1782. In the 1600s the parish registers are more helpful; the parishes were basically the government.
________________________________
From: Janice Friel <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] personal property taxes
How are back do the tax records go back? I'm looking for someone in late
1600s.
Jan
In a message dated 7/13/2012 10:18:02 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
This is an excellent question!
- In my own experience, I have found that one of the most important
rules of genealogy is to "follow the money". All of our ancestors had to
account to someone - tax collectors, property, wills, probate, etc.
- Census takers came around every ten years, and sometimes missed your
ancestor.
- Tax collectors came around every year, and rarely missed anyone. If
they didn't collect the tax, they could be thrown in jail. A good example
of this is in "A Midwife's Tale - The Diary of Martha Ballard", by Laurel
Thatcher Ulrich. Martha was a midwife who lived in Maine during the latter
part of the 18th century. Her husband was a tax collector. Part of her
diary includes her visits to the jail to bring his dinner.
- According to the laws of the state/county, you can tell when a young
man comes of age, when he begins to pay tax, when he acquires land and
property, when he may be exempt (minister, caretaker of the road, or too
old), and when his widow is listed as a taxpayer, giving an estimated death
year.
Oh, I definitely believe in using tax records!
On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 1:11 PM, Carole D. Bryant
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> I've heard it said that using personal property tax lists is NOT a good
> source for determining the neighbors of any particular tax-payer. The
> reason
> given was that personal property taxes weren't collected by going door
to
> door, as a census-taker would have done, but were submitted by mail.
>
> Yet, many folks use the personal property tax lists as they would a
census,
> assuming family relationships according to who else was listed on the
same
> page.
>
> So, which is correct? OR, did the method of vary for different years? If
> the latter is the case, which years can be used like a census?
>
> THANKS !
> Carole D. Bryant
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
> at
> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
>
>
--
Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG
http://alwaysanxiouslyengaged.blogspot.com/*
*AND
http://misspeggy55.weebly.com
*"We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors'
wisdom." ~ Maya Angelou * *
*
*Accredited Genealogist and AG are certification marks of the International
Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen).
Genealogists licensed to use the marks have met the competency standards of
ICAPGen***
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
|
