Using Early Tax List for Genealogy in KY, VA, and TN

Census Substitute

VA Tithable

As a family researcher or genealogists have substituted tax lists for those missing census records or for county/state enumerations between census?  At a3Genealogy we find that we use Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia tax lists the most, so we wanted to share this topic with our readers with a few helpful links.

What Types of Tax Lists?

There were poll tax, real property tax (land), and personal property tax (slaves, cattle, horses). And let’s not forget the tithing states, like Virginia; and early quit-rent taxes paid by landowners before Revolutionary War in Colonial America. Again these can be analyzed.

In Virginia the 1790 and 1800 census schedules were lost (ever wonder how that happened?), but tithable men were enumerated. Tithable monies were important to pay for the maintenance of the local churches and parishes. It was through a tithable Virginia list that we located Tim McGraw’s ancestor Isaac Chrisman in VA. 

Since tax lists were created annually, with a bit analysis, the researcher can…

• Narrow birth years of males (when are they initially named on the tax lists).  Know your states’ laws for the year as to when a male (son) must be listed individually and not enumerated with the father. 
• Differentiate men of the same names.  .
• Track families that were not landowners.  If they were not landowners, researchers rarely find a probate or will.

In addition to substituting census records, we find that tax lists are especially useful when paired with pre-1850 census records.

A great article on analyzing tax lists and the possibilities of solving research problems is provided on the FamilySearch.org Wiki: Kentucky Tax Records.  Even if you aren’t researching in Kentucky, this article is helpful. Here’s a small excerpt:

A study of tax lists across time would reveal which of the three men named John Jones owned land. The land could be identified by location and tract. The acquisition and disposal of the land can be tracked for each man. With this knowledge, deeds and land grants can be checked. Deeds may reveal the wife’s name. This may now have helped pinpoint which John Jones married Sintha Smith. John Jones’ relationship to the other Jones men in the neighborhood can then be studied.

Where to Begin

Here are three key points to tax lists analysis:

Virginia Early Laws

1. Know the law of the county/state of interest
2. Also, stay mindful of the state and county map formations. As noted, Kentucky and West Virginia were in present day Virginia in 1783.
3. Obtain copies of the original lists.  Transcribed copies may not be exact: are the names in order as recorded?, typos?, etc.  Researchers may find copies of original records on line, on subscribed websites, or order the microfilm copy from the Family History Library (FHL). Be creative when using keywords on the FHL. A recent search for “tithable” led us to the following title: The 1787 census of Virginia : an accounting of the name of every white male tithable over 21 years, the number of white males between 16 & 21years, the number of slaves over 16 & those under 16 years, together with alisting of their horses, cattle & carriages, and also the names of all persons to whom ordinary licenses and physician's licenses were issued. This title was used in lieu of “1787 Tax Lists of Virginia.” (Note: to activate link, login may be necessary) 

For More Information (and Case Studies)

Tennessee Early Tax (ancestry.com)

• Early Tax List Records for Tennessee, 1783-1895, may be digitized on ancestry.com. This database collection includes 71 Tennessee counties. Originals of Tennessee salvaged tax lists may be found at the State Library and Archive.
• Visit Library of Virginia: Colonial Tithables 
• A collection of free scanned microfilm Virginia Tax Lists - early City Tax Lists, County Tax Lists,  and Colonial Lists - may be found at the Binns Genealogy website.  
• Tax Lists (1792-1840) An Overlooked Resource for Kentucky History and Land Title 

Other States

Mississippi County Tax Rolls, 1818-1902. Recently the a3Genealogy researchers were able to use these tax rolls to identify the correct slaveholder and slave family.

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible answers

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