Genealogy Tip Tuesday - Deeds Land records are rich sources of genealogical material. One type of especially helpful land record is a deed. Land deeds involve the transfer of personal property from one individual to another individual (or individuals). Deeds not only offer up information about where one individual (or family) lived, but they can also tell you who lived nearby, filling in information about neighbors and neighborhoods. Since deeds are used in wills and in estate papers, they will list names of spouses, children, extended family and even friends. They can help genealogists untangle family connections, too. Genealogical researchers often run into the problem of encountering the same set of first names over and over again (because families handed them down from one generation to the next). Deeds can help distinguish these similarily named people. Most often, these land records can be found at county courthouses and even at state archives. Sometimes, deeds and deed indexes will have been microfilmed (The AHC has a number of deeds and deed indexes on microfilm). Local historical societies will sometimes have information about land records as well. Deeds are genererally recorded in deed books and can be located using a deed index. Names in deed indexes are usually listed semi-alphabetically (all of the As together, all of the Bs together, etc.) and will list the book number of the person or persons you are looking for.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:28:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015