Record Analysis

6 February 2015 Our last QuickTip was a Tuesday's Test. Today, we'll explore a few answers. Your challenge was to take a published abstract of a colonial document—a 1747 garnishment—and analyze it. How would you interpret the events that triggered the garnishment? What might it tell you about individuals involved? What clues can you draw from it for further research? Three brave souls posted their thoughts to help the 1,309 others who scurried to the site for tips. Today, we'll build a bit on their foundation. ...

3 February 2015 In September 1747, along Virginia's Southside frontier, the court issued an order of garnishment against the "estate" of William Clark, who had "absconded" without paying all his debts. A published abstract of the resulting actions tells us the following: ... How would you interpret this document? What clues might you draw about any or all of the individuals involved? If you were interested in one of these individuals, how would you use this record as a stepping stone to further your research? ...

14 January 2014 Problem: You are tracing a freedman in post-bellum Louisiana, one Louis Bellow. A fellow researcher has sent you the attached image, reporting it to be the marriage record of your person-of-interest. Never mind that the record is in Latin. You can still figure out the basic facts. As you analyze the record, what . . .