Know your Jurisdictions!

Today- a quick blurb about Southern jurisdictions. Of course, it is absolutely essential that wherever you are focusing your research, you know what the jurisdictions are for the records you need. If you don’t know the jurisdictions, you won’t be able to find anything!

 In the South as much as anywhere, jurisdictions will vary state by state. Here are a few things I learned about jurisdictions while doing research on the Kennerly family: 

• South Carolina: Historically, jurisdictions changed in South Carolina more than anywhere else I’ve done research. My work was mostly in Barnwell county, which was formed from Orangeburg district, so that’s what I’ll include here. But even if this county has nothing to do with your research, at least recognize that figuring out the jurisdictions will be just as crazy anywhere else in the state!
  South Carolina began as an assembly of parishes, which as the colony grew, developed into various townships and counties. In 1769, all counties were abolished and 7 circuit court districts were established. Among these was the Orangeburgh District, Barnwell county originated. At this point, most records were being held in Charleston. In 1785, the districts were divided into 3-6 counties each. Most of these were counties in name only, never functioning quite in the way a county does today. The counties in Orangeburgh District functioned for a few years, but in 1791, the counties in some of the Districts (including Orangeburgh) were dissolved. From Orangeburgh District, Barnwell District was created. In 1800, all districts were officially abolished, though these districts-turned-counties continued to use the term “district” for years (including Barnwell county).¹

• Louisiana: Research in Louisiana can be a bit of a challenge as well, because both the French and Spanish controlled it at various times before the United States purchased it in 1803. France founded New Orleans in 1718, and controlled the area until Spain took over in 1763. The French took it back in 1800, but sold it to the US in 1803. Because there was so much back-and-forth until Louisiana’s statehood in 1812, it is very important to know which country had jurisdiction for the time period you are researching. 
  Another interesting fact about Louisiana- the “counties” are called parishes. Because the French and Spanish had so much early influence, the Catholic church was very prominent in Louisiana, and religious organization was very important. So, the land was organized into parishes. Luckily, this means that there are quite good church records from as early as 1730 in Louisiana. They’re there waiting, you just need to know where to look!  

~AC

---

1 "Orangeburgh District, South Carolina." FamilySearch Wiki. Accessed January 25, 2016. https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Orangeburgh_District,_South_Carolina.^↩

Southern Research Basics

Before I talk specifically about methods and research processes I used on my personal research of the Kennerlys, I thought it would be nice to have a bit of a brief run-down on a couple of things anyone starting southern United States genealogy should be aware of. As always, it’s important to know jurisdictions, and history of the area, and things like that, but here are a couple of points more specifically catered to southern research.

First: Burned Counties. As anyone remotely familiar with southern genealogy after the Civil War will tell you, "burned counties" are everywhere, and can be quite a stumbling block. Now, as FamilySearch Wiki correctly informs us,¹ the term “burned counties” doesn’t exclusively refer to record loss during the Civil War due to Courthouse fires, but refers more generally to any county that has experienced significant historical record loss for whatever reason.² This may be Courthouse fires, floods, mold, mudslides, and even (to quote the Wiki) “cleaning-streak clerks.” Whatever the reason for record loss, the principles of research are generally similar:

1.  Document and log everything you DO find. Yes, you should probably be keeping a good log anyway, but when it comes to researching in an area where not much exists, make sure you can easily get back to what does exist. And keep copies of EVERYTHING. 
2. Be thinking about any possible alternative records. If what you're looking for was destroyed, try to find other things that can provide similar information. It’s good to remember that in the south, land records were generally the most important records created, so even if there’s a loss, they’ll probably be recreated if nothing else is. These can be extremely helpful; it’s amazing what you can find in land records!

Secondly: Indirect evidence. This is related in part to the issue of “burned counties” in that there often isn’t a lot of direct evidence available about the ancestors you’re looking for. Usually, we want to find "direct evidence", meaning a document or a primary source that states explicitly the information you’re looking for: “So-and-so was born on June 20,” “or John Doe died today, March 15,” things like that. On the other hand, "indirect evidence" means that instead of using one document to prove a fact, you take bits and pieces of other documents and piece together information on that fact. For example: if you are looking for Jane’s parents, and you have a document stating that Jane had a sister Mary, and you find another document affirming that Mary’s parents are Tom and Lucy, the indirect evidence states that Tom and Lucy are also Jane’s parents. Indirect evidence cases will invariably get a lot more complicated than that, especially in the south where death records are uncommon and birth records very rarely exist. The key is to stay organized so that you can easily make whatever connections you need to prove what you’re looking for. 

Thankfully, when researching the Kennerlys, I didn’t run into any “burned counties” or extreme record loss. I did, however, have to do a lot of analysis and piecing together of indirect evidence to prove that I knew that John Conrad was Samuel’s son, who was Thomas’s son. These stumbling blocks are common, especially for southern research, so don’t get discouraged if you find yourself stumbling in your own research! There are some good resources out there, just keep looking!

~AC

---

1 FamilySearch Wiki has a great page about researching in "Burned Counties": Click Here.^↩
2 Virginia especially had a LOT of record loss. Here’s a link to the Library of Virginia’s information about what still exists: Click Here.^↩


 

A Brief (and Dual) Introduction

Thomas, Samuel, and John C.'s names, as taken from original documents

Hello, and Welcome!
My purpose in creating this blog is to provide a (hopefully) simple introduction to the ins and outs of Southern United States Genealogical research, as illustrated by the comings and goings of the Thomas Kennerly family. The Kennerlys make up part of my husband's paternal ancestry, and this research was done for a class I had at BYU this past year. I have loved learning about this family, and I hope that in my sharing what I learned, someone else somewhere may find it to be of value to them as well! 

And now, after that hasty introduction to the blog, let's move on to the other half of the so-promised dual introduction: the Kennerly Family. The Kennerlys were Southern landowners living in the newly formed United States of America. Throughout the generations, they traveled continuously southwest, eventually making the move to Brazil after the close of the Civil War. My research focused on:

• Thomas Kennerly (b. 22 November 1774 in South Carolina, British America; m. (1) about 1790 in South Carolina, United States, m. Ann Keitt, (2) 29 December 1801 in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States, m. Rebecca Whetstone; d. 9 January 1844 in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States),

Thomas and Rebecca's son, 

• Samuel Kennerly (b. about 1820, in Barnwell District, South Carolina, United States; m. 21 December 1837, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States, m. Eleanor C. Jackson; d. before 1860 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States), 

and Samuel and Eleanor's son

• John Conrad Kennerly (b. 12 November 1840 in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States; m. 3 March 1864 in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States, m. Elizabeth Ann Heatherwick; d. 30 April 1894 in Jau, Sao Paulo, Brazil).

From tracking Thomas, a wealthy southern landowner, through to his grandson, a Confederate soldier turned Brazilian farmer, this research was truly enjoyable to do. I'm excited to share it, and again, I hope something I learned along the way will help you in your own research!

~AC