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Courtesy of Jill Shoemaker, Riverton FamilySearch Library
Courtesy of Jill Shoemaker, Riverton FamilySearch Library
==='''VALUE OF LAND RECORDS'''===
==='''VALUE OF LAND RECORDS'''===

Land records are the earliest, largest, and '''''most complete type of record''''' in the United States beginning when the colonists settled the land to show legal proof of ownership. With the opportunity of expansion west of the colonial states and because of the rural nature of America before 1850, as many as 90% of men owned land, making the possibility of finding an ancestor in land records very high.  

Land records are the earliest, largest, and '''''most complete type of record''''' in the United States beginning when the colonists settled the land to show legal proof of ownership. With the opportunity of expansion west of the colonial states and because of the rural nature of America before 1850, as many as 90% of men owned land, making the possibility of finding an ancestor in land records very high.  


*Land records show where an''''' individual lived''''' and the time period he lived there and may include other information such as a person’s age, the name of a spouse or an heir, parents, other relatives, and neighbors. Land records may also show a location where a person lived previously, his occupation, if he had served in the military, or if he was a naturalized citizen.  Land records can help separate individuals or families with the same surname.  Information from land records will lead to other types of records to search, such as probate or court records, marriage records, military records, or immigration and naturalization records to learn more about your ancestor and his family.
*Land records show where an individual lived and the time period he lived there and may include other information such as a person’s age, '''the name of a spouse or an heir, parents, other relatives, and neighbors'''.  
 
*Land records may also show a location where a person lived previously, his occupation, if he had served in the military, or if he was a naturalized citizen.   
 
*Land records can help separate individuals or families with the same surname.   
 
*Information from land records will lead to other types of records to search, such as probate or court records, marriage records, military records, or immigration and naturalization records to learn more about your ancestor and his family.


*In the United States, land is acquired either from the government or from an individual. The first sale of land from the government to a person is called a grant. Thereafter, the sale of that land from person to person is recorded in a deed.  This means land records can be found at different government levels, including''''' federal, state, and county'''''.
*In the United States, land is acquired either from the government or from an individual. The first sale of land from the government to a person is called a grant. Thereafter, the sale of that land from person to person is recorded in a deed.  This means land records can be found at different government levels, including federal, state, and county.


==='''DEEDS'''===
==='''DEEDS'''===
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*Deed books can contain a variety of documents besides a warranty deed. Common documents are indentures, bills of sale, sale or manumission of slaves, mortgages, leases, liens, quitclaim deeds, deeds of gift, powers of attorney, adoptions, livestock brands, apprentice papers, tax lists, wills and other miscellaneous documents. Or these legal documents may be in related books found in the county recorder’s office such as mortgage books, lease books, delinquent tax books, etc.
*Deed books can contain a variety of documents besides a warranty deed. Common documents are indentures, bills of sale, sale or manumission of slaves, mortgages, leases, liens, quitclaim deeds, deeds of gift, powers of attorney, adoptions, livestock brands, apprentice papers, tax lists, wills and other miscellaneous documents. Or these legal documents may be in related books found in the county recorder’s office such as mortgage books, lease books, delinquent tax books, etc.


*To learn the meaning of the many legal words used in deed and land records, see [[United States Land and Property - Land Terms and Definitions|United States Land and Property - Land Terms and Definitions]].  Or do a Google search for a particular term used in the land record you are studying.
*To learn the meaning of the many legal words used in deed and land records, see [[U.S. Land Records Class Handout#U.S. RESEARCH – LAND RECORDS – TERMS AND DEFINITIONS|the vocabulary list at the end of this article]] or [[United States Land and Property - Land Terms and Definitions|United States Land and Property - Land Terms and Definitions]].  Or do a Google search for a particular term used in the land record you are studying.


==='''VALUE OF LAND DEEDS'''===  
==='''VALUE OF LAND DEEDS'''===  
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==='''WHERE TO FIND LAND DEEDS'''===  
==='''WHERE TO FIND LAND DEEDS'''===  
===='''To find online land records:'''  ====
===='''To find online land records:'''  ====
*Go to FamilySearch.org and click on “Search” then “Wiki” and type the state being researched into the box.  At the state page click on the green box that says “Online Records.”  Find land records and click on the links. Another option on the state page, is to click on “Land and Property” on the left hand side under “State Topics” for more links and information about finding land records for that state.
*For each state there is an [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Records by State|Online Genealogy Records page.]] Check this first under the subtitle "Land and Property Records".


*Do a Google search by typing your county and state with the words “online land records” after the name of the state being searched.   
*Do a Google search by typing your county and state with the words “online land records” after the name of the state being searched.   
*At Ancestry.com, search the [http://search.ancestry.com/search/category.aspx?cat=144 entire land records category.] 


*Search for land records at [http://usgenweb.org USGenWeb].
*Search for land records at [http://usgenweb.org USGenWeb].
*At Ancestry.com, click on “Search,” then “Tax, Criminal, Land & Wills,” then “Land Records,” then “USA,” to search the entire land records category. 
*Newspapers reported land transfers so check newspaper websites such at NewspaperArchives.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, and ChroniclingAmerica.loc.gov to find clues about the land your ancestor bought or sold.


===='''To find land records at the Family History Library:'''====
===='''To find land records at the Family History Library:'''====
Look in the FamilySearch Catalog to find the microfilm number of the deed books and indexes (and sometimes the mortgage and lease records) of more than 1,500 county and town courthouses of the 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The county and town land records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under land and property of the state and county being researched or land and property of the state and town in the case of Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
Look in the [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search FamilySearch Catalog] to find the microfilm number of the deed books and indexes of more than 1,500 county and town courthouses of the 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The county and town land records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under "Land and Property" of the '''county''' being researched or "Land and Property" of the '''town''' in the case of Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.


===='''For counties which have not been microfilmed or are not online:'''====
===='''For counties which have not been microfilmed or are not online:'''====
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Platting the land of your ancestor may be helpful in determining how the land fit with the property of others in the county with the same surname and how it fit with neighbors with differing surnames who may be related.   
Platting the land of your ancestor may be helpful in determining how the land fit with the property of others in the county with the same surname and how it fit with neighbors with differing surnames who may be related.   
*To learn how to plat or draw the property boundaries yourself, see the article [http://genealogy.about.com/od/land_records/ss/land_platting.htm “Land Platting Made Easy”] by Kimberly Powell.   
*To learn how to plat or draw the property boundaries yourself, see the article [http://genealogy.about.com/od/land_records/ss/land_platting.htm “Land Platting Made Easy”] by Kimberly Powell.   
*A free online deed platter is at [http://www.genealogytools.net/deeds/Genealogy Tools].  
*A free online deed platter is at [http://www.genealogytools.net/deeds/Genealogy Tools Genealogy Tools].  
*A commercial deed platter is at [http://directlinesoftware.com Direct Line Software].  
*A commercial deed platter is at [http://directlinesoftware.com Direct Line Software].  
*A free brochure, Maps Can Help You Trace Your Family Tree: How to Use Maps in Genealogy, by the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey, has been digitized and is available at FamilySearch.org.
*A free brochure, Maps Can Help You Trace Your Family Tree: How to Use Maps in Genealogy, by the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey is available.


==='''HEADRIGHT GRANTS'''===
==='''HEADRIGHT GRANTS'''===
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==='''WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LAND RECORDS'''===
==='''WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LAND RECORDS'''===
*FamilySearch Wiki: Go to United States Land and Property and click on the many links found in the article to learn about grants, patents, bounty land warrants, land ownership maps, and tract books.  
*FamilySearch Wiki: Go to [[https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Land_and_Property|United States Land and Property]] and click on the many links found in the article to learn about grants, patents, bounty land warrants, land ownership maps, and tract books.  
*The Learning Center at FamilySearch.org: "Sections, Ranges and Townships" by Roberta "Bobbi" King, and “Colonial Land” by Beth Foulk.
*The Learning Center at FamilySearch.org: "Sections, Ranges and Townships" by Roberta "Bobbi" King, and “Colonial Land” by Beth Foulk.
*[http://www.directlinesoftware.com Direct Line Software] is a commercial website that sells a program to map deeds and also offers useful information about United States Deed Records.  
*[http://www.directlinesoftware.com Direct Line Software] is a commercial website that sells a program to map deeds and also offers useful information about United States Deed Records.  
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'''Warrant/Warranty''': A land warrant instructs a state to issue land to someone.<br>
'''Warrant/Warranty''': A land warrant instructs a state to issue land to someone.<br>
'''Warrant to survey''': A document authorizing. <br>
'''Warrant to survey''': A document authorizing. <br>
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:United States]]
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