The May 2016 meeting of the Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Madison County Historical Society Archival Library on Thursday, May 12, at 7:00 pm.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the meeting to order.
The following is the Treasurer's report for the month of April:
Do you have a family member that
is interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership
in the Madison County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful
gift. A gift card will be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at [email protected],
about a gift membership.
On May 12, 2016, the Madison County
Genealogical Society held their regular meeting at the Madison
County Historical Museum and Archival Library at 715 N. Main in
Edwardsville. Mary Westerhold, Director of the Archival Library,
presented a program titled Where There's a Will. The presentation
was about a recent project involving Madison County probate files,
interesting finds while working on the project, and how the files
can be used in research.
Probate Project Overview
In early 2013, the Madison County Circuit Clerk's Office was looking
for someone to go through stored probate files, remove any original
wills found in those files, and return the wills to the Circuit
Clerk's Office. The probate files were not to be returned. The
Madison County Historical Society agreed to take on the project
and asked for volunteers to assist. Work actually began in May
2013 with the delivery of two boxes of metal drawers containing
probate files to the Archival Library.
The files were placed in archival document boxes; any original
wills found were copied and the copy was placed in the file. The
boxes of completed files were stored at the MCHS Collection Center.
Over a nearly three-year time period, volunteers and staff processed
over 44,000 files. They did not realize what they would find
Types of Files
There were more than probate files in these drawers:
Conservatorship Files
These files covered dates from about 1903 through 1959. The reasons
for the request for a conservator included insanity, feeble-minded,
and spend-thrift. But, there were very few wills.
Probate Files
These files also covered dates from about 1903 through 1959 with
a few exceptions. Not every file had a will and the file cover
gave a clue as to what was inside. If the file cover said "Administrator/Administratrix,"
there would be no will. You would have to look for the document
"Petition for Letters of Administration."
If the file cover said "Administrator/Administratrix
With Will Annexed" or "Administrator/Administratrix
WWA," there would be a will.
If the cover said "Executor/Executrix,"
there would be a will.
A probate file might contain many things: a list of heirs which
may include family members, their relation to the deceased, and
their addresses. You might find invoices, an inventory of personal
property, papers relating to the disposition of any real estate,
or if an auction is held, there could be a list of buyers, the
items they bought, and the price they paid.
Other items were sometimes found in a probate file:
Guardianship Files
Definition
"A guardian is a responsible individual of legal age appointed
or acknowledged by the court to manage the property ownership
of those incompetent by reason of youth or mental or physical
handicap to handle their own affairs." In addition, the same
book defines an orphan as "a minor whose father is dead or
whose deceased mother left separately owned property to her child
but excluded the father. In both cases, a guardian is appointed
to assume the legal responsibilities of property ownership. In
other words, the "orphan" may have a living parent in
either caseIt is also common for a mother or father to be appointed
guardian of his or her own children, without implying adoption,
formal or otherwise."
The Source: A Guidebook Of American
Genealogy edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves
Luebking,
The earliest Guardianship Files pre-date Illinois statehood. Guardianship
files often contain family information not found anywhere else.
For Example: Guardianship File Minor Children of Samuel Judy.
Samuel Judy died in 1838 leaving a widow, thirteen children, and
real estate. Several of the children were minors, and Thomas Judy
was appointed their guardian. Among the children are Naomy (Omy)
and Martha who are age 9 and 8, respectively, when their father
died in 1838. Thomas Judy, who was also the administrator of Samuel
Judy's estate, stated in 1841 that the value of the property due
Omy and Martha does not exceed $250. The file contains various
receipts. Among the papers are two receipts for $8.50 for coffinsone
for Naomy and one for Martha. One more receipt of interest is
for the tombstone for Naomy and Martha, which still stands in
the Nix-Judy Cemetery in Glen Carbon. However, no birthdates are
listed on the tombstone. But if we look at the receipt, we can
see the birthdates that have been marked out: Neomy Judy Born
July 28, 1828; Martha Judy Born December 6, 1829. Why is this
important? At this time period, this is probably the ONLY place
the birthdates are recorded unless perhaps in a family Bible.
The Next Project
This presentation was very
well received and several questions were asked.