DGS Spring Seminar featuring Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist!

Topics:

• Finding the Law Time and Time Again – We’re told as genealogists that we need to look at records in the context of the law at the time and in the place where the records were created. Easier said than done! With 50 states and the federal government all passing laws, how do we find the laws we need?
• Making a Federal Case Out of It – Even genealogists who have a good background in court records often overlook the wealth of detail available in the records of the federal courts: the District Court, the Circuit Court, the modern Circuit Court of Appeals, and even the Supreme Court. From bankruptcies to copyrights to patents to cases in admiralty and more, federal court records merit a close look.
• From 1619 to Juneteenth – Slavery and the Law Before the Civil War – No issue more bitterly impacted early America than slavery. Defended by some, decried by others, slavery left its mark on the laws of the nation and all the states, enslaved or free. The records created by those laws provide critical clues for genealogists, whether descended from enslaved or enslaver. [For northern states only, see “Deemed a Runaway.”]
• Dower and Dowry: Women, Property, & Legal Records Bringing – Property into marriage or trying to take it out, our female ancestors were governed by laws that generated valuable records. Learn about the common law dower and the civil law dowry, how they differed, and how to find the stories the records tell.

This will be a hybrid (in-person and virtual) event. Recording will be available to registered participants following the event. More Information..