Excellent info...thank you very much for sharing! Brenda Jo On 06/16/99 03:00:38 you wrote: > >Series: Locating Parents >Subject: Using the Deed Records >Date: June 15, 1999 > >Prior to the 19th century, when a daughter got married, >oftentimes she had a dowry. It was traditional for the >father to either cover a loan or accept a Note from his >son-in-law, who was assuming legal control of the dowry. >Remember that women did not have rights after they married >- everything which they owned became the property and >responsibility of their husband. For example, > if a father gave some land to his daughter, when >she married, it went to her husband, and was frequently >merged with other farms, plantations, etc. which he owned. > >If you know the husband's name, but not the father's name, >find out to whom he was making a mortgage payment. That >should tell you the wife's maiden name (her father). > >Another thing to do is to notice that most deeds contain the >signatures of anywhere from two to four witnesses (in the >left-hand corner). > >The first witness is always from the husband's side. >The second witness is almost always from the wife's side. >That is to protect her one-third dower right under the law. > >Thus, clues to maiden names are sometimes found in witnesses >to old deeds. > > >==== HARPER Mailing List ==== > Need list assistance? Please contact: [email protected] > List Adm for HARPER-L and HARPER-D > Now with over 420 subscribers! > > >