“‘Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes,”
The Cobbler of Preston by Christopher Bullock (1716)
I’ll admit that when it comes to using tax records for genealogy research well, I never have. I know they are there, I know they can be a great source, I forget they are there. Maybe it’s a mental block considering what I do for living. In case you don’t know, I prepare income tax returns for a living.
Don’t get me wrong, when I do happen to take a look at some of these records, they’re pretty interesting –
David Blackman was assessed $2 tax on a gold watch and carriage, Georgia, 1865
Goodridge Driver, Whiskey Distiller, 15 Gallons of Whiskey valued $30.42 tax, Georgia 1866
The problem I have with taxes is that I rarely find my family in these records. I’m assuming they paid their taxes, man I hope so, I don’t want to try to untangle a mess that old, they just don’t often appear in my searches through these records.
I’ve kept every tax return I have ever filed – including property tax records, I wonder if someday another researcher will be glad that I’ve done that or if they’ll just think I was a hoarder?
#52ancestors