North Farnham (Old Rappahannock/Richmond County) parish records/register is 
 an EXCELLENT example.
Just wish all areas had such resources !
 
Carole
 
 
In a message dated 7/13/2012 4:08:03 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

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 
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>


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