land records they can be plentiful, accessible, easy to use, informative and interesting. there are...
TRANSCRIPT
Land Recordshttp://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/3364.asp
• They can be plentiful, accessible, easy to use, informative and interesting.
• There are 5 steps:– Identify the individual– Determine if they owned land and where– What types of records exist– Use the records and crank the machines– Evaluate the data
Step One
• Identify the individual– Use other records that you have at home– The more you know about the person the easier it is
to find land grants– Use full names, ages, other family names– Write down all clues you can gather
Step Two
• Determine where the individual owned land– What town– What county (make sure the county lines did not
change)– What state– Check the censuses if you are not sure
Step Three
• What types of land records exist for your locality– Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County &
Town Sources– Most records are kept at the county level– Book “Land and Property Research in the United
States”– Book “The Source”
Step Four
• Use the Records• Alphabetical indexes
– Records are recorded by Grantor (seller)– Records are recorded by Grantee (buyer)
• Virtually any person who owned land in the United States could be located in one of these indexes
Step Five
• Evaluate your data– Remember that the records you are looking at are
not the original but a copy. The original went to the purchaser of the property
– Handwriting can also be a problem
With Luck and hard work
• Find an accurate date and place of where your ancestors lived
• Find the names of all individuals purchasing the land
• Learn the wife’s name• Find an actual street address
Plentiful Records
• 1850 – 90% of free males owned land• Today about ½ the population owns land
Accessibility
• All counties, parishes, or towns are responsible for keeping land records
• Internet a good tool for land records• Cindi’s List, Rootsweb, and Bureau of Land
Management, all have links to land records, searchable by names
Easy to Use, Informative and Interesting
• Land records are indexed• Some of the things you learn in land records can help you
breakthrough those brick walls• Examine who may have owned property before your
ancestors• Look at adjacent property owners, sometimes they were
related• Remember the who, what, where and when in searching
through records• Former country/state of residence could be mentioned
Sample of land record
Websites• http://www.cyndislist.com/land.htm • www.glorecords.blm.gov• http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~haas/land/index.html • www.ultranet.com/~deeds/landacq.htm• http://rwguide.rootsweb.com • http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson29.htm • http://users.arn.net/~billco/uslpr.htm • Type “land records” in any search engine and go
searching
Maps
• http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/maps/?rc=locale%7E&us=0
• http://www.davidrumsey.com/ • http://www.goldbug.com/ • http://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/ • http://www.maphistory.info/webimages.html • http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/ • http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_collection_guide.html