Checking Ancestor’s ‘Convict Record’

Question: My ancestor Samuel Clarkson (born around 1785 in Pennsylvania) appears in Ohio census records as early as 1830. On the 1850 census he is listed as a convict. However, in 1864 he was given back his voting rights.

Where would I find “convict records” in Pennsylvania, or is this where I should look?

Answer: Are you sure his conviction was in Pennsylvania, as he was a resident of Ohio since 1830?

Jail sentences prior to 1865 were unusual. Instead of “doing time” a convicted person might be whipped, pilloried, ducked in cold water, forced to labor on some project or sentenced to pay fines and damages. For capital crimes, they were executed or banished.

There are few early (prior to 1900) prison records available. However, the records of Pennsylvania prisons have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah and are available on microfilm through the LDS (Mormon) Family History branch libraries.

Prisons were operated by federal, state, local and military authorities, so it is important to first learn in what court and by whose authority he was convicted, and if indeed he did serve time in prison. This information will be found in criminal court records. Start your search in Ohio at the county court level.

There may be an account of this ancestor in old newspapers. State libraries of Ohio and Pennsylvania will provide you information about their newspaper collections.

Possibly there are two Samuel Clarksons involved. Your Samuel would have been about 65 years old in 1850--perhaps rather old for criminal activity--and would have been 79 in 1864 when he supposedly was refranchised. Consult the tax and land records of the Ohio county where your ancestor lived to find additional information to further identify your Samuel and be sure you have the right one.

Q: My ancestor, John Surpas, was born in Louisiana in 1822. He served in the Civil War and later went to Ohio and Shelby County, Ind., where he died in 1899. Where can I find records about him?

A: He should appear in the 1850 Louisiana census as a young man of 28. Consult the index to this census (it has been published) to learn the county in which he was living at that time and begin your search in that county’s records.

Since his parents probably were in that Louisiana locale as early as 1822, copy all references to the Surpas surname in probate, tax and land records. Be sure to consult marriage records to learn the names of the spouses of his brothers and sisters. This information will help you identify your family.

Information about his Civil War (whether he was Confederate or Union) records may be found in both Louisiana State Archives and Records, Baton Rouge, La., and in National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Most of the records of our ancestors--marriage, probate, land, taxes, etc.--will be found at the courthouse of the county seat where they lived.