Saturday, September 26, 2015

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- How Many Surnames in Your Family Tree Database?

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 
time for some more Genealogy Fun!!



Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) 
Go into your Genealogy Management Program (GMP; either software on your computer, or an online family tree) and figure out how to Count how many surnames you have in your family tree database.

2)  Tell us which GMP you're using and how you did this task.

3)  Tell us how many surnames are in your database and, if possible, which Surname has the most entries.  If this excites you, tell us which surnames are in the top 5!  Or 10!!  Or 20!!!

4)  Write about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a status or comment on Facebook, or in Google Plus Stream post.

NOTE:  If you can't figure out how to do this in your GMP (Genealogy Management Program), use the Help button and search for "count persons" then follow directions.  

Here's mine:

I'm going to use RootsMagic 7 because that's where I'm doing my current additions, deletions and editing and is my most up-to-date collection.  In RootsMagic 7, go to Reports, then Lists and scroll down to "Surname Statistics List."  I then chose "Frequency of Surnames" from the list presented.

  


That took about 20 seconds and I have a 156 page list!  I didn't count every one of them - there are 156 pages with 39 names per page.  That's a grand total of about 6,060 surnames in my database with 45,030 persons.  The top 20 are, with birth date ranges:

*  SEAVER - 4,955 persons, from 1608 to 2015

*  [unknown] - 1,284 persons, from 787 to 2013
*  BUCK - 747 persons, from 1577 to 1997

*  SMITH - 698 persons, from 1526 to 2013
* VAUX - 488 persons, from 1620 to 2012
*  FITZ RANDOLPH - 479 persons, from 1565 to 1884
*  DILL - 449 persons, from 1629 to 2014
*  SEVER - 417 persons, from 1673 to 2014
*  NEWTON - 325 persons, from 1600 to 2008
*  CHAMPLIN - 302 persons, from 1618 to 1917

*  RICHMAN - 299 persons, from 1598 to 1985
*  CULVER - 268 persons, from 1700 to 2010
*  BRESEE - 255 persons, from 1650 to 1900
*  BROWN - 227 persons, from 1580 to 2000
*  CARRINGER - 205 persons, from 1758 to 2015

*  McKNEW - 203 persons, from 1640 to 2007
*  WHITE - 202 persons, from 1570 to 2003
*  HAWKINS - 196 persons, from 1570 to 1975
*  CLARK - 181 persons, from 1561 to 2008
*  KEMP - 178 persons, from 1678 to 2012

I didn't see a way to get a count on first names - can anyone figure this out in RootsMagic 7, or in another program?  

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-how-many.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday -- LARKIN (England to colonial New England)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  


I am in the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1159 who is Sarah LARKIN (1648-1725) 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through two generations of this LARKIN family line is:


1. Randall J. Seaver

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)


18.  Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)
19.  Sophia Newton (1834-1923)

36.  Zavhariah Hildreth (1783-1857)
37.  Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)

72.  Zachariah Hildreth (1754-1828)
73.  Elizabeth Keyes (1759-1793)

144.  Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784)
145.  Elizabeth Prescott (1734-1812)

288.  James Hildreth (1698-1761)
289.  Dorothy Prescott (1702-1774)

578.  Samuel Prescott (1674-1758)
579.  Esther Wheeler (1678-1756)

1158.  John Wheeler, born 19 March 1643 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 27 September 1713 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 2316. George Wheeler and 2317. Katherine Pin.  He married 25 March 1663 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1159.  Sarah Larkin, born 12 March 1648 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 12 August 1725 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of John Wheeler and Sarah Larkin are:
*  Samuel Wheeler (1664-1717) married 1690 Mary Hosmer (1668-????).
*  Sarah Wheeler (1666-1692), married 1691 John Merriam (1666-1748).
*  Edward Wheeler (1669-1734), married 1697 Sarah Merriam (1675-1738).
*  Joanna Wheeler (1671-1748), married 1689 Ephraim Woodbury (1667-????).
*  Mary Wheeler (1673-1747), married 1688 John Merriam (1662-1727).
*  Lydia Wheeler (1675-1720), married (1) 1692 Timothy Wheeler (1667-1718); (2) 1720 Nathaniel Stow (1663-1724).
*  Esther Wheeler (1678-1756), married 1698 Samuel Prescott (1674-1758)
*  Ebenezer Wheeler (1682-1748), married 1706 Mary Minott (1689-1760).
*  Thankful Wheeler (1682-1716), married 1699 Jonas Prescott (1678-1750).

2318.  Edward Larkin, born about 1611 in England; died before 06 April 1652 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.  He married before January 1639 in probably Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.
2319.  Joanna, born about 1616 in England; died 27 January 1686 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of Edward Larkin and Joanna are:
*  John Larkin (1641-1678), married 1664 Joanna Hale (1646-1693).
*  Elizabeth Larkin (1641-1719), married 1666 John Newton (1641-1723).
*  Hannah Larkin (1644-1704), married 1665 John Newell (1634-1704).
*  Thomas Larkin (1644-1677), married (1) 1666 Hannah Remington (1643-1673); (2) 1674 Elizabeth Dowse (1648-1732).
*  Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), married 1663 John Wheeler (1643-1713).
*  Joanna Larkin (1649-1713), married 1668 Moses Newton (1646-1736).

Information about the Larkin family was obtained from:

*  Mary Lovering Holman, The Ancestry of Colonel John Harrington Stevens and his wife Frances Helen Miller  (Concord N.H. : Rumford Press, 1948).

*  Dean Crawford Smith, edited by Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton, 1878-1908: Part III: The Ancestry of Henry Clay Bartlett, 1832-1892 (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), pages 290-297.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/surname-saturday-larkin-england-to.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


Friday, September 25, 2015

What Happened to the 1656-1785 New Jersey Probate Records on Ancestry.com?

While I was writing the post How Complete Is the Ancestry.com Wills and Probates Collection for one County? an hour ago, I was frustrated because a search of the New Jersey, Wills and Probates, 1656-1999 collection on Ancestry.com did not show records that were previously found in the collection.  

Over the past three weeks, I have transcribed wills of three men in colonial New Jersey, including:

1)  Thomas Blomfield - see Amanuensis Monday - Post #286: 1684 Will of Thomas Bloomfield (1615-1686) of Woodbridge, N.J. (posted 21 September 2015).

Here is the search results in the collection today for Thomas Blomfield:


The 1684 will of Thomas Blomfield is not found in a search.  It was there last week.

2)  Peter Martin -- see Amanuensis Monday - Post #285: 1755 Will of Peter Martin (1693-1756) of Piscataway, N.J.  (posted 14 September 2015).

Here is the search results in the collection today for Peter Martin:


The 1755 will for Peter Martin is not listed.   It was there last week.

3)  Thomas Gach - see Amanuensis Monday - Post #284: 1763 Will of Thomas Gach (1702-1770) of Woodbridge, N.J. (posted 7 September 2015).

Here is the search results in the collection today for Thomas Gach::


The 1763 will of Thomas Gach is not found in a search.   It was there last week.

4)  I looked for the other 19 probate records I have downloaded over the past three weeks and found none of them.   They was there last week.  All but one of them were written before 1785.  I'm glad I captured the document images when I did!  Now what do I do about the source citations since they are no longer in the collection?

So where did these wills go in the  New Jersey, Wills and Probates, 1656-1999 collection on Ancestry.com?

Well, Ancestry.com changed the name of the collection to  New Jersey, Wills and Probates, 1785-1999 and kept the URL to the collection.

Apparently, they eliminated the earlier wills, before 1785, from the collection for some reason.  My guess is that they did not have sufficient permissions or licenses to index, search and find the pre-1785 records in the State wills collection.

This is a terrible loss for those of us with New Jersey colonial ancestry.  Perhaps (I hope) Ancestry.com will get the sufficient permissions or licenses to add these records back into the searchable collection.

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/what-happened-to-1656-1785-new-jersey.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.



How Complete Is the Ancestry.com Wills and Probates Collection for One County?

Now that Ancestry.com has added the Wills and Probates collections for each state - 170 million images in all -  some researchers may be tempted to think "well, I can't find my ancestor's records, so he must not have had a will or a probate record."

The fact is that many of the state and county wills and probate collections are not complete, and may never be complete.  

Each county (or probate district in some states) have an archived collection of original wills and probate records, from the county inception to the present day.  But they are filed in a county courthouse, a local or state archive.  A researcher has to determine where they are, and visit the courthouse or archive to obtain a copy of them, often for a fee.

Many of the state and county probate records up to a certain date (typically the 1900 to 1930 time frame) were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah over the years, and the microfilms are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, or can be borrowed for a fee and reviewed at a local FamilySearch Library.  However, not every County archive was microfilmed, and some later 20th and 21st century records were not microfilmed.

Some of the microfilmed probate records have been digitized and are online in the FamilySearch Record Collections (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list), but not all states are available yet, and not every microfilmed record for each county is available yet.  For those probate records that are available on FamilySearch, very few have been indexed so that they can be searched.  Most of the FamilySearch digitized probate records have to be browsed - finding a county, finding a probate index, finding indexed information about a probate record, and then finding the actual probate records on this "digital microfilm."

The Ancestry.com Wills and Probates collection for all 50 states were obtained from FamilySearch digitized images, and include some of the records available to FamilySearch, but do not include all of the FamilySearch microfilmed documents.  They don't include the documents that FamilySearch has not microfilmed or digitized that can only be found at the courthouses and archives.  However, Ancestry did name index their collection, which is a significant accomplishment.  This collection will probably grow significantly over the years as more documents are digitized and indexed.

As an example, let me demonstrate how to determine the coverage of the Ancestry.com collection with respect to what is available on Family History Library microfilm and on FamilySearch digitized collections:

1)  In the New Jersey, Wills and Probates, 1656-1999 collection on Ancestry.com, a user can browse this collection rather than search it.  The screen below shows the "Browse this collection" list of Counties for New Jersey in the right-hand column:


I clicked on the "Sussex" item on the list and saw:


1)  The list of "volumes" available on Ancestry in this database for Sussex County, New Jersey are highlighted in blue on the screen above.  Here is a list of these "volumes:"

  • Administration bonds, vol A, 1861-1866 
  • Administration bonds, vol B-C, 1866-1881 
  • Administration bonds, vol D-E, 1881-1896 
  • Administration bonds, vol F, 1896-1908 
  • Division, vol A, 1820-1836 
  • Division, vol B-C, 1835-1880 
  • Divisions of land proceedings, vol A-C, 1795-1922 
  • Estate Index, A-H 
  • Estate Index, I-Q 
  • Estate Index, R-Z 
  • Guardian and sale of lands, vol 1, 1861-1868 
  • Guardian bonds, vol B-C, 1868-1900 
  • Inventories, vol A-C, 1803-1819 
  • Inventories, vol D-F, 1819-1840 
  • Inventories, vol G-H, 1840-1856 
  • Inventories, vol I-K, 1856-1865 
  • Inventories, vol L-M, 1865-1876 
  • Inventories, vol N-O, 1876-1886 
  • Inventories, vol P-R, 1886-1896 
  • Inventories, vol S, 1896-1903 
  • Petitions and renunciations, vol A-B, 1871-1894 
  • Petitions and renunciations, vol C, 1894-1903 
  • Proceedings Index, vol 1-3 
  • Proceedings Index, vol 4-5 
  • Proceedings Index, vol 6-7 
  • Receipts, vol A-B, 1813-1858 
  • Receipts, Vol E-F, 1877-1886 
  • Receipts, vol G-H, 1886-1894 
  • Receipts, vol I-J, 1894-1901 
  • Sale of lands, vol B, 1878-1914; Assignees book, vol 1, 1867-1905 
  • Wills, Vol K-L, 1892-1900 

That seems like a lot of "volumes" and some people would think "all of the available probate records must be there."

Now, a user could go to the FamilySearch Library Catalog (https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/), input "Sussex, New Jersey" into the Place search, and then highlight the two items for Probate Records (two screens below):



2)  Here is the list of the "volumes" that are available on microfilm (not including the book volumes listed):

  • Administration bonds, v. A 1861-1866; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959489 
  • Administration bonds, v. B-C 1866-1881; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959490 
  • Administration bonds, v. D-E 1881-1896; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959491 
  • Administration bonds, v. F 1896-1908; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959492 
  • Division, v. A 1820-1836; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959497 
  • Division, v. B-C 1835-1880; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959498 
  • Divisions of land proceedings, vol. A-C, 1795-1922; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 961017 
  • Inventories, v. A-C 1803-1819; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960534 
  • Inventories, v. D-F 1819-1840; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960535 
  • Inventories, v. G-H 1840-1856; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 960536 
  • Inventories, v. I-K 1856-1865; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960537 
  • Inventories, v. L-M 1865-1876; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 960538 
  • Inventories, v. N-O 1876-1886; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959481 
  • Inventories, v. P-R 1886-1896; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959482 
  • Inventories, v. S 1896-1903; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959483 
  • Petitions & renunciations, v. A-B 1871-1894; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960517 
  • Petitions & renunciations, v. C 1894-1903; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960518 
  • Receipts, v. A-B 1813-1858; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959484 
  • Receipts, v. C-D 1858-1877; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959485 
  • Receipts, v. E-F 1877-1886; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959486 
  • Receipts, v. G-H 1886-1894; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959487 
  • Receipts, v. I-J 1894-1901; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 959488 
  • 1S - 111S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 563826 
  • 112S - 223S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 563827 
  • 224S - 333S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565475 
  • 334S - 451S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565476 
  • 452S - 578S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565477 
  • 579S - 706S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565478 
  • 707S - 826S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565479 
  • 827S - 951S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565480 
  • 952S - 1074S; Family History Library   United States & Canada Film 565481 
  • 1075S - 1211S; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 565482 
  • 1212S - 1345S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565483 
  • 1346S - 1495S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565484 
  • 1496S - 1630S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565485 
  • 1631S - 1728S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565486 
  • 1729S - 1856S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565487 
  • 1857S - 2006S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565488 
  • 2007S - 2135S  Family History Library; United States & Canada Film 565489 
  • 2136S - 2251S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565490 
  • 2252S - 2375S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565491 
  • 2376S - 2501S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565492 
  • 2502S - 2617S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565493 
  • 2618S - 2731S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565494 
  • 2732S - 2832S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565495 
  • 2833S - 2924S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565496 
  • 2925S - 3024S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565497 
  • 3025S - 3122S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565498 
  • 3123S - 3219S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 565499 
  • 3220S - 3310S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566000 
  • 3311S - 3404S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566001 
  • 3405S - 3490S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566002 
  • 3491S - 3565S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566003 
  • 3566S - 3648S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566004 
  • 3649S - 3734S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566005 
  • 3735S - 3820S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566006 
  • 3821S - 3897S; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 566007 
  • 3898S - 3965S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566181 
  • 3966S - 4038S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566182 
  • 4039S - 4108S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566183 
  • 4109S - 4189S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566184 
  • 4190S - 4264S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566185 
  • 4265S - 4321S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566186 
  • 4322S - 4414S; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 566187 
  • 4415S - 4478S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566188 
  • 4479S - 4552S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566189 
  • 4553S - 4621S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566190 
  • 4622S - 4697S; Family History Library  United States & Canada Film 566191 
  • 4698S - 4768S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566192 
  • 4769S - 4830S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566193 
  • 4831S - 4901S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566194 
  • 4902S - 4974S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566195 
  • 4975S - 5042S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566196 
  • 5043S - 5116S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566197 
  • 5117S - 5181S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566198 
  • 5182S - 5243S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566199 
  • 5214S - 5322S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566200 
  • 5323S - 5393S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566201 
  • 5394S - 5465S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566202 
  • 5466S - 5545S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566203 
  • 5546S - 5607S Family History Library United States & Canada Film 566204 
  • 5554 S - 5678 S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 589082 
  • 5679 S - 5847 S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 589083 
  • 5848 S - 5948 S 5748 S - 5751 S; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 589084 
  • Wills, v. A-B 1804-1828; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960519 
  • Wills, v. C-D 1828-1855; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960520 
  • Wills, v. E-F 1855-1869; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960521 
  • Wills, v. G-H 1869-1883; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960522 
  • Wills, v. I-J 1883-1892; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960523 
  • Wills, v. K-L 1892-1900; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960524 
  • Wills, v. M 1900-1905; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960525 
  • Estate Index, A-H; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960511 
  • Estate Index, I-Q; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960512 
  • Estate Index, R-Z; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960513 
  • Proceedings Index, v. 1-3; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960514 
  • Proceedings Index, v. 4-5; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960515 
  • Proceedings Index, v. 6-7; Family History Library United States & Canada Film 960516 

I highlighted in red the microfilms that are not included on the Ancestry.com list above.  The collections with numbers and the letter S are case files from the "Record of wills, 1753-1900, 1 S to 5948 S" collection.  Those "Record of wills" may be included in the "All Counties" collection on Ancestry, and are microfilmed images of original wills and probate papers.

Here is the list of microfilms available for the "Wills, 1804-1905" volumes:


As you can see, there are 7 volumes of Wills.  However, the Ancestry.com collection has only one volume - that for "Wills, v. K-L, 1892-1900."  They don't have the other six Wills books for Sussex County, New Jersey yet.  These "Wills" volumes are transcriptions of the original wills.

3)  What's online at FamilySearch?  The list of "volumes" on FamilySearch for Sussex County, New Jersey is:



  • Administration bonds 1861-1866 vol A
  • Administration bonds 1866-1881 vol B-C
  • Administration bonds 1881-1896 vol D-E
  • Administration bonds 1896-1908 vol F
  • Assignees 1867-1905 vol 1
  • Divisions of land 1795-1922 vol A-C
  • Divisions of land 1820-1836 vol A
  • Divisions of land 1835-1880 vol B-C
  • Estate index 1804-1974 A-H
  • Estate index 1804-1974 I-Q
  • Estate index 1804-1974 R-Z
  • Guardian bonds 1868-1900 vol B-C
  • Inventories 1803-1819 vol A-C
  • Inventories 1819-1840 vol D-F
  • Inventories 1840-1856 vol G-H
  • Inventories 1856-1865 vol I-K
  • Inventories 1865-1876 vol L-M
  • Inventories 1876-1886 vol N-O
  • Inventories 1886-1896 vol P-R
  • Inventories 1896-1903 vol S
  • Petitions and renunciations 1871-1894 vol A-B
  • Petitions and renunciations 1894-1903 vol C
  • Proceedings Index 1804-1974 vol 1-3
  • Proceedings Index 1804-1974 vol 4-5
  • Proceedings Index 1804-1974 vol 6-7
  • Real estate bonds 1861-1868 vol 1
  • Real estate bonds 1878-1914 vol B
  • Receipts 1813-1858 vol A-B
  • Receipts 1858-1877 vol C-D
  • Receipts 1877-1886 vol E-F
  • Receipts 1886-1894 vol G-H
  • Receipts 1894-1901 vol I-J
  • Wills 1804-1828 vol A-B
  • Wills 1828-1855 vol C-D
  • Wills 1855-1869 vol E-F
  • Wills 1869-1883 vol G-H
  • Wills 1883-1892 vol I-J
  • Wills 1892-1900 vol K-L
  • Wills 1900-1905 vol M

I highlighted in red the items on FamilySearch that are not on Ancestry.com.  I highlighted in blue on the Ancestry.com list the items that are not on the FamilySearch list.

Actually, Ancestry indexed almost all of the probate collections now available on FamilySearch - the major exception being the six Wills volumes.  Perhaps they will add those in the coming months.

4)  A careful researcher would do a similar list for every County of interest to them, and access the records that are available wherever they are - including at the County courthouse or archives, which were not listed above for Sussex County, New Jersey.

The only rational conclusion is, of course, that the Sussex County, New Jersey probate records are not all on microfilm, it's not all digitized, and it's not all on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.  That probably holds for every county and every state!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/how-complete-is-ancestrycom-wills-and.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.