Guardianships, apprenticeships, adoptions, and bastardy bonds are four types of court records which can be used to demonstrate filiation, ascertain births, and identify maiden names. County, district, and state courts as well as private legislative acts constitute the primary source material that family historians have to examine in quest of the proverbial needle in the haystack. In the case of the latter, igniting the haystack and reducing the chaff to ashes makes the search much more likely to be successful. In the case of the former, published abstracts and on-line databases are the best tools for accessing the enormous amount of genealogical data. Ideally, abstracts of the records need to be compiled on a state-wide basis for the best results.
Dr. Alan N. Miller recognized the importance of these records which he inaugurated his series of forgotten children in the Volunteer State, Tennessee.
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