Most of the antebellum records on this site are individual posts for each record. For post-war records, however, lists and compilations have been made instead because looking at a single record for your ancestor may not tell you everything you need to know about that record in the context of its times. 

For example, homestead exemptions from after 1880 may provide the wife’s and children’s names but when you look at the property claimed, you need to know the context of the relevant law, which may show that your ancestor did not actually own all that property…or may have owned more than that. If you click on the Homestead Exemptions section below, it will explain the context and it also has the complete list of exemption petitions from 1865-1900. 

Because the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was burned in a fire, many of these record lists also provide extremely useful census substitutes. The Homestead Exemptions, land sales, marriages, and divorces (on a different site), tax delinquency lists, tax digests, and widow’s support are all excellent examples of census substitutes. 

How to use these records:
–Most of these are lists. Click on the “Review List” button to scan for your ancestor in the list. Lists are particularly useful because they provide context. Who else in the community was involved? Who was listed near your ancestor? 
–Some of these are compilations of searchable records (particularly the Southern Claims Commission petitions). When you click on the “Search” button, you’ll be able to search the entire text of the transcribed or abstracted records.