|
Sumter County, Alabama : Index to Wills and Estate Administrations 1834-1884; Register of Deaths... Sumter County, Alabama : Index to Wills and Estate Administrations 1834-1884; Register of Deaths 1881-1892 and Cemetery Records. Stegall, Joseph F.; Arrington, Jud K. Softcover, (1997), repr. 2007, 450 pp., everyname index. Sumter County, Alabama, was established in 1832, two years after a treaty removed the Choctaw Indian Nation to west of the Mississippi River. Sumter became one of the most populous and prosperous counties in the state by 1840. This book presents early county records in a format most helpful to genealogists. The book contains three parts. The first section is an index of wills and estate administrations from the Orphan's Court for the first 50 years of the county court records. The primary purpose of this court was to protect the inheritance rights of minor heirs. This index contains the names of all deceased persons in Sumter County between 1834 and 1884 whose estates were administered by the Orphan's Court. The alphabetically arranged index lists the person's name, will book volume and page number, and orphan's court volume and page number. When the court records were difficult to interpret, the author has clarified the information by researching deeds and other documents. The second section of the book is a register of deaths from 1881 to 1892, as reported in accordance with a new law that required a record of births and deaths in Sumter County. This registry is the only one of these old records that still exists, and is now the sole record of the existence of many Sumter County residents from this time period. The records include former slaves, who, since they were the county's majority, also make up the majority of deaths. Information provides the name of the deceased, cause of death, race, birth place, date of death and age. The final section contains countywide cemetery records of Sumter County residents born before 1865. Since the 1960s and 1970s, when most of these records were compiled, some of the cemeteries have been destroyed, so this transcription will prove a valuable resource. In addition, many of Sumter County's early settlers have no grave markers, due to lack of money. The records are organized by specific cemeteries, with street directions to each. The person's gravestone inscription is listed after each name.
[S712] |