Fundamentals of Land and Probate Records for Genealogists

Fundamentals of Land and Probate Records for Genealogists, with particular focus on Nassau County court records

The purpose of this program is to provide an overview of the land and probate record keeping systems used in the United States of America. Land and probate record systems were created for economic and legal purposes, so understanding why and how those systems work aids the genealogist’s search to determine who our ancestors were, what they did, where, and when.

Due to the active spread of Covid in our community we encourage everyone to wear a mask, as we will not be able to socially distance ourselves!

Speaker: Jim Shroads

James L. Shroads is a retired attorney. A graduate of the University of Florida, Jim served in the U.S. Air Force as a Missile Combat Crew Commander in the Titan II ICBM systems. After leaving the military, he enrolled in the University of Miami School of Law, and upon graduation was employed by The Deltona Corporation as corporate counsel. A few years later he joined ITT Community Development Corporation, the developers of Palm Coast. In 1983, he was transferred to ITT Rayonier in Fernandina Beach, and remained with Rayonier after it was divested by ITT and became an independent company. From 2000 until his retirement, he maintained a private law practice focused primarily upon real estate matters.