Loose Records in the Courthouse

In todays’ world where we conduct research at 2 a.m. in our slippers on a personal computer, many genealogists are missing out on significant clues that are not online. There is a wealth of valuable genealogical data on our ancestors in libraries, archives, and courthouses that goes virtually unnoticed and unused.

The courthouses in the United States are valuable resources. Within them one often finds a variety of local records which are available nowhere else. These include wills, probate files, county court minutes, estray books, school records, professional registrations, military discharge books, tax records, voting registers, naturalizations, vital records, and land records, just to name some of them. However, one of the most significant and completely underutilized collections are those which are called “loose papers.” These are often housed in wooden or metal boxes. Many counties have these tucked away in vaults, basements, or even attics. Some have been transferred to state archives. Sometimes there is no index or a partial index to only the litigants themselves.  Other times volunteers and local groups have labored to provide an index.

What is found within these loose papers can often be a gold mine. Imagine finding a court case in which your ancestor was an heir or in which he was sued or sued someone or was taken to trial for a criminal offense. The nature of court cases varied considerably but their value is undisputed. There are both civil and criminal cases in courts with a variety of names. Families often had disputes and details about these disputes and the family relationships can be found in court record loose papers.

Within these records are often subpoenas, trial testimony transcripts, judgments, and fascinating details about our ancestors’ lives. After all, our ancestors were more than just names and dates on a pedigree chart. They were living, breathing human beings with all the good qualities and foibles we all possess.

In addition to loose court case papers, there are loose probate files in many counties. These packets go far beyond what you find on the internet. Often what is online is merely the will or the estate administration information that was recorded in a book. The probate files contain receipts from people who owed money to the deceased or people to whom the deceased owed money. They contain inventories of the estate, often with an appraisal by men in the community. They contain sale bills. Much can often be gleaned by looking at who bought what in a sale. If your ancestor purchased a Family Bible or other type of personal item from someone, that can be very significant in extending a family. At the very least, an ancestor purchasing an item at a sale places him or her in a specific place in a specific time and tells you he or she likely knew the deceased and other buyers at the auction. One of the most valuable items in a loose probate file can be a listing of the heirs.

One very valuable resource on Courthouse Research is a book by Christine Rose. It is entitled Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures. The 2^nd edition was published in 2020 and is available on Amazon and many other bookstore vendors.



Do not miss out on a valuable piece of your ancestor’s life by not performing research at the local courthouse in the loose court packets and loose probate packets. If you need assistance in finding records in southern Illinois, western Kentucky, or southeast Missouri, please contact me at rick@backstorybloodhound.com. You can click on the Services tab at the top of this webpage for more information.