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Chancery courts—also known as equity courts—handled disputes that regular courts of law could not resolve, especially cases involving property, inheritance, estates, contract disagreements, guardianships, and family conflicts. Because these cases required detailed explanations rather than simple legal rulings, they often contain rich narratives describing family members, relationships, land divisions, and personal histories. This makes chancery court records one of the most valuable but underused resources for reconstructing family structure. This Quicksheet highlights what genealogists can find in chancery cases and where to access surviving files.
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