Category Archives: Law

The Drowning of a Family Fortune: Introducing Historic Mining Law

Posted on January 16, 2025 by debbiemieszala

My grandmother brought a steamer trunk from New York to Illinois in the 1950s. She did not stay long, but that black box, large enough to hold a small child, sat in our basement through at least the early 1970s. … Continue reading →

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Identify, Understand, and Reveal: Introducing the Historic Land Laws Collection

Posted on December 31, 2024 by debbiemieszala

Happy New Year’s Eve! If you want to ring in 2025 with a few good books, have I got a deal for you.

Posted in Land, Law, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

On the Waters of Grassy Lick Creek: Introducing Historic Kentucky Law

Posted on July 10, 2024 by debbiemieszala

James Hampton gave a gift in 1837, even though he clearly wasn’t thinking of me.

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Are We There Yet? Introducing Historic West Virginia Law

Posted on October 17, 2023 by debbiemieszala

No ancestor on my pedigree chart hailed from West Virginia. I don’t have a state-related ancestral tale to tell, but there is always a story.

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“Pikers,” “Dead Heads,” and a Second as the First: Introducing the Historic Law Collection of Hawaii

Posted on May 11, 2023 by debbiemieszala

As a second child, James Cairn McBride’s parents might not have expected him to grow into a man of firsts.[1] Under his alter-ego, J. C. “Bud” Mars, James threw Hawaii’s first flight-related tantrum.[2]  

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“He lays his trouble to a cigar,”: Introducing Historic California Law

Posted on April 1, 2023 by debbiemieszala

Captain Thomas D. McBride was first believed dead in 1883.[1] Final reports of his demise, 17 years later, were accurate.[2]

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South Dakota Revises Law on Original Birth Certificate Access

Posted on March 27, 2023 by debbiemieszala

South Dakota’s governor signed HB 1231 into law on 23 March 2023.[1] The law allows an adult adopted person (age 18) to obtain their original birth certificate upon written request and proof of identification.[2]

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