Enrollment options
Optional Print Course Material: American: Court Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course provides an overview of United States court records, selected finding aids to United States court records and strategies for gleaning the records of the courts. It introduces additional resources and strategies for documenting the interaction of your ancestors and the United States courts; and provides a brief historical background as is relevant to various court records.
Students will be encouraged to share their findings (including additional sources and strategies) while studying the interaction of their families and the courthouse.
Students enrolling in this course will have successfully completed the International Institute of Genealogical Studies’ courses United States: Land Records, United States: Probate Records, and United States: Immigration & Naturalization Records, or have a great deal of experience researching land, probate, and immigration & naturalization records.
At the end of this course, an exam will be provided to evaluate your understanding of the course materials.
Course Length: 8 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Introduction to Court Records
Brief Overview of the United States Judicial System
Types of Law
Levels of Courts
Appellate Court - Intermediate and Last Resort (Supreme Court)
MODULE 2
STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE COURTS
State Statutes & Legislative Acts
Municipal Ordinances/Laws
LOCAL AND STATEWIDE COURTS
Supreme Court
MODULE 3
COURT RECORDS
Local and Statewide Courts - Record Keeping
Published Records
Digests - Summaries of Cases
Additional Court Records
MODULE 4
FEDERAL COURTS
U.S. Constitution
Records of District Courts of the United States
Records Related to Federal District Courts
Records of the U.S. Court of International Trade (RG 321)
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Published Records
House and Senate Journals
MODULE 5
ADDITIONAL FEDERAL JUDICIAL JURISDICTIONS
U.S. Court of Claims (RG 123)
American State Papers
U.S. Territorial Courts and Records (RG 21)
Records of the Adjutant General’s Office (RG 94), 1780s-1917
Federal Courts-Martial (RG 153)
Confederate Courts
U.S. Admiralty Courts
MODULE 6
STRATEGIES & FINDING AIDS FOR SUCCESSFUL USE OF COURTHOUSE RECORDS
Interpreting the Records
National Archives Resources
CASE STUDY
MODULE 7
COURT RECORDS ONLINE
FamilySearch
Ancestry
National Archives
Courthouse Websites
State Archives, Libraries, and Historical Societies