List of Court Record Types
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Researching Court Records
 This article is part of a series. |
| Overview of Court Records |
| Court Procedures |
| Equity Cases |
| Probate |
| Divorce Actions |
| Types of Court Records |
| List of Court Record Types |
| Researching Court Records |
| Selected Proceedings and Courts |
| Justice of the Peace Courts |
| List of Useful Court References |
| Topics |
This article originally appeared in "Court Records" by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, FUGA, Loretto Dennis Szucs, FUGA, and Arlene H. Eakle, Ph.D. in The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy
| Record | Type | Bound Volume | Filed Papers | Loose Papers | Case File |
| Indexes (alphabetical): | Plaintiff | • | |||
| Defendant | • | ||||
| Reverse | • | ||||
| Every name | • | ||||
| Dockets: calendar or waiting list of pending cases, in the order they will be considered by the court | Civil | • | |||
| Criminal | • | ||||
| Equity | • | ||||
| Chancery | • | ||||
| Estate | • | ||||
| Orphans‚Äô | • | ||||
| Guardian | • | ||||
| Probate | • | ||||
| Name change | • | ||||
| Claims | • | ||||
| Insolvents‚Äô | • | ||||
| Bankruptcy | • | ||||
| Divorce | • | ||||
| Adoption | • | ||||
| Lunacy | • | ||||
| Reference | • | ||||
| Execution | • | ||||
| Appearance | • | ||||
| Appeals | • | ||||
| New actions | • | ||||
| Minutes: descriptive entries of all actions taking place in the court process | Journals | • | |||
| Register of actions | • | ||||
| Appeal briefs | • | • | |||
| Orders: official record of all orders of the judge(s) | Journals | • | |||
| Writs | • | • | |||
| Summons | • | • | |||
| Warrants | • | • | |||
| Subpoenae | • | • | |||
| Actions | • | ||||
| Indictments | • | ||||
| Presentments | • | ||||
| Executions | • | • | |||
| Stays (demurrers) | • | • | |||
| Injunctions | • | ||||
| Foreclosures | • | ||||
| Attachments | • | ||||
| Distraints | • | ||||
| Jury lists | |||||
| Judgments: final decisions, punishments, and awards made by the court | Satisfied | • | |||
| Short | • | ||||
| Equity | • | ||||
| Decrees | • | ||||
| Fines | • | ||||
| Liens | • | ||||
| Verdicts | • | ||||
| Opinions | • | ||||
| Decisions | • | ||||
| Reports | • | ||||
| Appeals | • | ||||
| Bills of costs | • | ||||
| Case files or packets: all original papers placed in the hands of the court during a court case | Civil | • | |||
| Criminal | • | ||||
| Equity | • | ||||
| Estate | • | ||||
| Orphans‚Äô | • | ||||
| Probate | • | ||||
| Chancery | • | ||||
| Divorce | • | ||||
| Adoption | • | ||||
| Claims | • | ||||
| Insolvents‚Äô | • | ||||
| Lunacy | • | ||||
| Bankruptcy | • | ||||
| Appeals | • | ||||
| Bonds | • | ||||
| Depositions | • | ||||
| Testimony | • | ||||
| Declarations | • | ||||
| Inventories | • | ||||
| Documents | • | ||||
| Exhibits | • | ||||
| Receipts | • | ||||
| Petitions | • | ||||
| Affidavits | • | ||||
| Pleas | • | ||||
| Pleadings | • | ||||
| Allegations | • | ||||
| Complaints | • | ||||
| Inquisitions | • | ||||
| Examinations | • | ||||
| Promissory notes | • | ||||
| Letters | • | ||||
| Appraisals | • | ||||
| Arbitration reports | • |
