This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: mlsmith67 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.alabama.counties.tallapoosa/4193.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I don't know, of course, what kinds of records those might have been. I'll ask if and when I get back. As in most, if not all, other jurisdictions, wills and deeds were recorded in legal "blank books" with printed page numbers so that it would be obvious if any pages were removed. The books had pages in the front where a running index could be recorded. The first entry in the index under "A" for instance, would be for the first deed (or will) recorded for someone whose surname began with "A". So the index was alphabetized only by the first letter of the surname. "Mc" was generally separate from "M" and would include names that began with either of the prefixes "Mc" or "Mac". Deed books had both "Direct" and "Indirect" indices - one indexed the deeds by grantor, the other by grantee. Later these indices were transcribed into index books, which would give the names, book number or letter, and page, so that if you didn't know when a deed had been recorded, you could look in tho! se. The first will book is in bad shape, but the rest are good. I only saw one volume (a deed book, if I remember correctly), where the pages had been cut out and laminated, then put into a new binding. I'm sure they'd like to do this with all the old volumes, to preserve them, but it has to be an expensive process. "Loose papers" such as those your informant said were unindexed, could have been about other things. In only one courthouse (Chester County, SC, if I remember correctly) and one state archives (also SC) have I seen boxes with actual wills, rather than just the ones transcribed by a clerk into will books. I'd imagine they exist elsewhere, as well. You may know all of this about how wills and deeds were recorded, but if so, maybe the information will help someone else. It can get frustrating at times, but then, if genealogy research were too easy it probably wouldn't be so fascinating and fun! Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.