Archive for the ‘Land Records’ Category.
7th July 2007, 01:18 pm
While writing up my last post I decided to see what else was new in the world of land records on Ancestry and I found out that I REALLY NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION!!! On June 24, 2007, Ancestry.com added a collection called U.S. County Land Ownership Atlases, c. 1864-1918. This will make life so much easier! I already have access to all the local atlases I need, but it can be difficult to find an obscure atlas from a state you’ve never been in. This will help especially when I’m doing research for others. Plus, it’s just plain interesting to go through old atlases. If you don’t think so then you’re just weird…
7th July 2007, 01:05 pm
I should be on top of these things, but I’m exceptionally lazy and it’s always easier to let others do the work… I just read at the Genealogy Blog that Ancestry.com has posted a new collection: U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858. A brief search for some of my relatives turned up a big pile of nothing, but that generally happens when I’m in a hurry and I hope to have a chance to take a closer look at the collection soon. The images I looked at, however, look great and this is a very welcome collection!
6th June 2007, 02:11 pm
The following is a very brief introduction to the Public Land Survey System of the United States. In the near future I will illustrate how genealogists can use this information to decipher old deeds and atlases. Hopefully someone will find this useful.
Continue reading ‘Introduction to the Public Land Survey System’ »
9th March 2007, 03:56 pm
I spent several years working for a land surveyor. During that time I learned a lot about land records and applied this knowledge to my own genealogical research. Using a combination of atlases, census data and local histories I was able to track down where my great-great-great-great grandfather lived from about 1815-1850. I was also able to find out where his sons had settled. This would have been near impossible without the atlas book (Mercer County, PA - 1873.) I have also discovered many other facts about where my ancestors lived and how they moved around the country.
Continue reading ‘Land Records and Genealogy’ »
19th February 2007, 11:11 am
I will emphasize it again and again: Atlases and land records are key to any genealogical research.
Nineteenth century county atlases tell more than just what went where. They spoke of family and places, in color, augmented with lithographs by accomplished artists. [Read more]
If you’ve ever looked through your county’s old plat books and atlases you know that many of them are falling apart. There are, however, some projects that have helped restore and compile these old volumes. There is a new volume, McLean County (Combined Indexed Atlases, 1856-1914), that compiles map books from McLean County, IL.
There is another aspect to old McLean County’s old illustrated plat books — and it was of concern to the McLean County Genealogical Society and its ally, the McLean County Museum of History, of which Koos is executive director. These books are faded, falling apart and inaccessible - until now. [Read more]
Of course, most counties aren’t so lucky. You can, however, usually find what you’re looking for at the courthouse. Also, keep in mind that many counties now have a good portion of their plats and land records available online. Do a search on Google for your county recorder and you might find a good portion of their records available online for free. Search for something like “Trumbull County recorder” without the quotes. If your county has these records available leave a comment here and let the rest of the world know.
