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| Sources for Establishing Residence for a New Patriot | ||||
| Copyright © 2023 Debbie Duay, Fort Lauderdale, FL. All Rights Reserved. | ||||
| There is a very informative presentation on residence by an NSDAR staff genealogist | at this link. | Please watch this video first. | ||
| If you wish to establish a new patriot, you need to establish residence FIRST. In other words, establish where he/she resided | ||||
| during the War before looking for service. | ||||
| You must prove service AND residence during the Revolutionary War (Apr 1775 - Nov 1783), and these must be different types of documents. | ||||
| For example, if you are using a supply tax record for service, you cannot use another tax record to establish residence. | ||||
| If you have documented that the patriot was born and died in the same town/county, that serves as proof of residence. | ||||
| Likewise, if you have documented that the patriot was living in a town/county anytime BEFORE the War AND you have documented that he/she | ||||
| was living there AFTER the War, DAR assumes that he/she lived there continuously. | ||||
| If the source of service is a pension, usually residence does NOT need to be documented. | ||||
| You can use a variety of records to establish residence including: tax lists; patriot as a grantor, grantee, or witness in a deed transaction; | ||||
| court records; patriot serving as a witness to a will; children's birth records; patriot's marriage record; death of spouse or minor child; | ||||
| patriot mentioned as a neighbor in a record; and church records such as baptisms, membership lists, patriot serving as a sponsor at a baptism. | ||||
| However, if the record is accepted as a source of service (e.g., supply tax records or land entry claims), you cannot use it to establish residence. | ||||
| You will need to find another document to establish residence. | ||||
| NOTE: The list of sources below is not meant to be a comprehensive list of sources for establishing residence, but rather it is a list of sources that | ||||
| you may not have reviewed for residence. | ||||
| State | Source | Comments | ||
| Connecticut | Review CT Vital & Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Connecticut | Connecticut Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Connecticut | Connecticut General Index to Probate Records 1641-1948 | Index is on FamilySearch. If you locate an index card for your ancestor, | ||
| note the district containing the record. Access the probate record at the | ||||
| link immediately below by first finding the district. | ||||
| Connecticut | Connecticut Probate Files Collection, early to 1880 | Browse records on FamilySearch. To find the correct film, you must first find the | ||
| correct district. Districts are listed in alphabetical order within the list of microfilms. | ||||
| Scan the list carefully for the district name. Then determine which film contains | ||||
| the surname of interest. There is a total of 1,622 microfilms in this collection. | ||||
| Connecticut | Connecticut Land Records (Deeds) | If the person is not a grantor or a grantee on a deed between Oct 1777- | ||
| Nov 1783 (which would be patriotic service for taking the oath of allegiance), | ||||
| you can use deed transactions to establish residence. | ||||
| Look for deeds both before and after the War in the same location. | ||||
| Connecticut | Connecticut Divorce Papers for Various Counties | |||
| Delaware | Delaware Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Delaware | Delaware Index to Probate Records | Scroll down the page and wait for the index to load. | ||
| Delaware | Delaware Land Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Delaware | Kent County Tax Lists | |||
| Kent County Land Records (Deeds) | ||||
| Kent County Orphans' Court Records | ||||
| Delaware | New Castle County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New Castle County Orphans' Court Records | ||||
| Delaware | Sussex County Tax Lists | |||
| Sussex County Land Records (Deeds) | ||||
| Georgia | Georgia Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Georgia | Georgia Probate Records | Browse records at FamilySearch | ||
| Georgia | Camden County Land Grants | |||
| Camden County Deeds & Mortgages | ||||
| Georgia | Chatham County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Chatham County Court Records | ||||
| Georgia | Effingham County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Georgia | Franklin County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Georgia | Glynn County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Georgia | Greene County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Greene County Court Minutes | ||||
| Greene County Tax Records | ||||
| Georgia | Liberty County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Liberty County Superior Court Minutes | ||||
| Georgia | Richmond County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Richmond County Superior Court Minutes | ||||
| Richmond County Inferior Court Minutes | ||||
| Georgia | Wilkes County Deeds & Mortgage Records | |||
| Wilkes County Land Court Orders | ||||
| Maryland | Review MD Vital & Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Maryland | Maryland Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Maryland | Maryland Wills & Administrations | Browse records at FamilySearch | ||
| Maryland | Maryland Land Records (Deeds) | This resource is free, but users must apply for a password. | ||
| If you have trouble using this resource, contact Debbie Duay at | ||||
| debduay@yahoo.com | ||||
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Valuation Lists | |||
| Maine | Maine Valuation Lists | |||
| Massachusetts | Review MA Vital & Town Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Maine | Review ME Vital & Town Records links on Hidden Gems | |||
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Maine | Maine Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Maine | Maine Probate Records | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| Massachusetts | Masschusetts Land Records (Deeds) | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| Massachusetts | Town Meeting Minutes Before 1775 or After Nov 1783 | Also minutes during the War that are NOT eligible for service. | ||
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts 1771 Tax List | |||
| New Hampshire | Review NH Vital & Town Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Probate Records | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Probate Estate Files | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| New Hampshire | Town Meeting Minutes Before 1775 or after Nov 1783 | Also minutes during the War that are NOT eligible for service. | ||
| New Hampshire | Cheshire County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Cheshire County Court Records | ||||
| New Hampshire | Grafton County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Grafton County Court Records | ||||
| New Hampshire | Hillsborough County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New Hampshire | Rockingham County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Rockingham County Court Records | ||||
| New Hampshire | Strafford County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Strafford County Court Records | ||||
| New Jersey | Review NJ Vital & Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| New Jersey | New Jersey Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| New Jersey | New Jersey Probate Records | Browse images on FamilySearch | ||
| New Jersey | Bergen County Mortgage Records | |||
| Bergen County Land Records (Deeds) | ||||
| Bergen County Court Minutes | ||||
| Bergen Co Tax Lists Before Jul 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Burlington County Mortgage Records | |||
| Burlington Co Tax Lists Before Jul 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Cape May County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Cape May County Mortgage Records | ||||
| Cape May Tax Lists Bef Jul 1779 & Aft Nov 1783 (# 411292) | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Cumberland County Mortgage Records | |||
| Cumberland Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Gloucester County Mortgage Records | |||
| Gloucester Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| Gloucester Master Index to Court Records | ||||
| New Jersey | Hunterdon County Mortgage Records | |||
| Hunterdon County Court Minutes | ||||
| Hunterdon Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Middlesex County Mortgage Records | |||
| Middlesex Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Monmouth County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Monmouth County Mortgage Records | ||||
| Monmouth Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Morris County Mortgage Indexes | |||
| Morris Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Salem County Mortgage Records | |||
| Salem Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Somerset County Mortgage Records | |||
| Somerset Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New Jersey | Sussex County Mortgage Records | |||
| Sussex Co Tax Lists Bef July 1779 & After Nov 1783 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New York | Review NY Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| New York | New York Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| New York | New York Probate Records | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| New York | Some New York Land Records 1630-1975 | Try this database first. If you don't find what you need, browse the microfilms of | ||
| deeds for each county at the links below. | ||||
| New York | Albany County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Albany County Court Minutes | These records include sources of service such as jurors, constables, assessors, etc. | |||
| Albany County Tax Records 1781-1789 | Cannot use any tax lists for residence if you are using the supply tax for service | |||
| New York | Dutchess County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Dutchess County Tax Records | ||||
| New York | Kings County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Montgomery County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Montgomery County Court Minutes | ||||
| New York | New York County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Orange County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Orange County Court Minutes | ||||
| New York | Queens County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Richmond County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Suffolk County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Ulster County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Ulster County Court Records | ||||
| New York | Washington County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| New York | Westchester County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Tax Lists 1 | |||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Tax Lists 2 | |||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Will Abstracts | Ancestry.com | ||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Probate Records | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Estate Files | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| North Carolina | Review NC Vital & Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| North Carolina | Email for Lookup in Index to NC Land Entries (1778-1795) | Email for lookup. Neighbors and other people are frequently mentioned in the | ||
| land entries. This index includes ALL names in each land entry. It also includes | ||||
| land entries through 1795. Cannot be used for residence if the patriot has a | ||||
| land entry (1778-1783) that can be used for service. | ||||
| North Carolina | North Carolina County Court Minutes | These records include sources of service such as jurors, constables, assessors, etc. | ||
| They also include names of many others regarding deeds, probates, disputes, etc. | ||||
| Review the microfilms to find residence for your ancestor. | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Review PA Vital & Church Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Probate Records | Browse records on FamilySearch | ||
| Pennsylvania | Bedford County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | Berks County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Berks County Court Minutes | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Bucks County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | Chester County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Chester County Records | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Cumberland County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | Lancaster County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Lancaster County Court Minutes | ||||
| Lancaster County Index to Court Minutes | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Northampton County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Northampton County Court Minutes | ||||
| Northampton County Index to Court Minutes | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Northumberland County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | Washington County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Washington County Court Minutes | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Pennsylvania | York County Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| York County Court Minutes | ||||
| York County Index to Court Minutes | ||||
| Rhode Island | Review RI Vital & Town Records links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Rhode Island | Town Meeting Minutes Before 1775 or after Nov 1783 | Also minutes during the War that are NOT eligible for service. | ||
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Land Records (Deeds) | Land transactions were filed at the town. | ||
| Rhode Island | Newport County Court Records | |||
| Rhode Island | Washington County Court Records | |||
| South Carolina | South Carolina Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| South Carolina | South Carolina Probate Records | Browse images at FamilySearch | ||
| Vermont | Review VT Vital & Town Record links on Hidden Gems | Look for patriot's children's births, patriot's marriage, death of spouse or minor child | ||
| Vermont | Vermont Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Vermont | Town Meeting Minutes Before 1775 or After Nov 1783 | Also minutes during the War that are NOT eligible for service. | ||
| Virginia | Virginia 1782 Personal Property & Land Tax Lists | Cannot use the 1782 tax lists for residence if you are using the 1783 tax for service | ||
| Virginia | Virginia Wills & Probate Records | Ancestry.com | ||
| Virginia | Virginia Land Records (Deeds) | |||
| Virginia | Virginia County Court Minutes | These records include sources of service such as jurors, constables, assessors, etc. | ||
| They also include names of many others regarding deeds, probates, disputes, etc. | ||||
| Review the microfilms to find residence for your ancestor. | ||||
| Virginia | Virginia Chancery Records | |||
| Virginia | Virginia Legislative Petitions | You will need to search on the name of interest TWICE. First, search on the name | ||
| in the search box at the link. Then search again when the results appear. | ||||
| You will not get any results for your name until after the second search. | ||||