Jury lists are great records to use for genealogy. They pinpoint the residence of a male. They also show the male to be over 21 years old and not yet dead. These types of records are very useful. The Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, uses these records extensively. Sadly during the colonial period only men were allowed on juries so this doesn't help identifying the ladies at all.
And juries still exist. In fact, I have jury duty today. The last two times I have had jury duty I was selected and served in the jury for a 4-6 week trial. In both cases they were murder trials. I am hopeful that I can't be possibly picked three times in a row, but who knows. When you're retired, there is no hiding the fact that you have free time. So, I'm an ideal candidate. That means waking up at 6 a.m. for a while and no free time during the day to blog. So, we'll see how this all turns out.
At least I served on a Boston jury like my ancestors did nearly 400 years ago. The tradition lives on.
Posted by: |