum not indexed or alphabetized) from before the 1860s. These marriage records are surprisingly well preserved with the full affidavit and relevant marriage license in tact.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com
accurate, accessible answers

(This is an updated article of same name dated 2 Jul 2010).

The Genealogy Roadshow

The PBS U.S. version of The Genealogy Roadshow premiers 23 Sept 2013. “Philip McGovern…, of Irish production company Big Mountain called the show “part detective story, part emotional journey, combining history and science to uncover fascinating stories of diverse Americans.”  At a3Genealogy we are only surprised that this show took so long to make its way to our shores. Especially, since this is what we do every day. We prove or disprove family folklores, solve ancestral mysteries, and trace that elusive ancestor while proving kinship and lineage.

Family historians and genealogists daily create their own roadshow. Going from town to town we uncover the secrets that are tucked away in vertical files of State Archives, record books of court houses, artifacts and memoirs hidden in local museums, and oh…if cemeteries could talk?!. Well, to the sleuthing genealogists each tombstone actually does add to our ancestor’s story and the headstones' clues may help bring down a brickwall.

Online database searches (i.e. ancestry.com) contribute a small part of the genealogists’ research. The PBS Genealogy Roadshow reveals what is possible when the average family research goes beneath the surface. “This is about regular Americans who want to find out their past,” McGovern said. “We are tapping in to this trend where people like you and me try to find out their past.”

As genealogists we are proud to have our profession highlighted and our research exposed. But what is most exhilarating is the elation of our clients when family folklores are confirmed or denied.

Season 1 of the Genealogy Roadshow takes place in Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Detroit; and San Francisco.    

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy.com

accurate, accessible answers

Looking for Immigrant Passenger / Naturalization?

Filby’s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index

Have you tried referencing Percy William Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists Index for that impossible immigrant? Did you know it covers over 5 million passengers, spanning 153 - 1900? Sure it can be more challenging than tapping inquiries in online subscription bases, but what if you need to widen your search? Filby’s cumulated Volumes give us one more glimpse of hope when looking for that elusive ancestor, or trying to identify a family unit, or locating naturalization papers.  And, you, probably already know that ship passenger lists prior to 1820 were not necessarily preserved and housed in a central location, even though now most are held at the National Archives. 

If nothing else, researchers will broaden their knowledge of passenger and immigration research sources by using this collection that is chock-full of locations, books, and information location.  If you visit a genealogy library, like the Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC), in Independence Mo., chances are, the sources (periodicals, passenger books, and reference books) are already on the shelf. Matter of fact, at the Genealogy library, they have most often hand-scribbled in the margin the equivalent of a “finding aid.” a3Genealogy is called upon frequently to review the Filby's Index and locate and analyze the information at MGC.

What is “Filby’s”

Often called Filby’s, nicknamed after the author/editor P. William Filby the Index of Ship's Passengers was originally published in 1981 with 500,000 passenger records. Subsequent to the initial 3 volumes additional supplements have been issued - about 1 per year for about 13 years.  So now the index contains more than five million records of US immigrants in its thirty-three supplements.  

Researchers must review all of the supplements in ferreting out their ancestors. Time consuming? Yes, but remember it is alphabetize. Keep in mind, though, that names may be spelled incorrectly. We often suggest, you widen your search. Remember, for example, the letters K and C are audibly similar to a record keeper or non-speller. So, your Casell, may be a Kasell.

Oh, and don’t limit your search to passenger lists. It can also assist in locating naturalization records and the associated courts. The listing of passengers, taken from many different sources and compiled alphabetically by surname, makes it easier to identify family clusters. Occupations are also noted which can assist researchers in narrowing ancestors who were blessed with common surnames (i.e. Smith, Williams, Jones).  Since various ships-lists are provided, researchers can more easily obtain the full manifest and perhaps review the original source.

Find and Seek Exercise 
Filby meticulously created a code of resources.  And the Midwest Genealogy Center  (MGC) not only “broke the code” (front of book) but provides the researcher with the key to the stacks. Neatly noted in the margin of each coded page, the MGC staff has scribbled the stack location of available in-house sources. Many of the sources are truly in-house; but others may not be available at MGC. Lucky for us, that too is noted.

Online database:

Of course there are online index databases, but not half as fun and not as easy to analyze (IMHO). But decide for yourself. Be sure to look at the Passenger and Immigration Lists 1500-1900 (PILI) on the WorldVitalRecords.com site.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible answers

Genealogy Research

Five a3Genealogy Services

a3Genealogy researchers are able to draw upon years of experience in family history and genealogical research. Our research extends pass the online searches and delves into Federal, State, and local repositories. Our goal is to perform an exhaustive search to meet your objective. To learn more about a3Genealogy Services visit our website. Know that we would never "farm out" your job.

Kathleen Brandt, Genealogist 

a3Genealogy Researchers and Clients

Our researchers and clients are worldwide. They span from the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Africa. Yes…we cover the world! We have been featured on the History Channel, the popular TV show Who Do You Think You Are (NBC and TLC), and have researched for additional shows (i.e. Finding Your Roots, PBS).  We have translators for most languages.

Our researchers are of the elite class of professional genealogists around the world. Each are qualified and meet the high-standards of a3Genealogy. Many began with a3Genealogy through our "Intern" and "Mentee" programs. 

 1.      Document Retrieval and Genealogy Lookups

a3Genealogy is a premier research firm. We provide lookups of film, fiche, books, and magazines at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City and the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, MO as well as Presidential Libraries and the National Archives (St. Louis and Washington, DC area) and regional archives.  For a full listing visit Document Retrieval.  As our specialized researchers are nationwide and in various international repositories, we also provide lookups in other archives

Our document retrieval specialists are professional researchers approved by a3Genealogy. All records are scanned and forwarded to you by email.  Request may be submitted by email to a3Genealogy@gmail.com or at our Request and Estimate website

2.      Coaching Through Brickwalls (CTB)

More and more we find that many wish to research their own family history. And, at a3Genealogy we encourage that effort. Nothing is more exhilarating than finding your own ancestor in records, documents and collections! Our CTB program allows the researcher to hire a coach and expert in the area of your brickwall: naturalization, immigration, African American or Native American research and Veteran research or DNA analysis. You may secure services by day, month or longer period of time. For more information visit: Consulting .

3.      Military Research

a3Gen researchers work closely with archivists and historians at the National Archives (NARA) and military museums worldwide. We specialize in reconstructing veterans' files lost in the Fire of 1973. Our clients, though, turn to us not just for veteran and troop information, but for photos, ship manifests, videos and military technologies. For more information visit our Military Research page.






4.      Investigative Research

Are you looking for your WWII father and his American family? This is just one example of looking for living relatives ("reverse genealogy"). We will assists in connecting you with your living relatives. As forensic genealogist we also research and analysis data and documentation for cases with legal implications. a3Genealogy clients include attorneys, law offices, governmental agencies, corporations and individuals seeking dual citizenship. Kathleen Brandt is a Licensed Private Investigator, MO - #2012006814. Visit Forensic and Investigative Research.

5.  a3Gen Research Group

a3Genealogy  maintains an educational blog (blog.a3genealogy.com). If you do not find your answer, just drop us an email. Your question will be answered either in a blog - so everyone can learn from it (no names used), or in a return email. This is a free service via our Research Group.  

More About Us

If you are looking for more information about a3Genealogy, here are some vital links:

• Leadership
• Experience and Qualifications of Kathleen Brandt, founder 
• Affiliates

Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy.com

Who Do You Think You Are?

Kathleen Brandt, Genealogist
a3Genealogy clients, fans and friends know that Kathleen Brandt has been a researcher for at least four of the Who Do You Think You Are? episodes: Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Ashley Judd, and most recently Chris O'Donnell on TLC (Aug 2013). She's quick to remind us that as you see on TV, there are several researchers and repositories involved. This episode featured one of her favorites: The Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center with Associate Archivist Dennis Northcott.

"I look forward to researching future episodes. Watching the final production is so rewarding."
Kathleen Brandt