Courts & Legal in Institutes & Organizations in United States & Canada
With high illiteracy rates in the past, occasions where the public came into contact with government offices were often the only times in someone’s life that any record of the individual would have been created and kept. Court and legal documents are such an instance and whilst they may include reports of crime, many records were also kept for things like dog licenses and jury duty rolls. These can be particularly useful for territories where census records are unavailable.
See description
With high illiteracy rates in the past, occasions where the public came into contact with government offices were often the only times in someone’s life that any record of the individual would have been created and kept. Court and legal documents are such an instance and whilst they may include reports of crime, many records were also kept for things like dog licenses and jury duty rolls. These can be particularly useful for territories where census records are unavailable.
