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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 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 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. | *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. | *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. | ||
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==='''DEEDS'''=== | ==='''DEEDS'''=== | ||
* | *A deed is a''''' written legal document''''' transferring ownership of property from one person to another person. Deeds are kept at the county level except for Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island, where deeds are recorded at the town level. | ||
*Deeds were usually written up by a county clerk, a lawyer, a justice of the peace, or someone else familiar with the needed legalities of a deed. The person selling the land, his wife, and''''' two witnesses needed''''' to be present at the time the deed was written. It was the buyer’s responsibility to see that the deed was recorded and to pay the recording fee. The buyer kept the original deed and the clerk wrote a copy of the deed into the deed book. The clerk also added the land location to local plat maps. | *Deeds are '''''public records''''' and exist from the date the county was formed. Many counties have transferred their deeds to microfilm or microfiche or have digitized them. Some counties and entire states have placed all or some of their land deeds online. | ||
*Deeds were usually written up by a county clerk, a lawyer, a justice of the peace, or someone else familiar with the needed legalities of a deed. The person selling the land, his wife, and''''' two witnesses needed''''' to be present at the time the deed was written. It was the buyer’s responsibility to see that the deed was recorded and to pay the recording fee. The buyer kept the original deed and the clerk wrote a copy of the deed into the deed book. The clerk also added the land location to local plat maps. | |||
*A deed '''''follows a certain format'''''. Knowing the basic parts of a deed helps to interpret what is being said in the deed. The parts of a deed include: | *A deed '''''follows a certain format'''''. Knowing the basic parts of a deed helps to interpret what is being said in the deed. The parts of a deed include: | ||
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**The '''date of recording''' (which may take place many years later, indicating a change, such as a death or a change of location of the property owner.) | **The '''date of recording''' (which may take place many years later, indicating a change, such as a death or a change of location of the property owner.) | ||
**Names of the '''grantee''' (buyer) and the '''grantor''' (seller) | **Names of the '''grantee''' (buyer) and the '''grantor''' (seller) | ||
**The county and state of '''residence''' | **The county and state of '''residence''' | ||
**The amount of '''money''' for the sale | **The amount of '''money''' for the sale | ||
**The '''property description''' (which could be metes and bounds or township and range) | **The '''property description''' (which could be metes and bounds or township and range) | ||
**The '''nature, conditions, and considerations''' (such as an acknowledgment that the seller has been paid; a statement that the property can be sold or inherited; a statement that the title on the land is valid; a recital clause stating how the seller got the land; a warranty clause that the seller will be liable to the buyer in case of later problems with the land) | **The '''nature, conditions, and considerations''' (such as an acknowledgment that the seller has been paid; a statement that the property can be sold or inherited; a statement that the title on the land is valid; a recital clause stating how the seller got the land; a warranty clause that the seller will be liable to the buyer in case of later problems with the land) | ||
**A '''dower release''' (which is an acknowledgment that the wife is letting the land be sold of her own free will) or a courtesy right (where a husband has agreed to the sale of the property) | **A '''dower release''' (which is an acknowledgment that the wife is letting the land be sold of her own free will) or a courtesy right (where a husband has agreed to the sale of the property) | ||
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Other resources are | Other resources are | ||
*Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920, by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide | |||
*The Handy Book for Genealogists by George B. Everton (1971 digital version available at FamilySearch.org) | *Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920, by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide | ||
*Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, by Alice Eichholz and William Dollarhide; and | *The Handy Book for Genealogists by George B. Everton (1971 digital version available at FamilySearch.org) | ||
*Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, by Alice Eichholz and William Dollarhide; and | |||
*The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves. The last two books are available at Ancestry.com. | *The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves. The last two books are available at Ancestry.com. | ||
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==='''WHERE TO FIND LAND DEEDS'''=== | ==='''WHERE TO FIND LAND DEEDS'''=== | ||
===='''To find online land records:''' | ===='''To find online land records:'''==== | ||
*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". | |||
*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.] | *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]. | ||
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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. | |||
*A free online deed platter is at [http://www.genealogytools.net/deeds/Genealogy Tools Genealogy Tools]. | *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 commercial deed platter is at [http://directlinesoftware.com Direct Line Software]. | *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 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. | *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. | ||
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A bounty land packet will provide details of military service, including the individual's rank, military unit and period of service and age and place of residence at the time of application. If the application was made by the surviving widow, it could include her age, place of residence, the date and place of marriage to the veteran, and her maiden name. | A bounty land packet will provide details of military service, including the individual's rank, military unit and period of service and age and place of residence at the time of application. If the application was made by the surviving widow, it could include her age, place of residence, the date and place of marriage to the veteran, and her maiden name. | ||
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Online bounty land grants can be found at Fold3.com, Ancestry.com, and HeritageQuest.com for the Revolutionary War. Fold3.com is in the process of digitizing military bounty land grants for those who served in the War of 1812. Fold3.com has the bounty land grants for the Mormon Battalion (Mexican War). An online index for bounty land grants for the Mexican War is at FamilySearch.org. Bounty land applications and warrants for the Revolutionary War and some warrants for the War of 1812 have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library. Bounty land packets, including those not microfilmed, are available at the National Archives. Use NATF Form 85 ("Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications") available at www.archives.gov. | Online bounty land grants can be found at Fold3.com, Ancestry.com, and HeritageQuest.com for the Revolutionary War. Fold3.com is in the process of digitizing military bounty land grants for those who served in the War of 1812. Fold3.com has the bounty land grants for the Mormon Battalion (Mexican War). An online index for bounty land grants for the Mexican War is at FamilySearch.org. Bounty land applications and warrants for the Revolutionary War and some warrants for the War of 1812 have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library. Bounty land packets, including those not microfilmed, are available at the National Archives. Use NATF Form 85 ("Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications") available at www.archives.gov. | ||
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==='''WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LAND RECORDS'''=== | ==='''WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LAND RECORDS'''=== | ||
*FamilySearch Wiki: Go to [https://familysearch.org/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. | |||
*FamilySearch Wiki: Go to [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Land_and_Property|United States Land and Property]*** BAD LINK 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. | ||
*The [http://www.glorecords.blm.gov General Land Office (GLO)] provides an index to public domain patents and the information needed to obtain the land entry case files from the National Archives. | *The [http://www.glorecords.blm.gov General Land Office (GLO)] provides an index to public domain patents and the information needed to obtain the land entry case files from the National Archives. | ||
*[http://www.archives.gov/research/land National Archives Records Administration (NARA)]. | *[http://www.archives.gov/research/land National Archives Records Administration (NARA)]. | ||
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==='''Bibliograpy'''=== | ==='''Bibliograpy'''=== | ||
*FamilySearch Wiki; United States Land and Property. | *FamilySearch Wiki; United States Land and Property. | ||
*The Source; A Guidebook to American Genealogy; Edited by Szucs & Luebking. | *The Source; A Guidebook to American Genealogy; Edited by Szucs & Luebking. | ||
*The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy; Val D. Greenwood; Chapters 15, 16. | *The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy; Val D. Greenwood; Chapters 15, 16. | ||
*Land & Property Research in the United States, E. Wade Hone. | *Land & Property Research in the United States, E. Wade Hone. | ||
*Taking the Mystery Out of Land Records, by Linda Haas Davenport. | *Taking the Mystery Out of Land Records, by Linda Haas Davenport. | ||