Madison
County Genealogical Society
Minutes of the Meeting - May 12, 2016
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.
GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
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 petie8135@att.net,
about a gift membership.
May Meeting
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.