When writing or visiting a county clerk's office for a record, I ask for a copy of the entire page, not just a certified copy. I found that strikeouts in the original record can tell a lot more than whether the recorder was accurate. "Originals" may not be the first record, as in a case in Western Virginia where the recorder apparently had put information pertaining to my ancestor's death into one book, and then transcribed it into a record (complete with strikeouts and corrections) that went to Richmond at the end of the year.
Marilyn Steber
San Diego
Other articles in the 08 January 2012 Weekly Discovery:
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