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Massachusetts Genealogy Guide: Difference between revisions
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=== Land Records === | === Land Records === | ||
{{anchor|court00}} | The earliest settlers in this region were issued patents or charters directly or through various types of companies established for settlement and/or trade. See the [[#Historical_Data|Historical Data]] table to identify these early documents. Once the two major colonies were settled (i.e. [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth Colony]] and [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts Bay Colony]]), land was distributed by their colonial governments through grants. [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts Bay Colony]] established a county system in 1643 and land was recorded in the county deeds from then on. [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth Colony]] used a centralized system and recorded these deeds colony-wide from 1620 to 1685 until it finally established a county system in 1685. The land records for the area now called [[Maine|Maine]] were always kept separately first entirely as was later was called York County. For each of these areas, land was granted for many years after the initial settlement as the colony expanded into uncharted territory given to it under the various patents and charters. All subsequent sales were recorded by the county. Though the vast majority of land transactions were recorded, it was not a requirement that this be done. It was in the best interest of the owner to do so, and legal advantages were given to such recordings. To search for land records, see the guide for the [[#Counties|county]] of interest and use the resources found there<br> | ||
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=== Court System === | === Court System === | ||