Bill Eddelman will present a program on “Using Court Records”
We will welcome Bill Eddleman back to expand our research skills. Many family historians rarely use court records. These records require learning about the judicial structure of different states (sometimes counties), and often require page-by-page scanning of record books. This presentation discusses using court records to uncover family history. Learn about the different types of courts and the records they created that can be of genealogical interest. The session includes details on where to locate court records, where to find laws regulating these courts, and the basis for the legal systems. Examples illustrate the use of court records to document relationships.
Bill Eddleman is a ninth-generation Missourian. He was a professor of biology at Southeast Missouri State University for 22 years and also served as provost before his retirement in 2016. Long interested in local and regional history, he was the president of the Cape County Genealogical Society for 14 years and edited the society’s quarterly publication for 20 years. He started at the State Historical Society of Missouri as Coordinator of its Cape Girardeau Research Center in July 2017. He writes genealogy and local history columns for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian, and has a local history radio program, “Tales from Days Gone By,” on KRCU public radio, 90.9 FM.
