Contracts, inventories and wills can reveal property, alliances and household life. Contents vary by place, period and record type.
The method, step by step
- Start with a place, period and notary if known. Consult finding aids and repertories before original minutes.
- Record participants and roles: parties, witnesses, representatives or heirs. Separate stated relationships from inferred ones.
- Read historical legal terms in their period rather than replacing them with modern concepts. Compare formulas from the same notary when handwriting is difficult.
- Cite reference and date and compare with civil and other records. An inventory describes a situation, not a whole life.
What to record
Record the notary, place of practice, date and repertory before requesting an original deed. Note parties, explicit relationships, property and witnesses. Property transfers or shared names alone do not establish parentage.
Record in your research log
- Notary
- index
- original deed
- parties
- explicit relationship.
Sources & references
- FranceArchives ↗ (Resource review date : )
- PARES — Portal de Archivos Españoles ↗ (Resource review date : )