Sometimes, you have to go offline to discover your data

Don’t be afraid to ask courthouse for old documents.

In a world where many people think that everything can be found online, especially with regard to genealogy, sometimes it’s necessary to go off the grid.

Recently, I had to go to a county courthouse to check for a loose estate packet or file. As far as I knew, it was not scanned, thus not online, nor on microfilm at the Georgia Archives.

After running the gantlet of security and locating the probate office, I found the typed index to estates. Pointing out the typed index, which to me indicated that the file existed in recent times, I asked to see it. The loose files and who knows what else were behind closed “Staff Only” doors that kept the public out but the records secure.

If you did not know the Georgia system, would you know to ask for the file? It came out without a folder, the approximately 20 pages dating from 1850 stapled together, not a recognized archival practice, I would assume. Having no place to sit to review said “packet,” and standing at a counter trying not to drop the documents (now without a staple), I found an unrecorded will and had it copied. Copies were one dollar a page, so you don’t want to make mistakes.

Later, I found it was easier to copy recorded items from microfilm at the Georgia Archives or via family search.org, where a good bit can be found, but not all, as that website does not include the probate minute books.

Moral of the story: Some good things still remain buried in a courthouse, and you have to go offline to find them.

Vital records differ by states

Vital records — birth and death records recorded and kept at the county and state level — differ from state to state, depending on when a state began keeping such and what their laws say about when they will be made public. While Georgia began in 1919 (some for the fall of 1918), South Carolina began in 1915 and the birth certificates for that year are now online, following the law.

Drones for genealogy

Has anyone used a drone to help them in genealogy? I would like to hear from anyone who has done so, or has any ideas of how a drone might help. One example might be using a drone to record the layout of a cemetery to share with family members or at a family reunion.