The first build will deepen the strongest counties and expand systematically rather than presenting empty pages as complete.
Move from the state to the courthouse.
County-by-county research pathways for the Southern states, modeled around deeds, probate, court minutes, tax records, newspapers, libraries, archives, maps, churches, and local historians.
Planned collection
Probate and estates
Curated entries, member contributions, and editorial review will populate this collection.
Why this record mattersProbate files often identify spouses, children, siblings, heirs, enslaved individuals, neighbors, and land locations when no birth records exist.
Planned collection
Deeds and land
Curated entries, member contributions, and editorial review will populate this collection.
Why this record mattersDeeds can establish family relationships, migration patterns, and formerly enslaved people's residences before and after emancipation.
Planned collection
Courts and tax
Curated entries, member contributions, and editorial review will populate this collection.
Why this record mattersCourt cases put family relationships into sworn testimony; tax rolls place an ancestor in a specific place in a specific year between censuses.
Planned collection
Newspapers and libraries
Curated entries, member contributions, and editorial review will populate this collection.
Why this record mattersNewspapers capture what official records miss: "Information Wanted" ads from families separated under slavery, obituaries, and legal notices naming heirs.
Planned collection
Local societies and researchers
Curated entries, member contributions, and editorial review will populate this collection.
Why this record mattersLocal historians know the unindexed records, cemetery locations, and family networks that never made it online.