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Research object · BT-CLM-00329

How did the founder's surname change from Harris to Carter?

Family Tradition· 0 sourcesNot yet reviewed
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

Amberly R. Carter-Mills was recorded at birth under the surname Harris. Following the 1986 marriage of her mother to Michael Carter and his adoption of her at the age of one, her surname was changed to Carter.

Public Summary

The founder was named Harris at birth and Carter after her adoption at the age of one. The sequence rests on founder testimony; the adoption decree and the amended certificate have not been entered.

Evidence Reviewed

No evidence has been reviewed into the archive for this claim yet.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

How did the founder's surname change from Harris to Carter?

Family Tradition· 0 sources

BT-CLM-00329

Amberly R. Carter-Mills was recorded at birth under the surname Harris. Following the 1986 marriage of her mother to Michael Carter and his adoption of her at the age of one, her surname was changed to Carter.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

No evidence has been weighed into this claim yet.

Step 3 · Conclusion

Family TraditionVersion 1 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

The founder's surname moved Harris to Carter through adoption, not through birth. Harris was the surname of her mother's first husband; Carter is the surname of the man who adopted her at the age of one.

What is not known: The exact date of the adoption decree and the exact date of the certificate amendment.

What could change this: Request the adoption decree and the amended certificate from Illinois; enter only a redacted public derivative.

How the Evidence Sits Together

No evidence has been weighed for this claim yet.

Research Conclusion

Family TraditionVersion 1 · Current

The founder's surname moved Harris to Carter through adoption, not through birth. Harris was the surname of her mother's first husband; Carter is the surname of the man who adopted her at the age of one.

What is known: The order of the surnames and the reason for the change.

What is not known: The exact date of the adoption decree and the exact date of the certificate amendment.

Future research: Request the adoption decree and the amended certificate from Illinois; enter only a redacted public derivative.

Amberly's Research Notes

No research note has been published for this claim yet.

From the research notebook ofAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

What We Still Need to Find

Can the adoption decree and the amended Illinois certificate be obtained and entered as a redacted derivative?

Provenance, Access and Use

Source creator
Varies by record — see each source
Who made the original record.
Researcher of record
Amberly R. Carter-Mills — Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist
Located, transcribed, weighed and interpreted the evidence.
Publishing archive
BEFORE TILL: The Living Evidence Archive
Holds the object, its identifiers and its revision history.

No source metadata has been published for this claim yet.

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