One of the least used sources to research family histories are land records—property tax lists, grants, warrants, patents, and deeds. They are helpful for finding a name associated with a purchase, but they don’t often include details, such as a person’s age, family members, current residence, etc. However, the latter I find most useful.
Property deeds are often a wealth of information. The parties involved, grantors and grantees, are often identified like this: “William Heffner, miller, of Maidencreek Township and his wife Maria to Daniel Dries, yeoman, of Rockland Township and his wife Catharine.” Current residences, occupations and spouses are valuable information. If you can’t find a person in a census record, or you are not sure when a person’s wife passed away or remarried, these clues are important. Sometimes deeds are useful to determine heirs to an estate, particularly when a will or probate has insufficient information or is not available.
One of several deeds that was useful to my research was of my ancestor John Saul who died in 1867. The 1860 U.S. Census states he was a land-owning farmer living in Maidencreek Township, Berks County, Pa. Most of his children were born in the earlier half of the century, so only a few children were still at home. There was no will, and the probate of the estate only mentioned two executors, probably John Saul’s heirs. Knowing that there had to be information concerning his property, I turned to a deed search. I discovered that the land was sold in March 1870. There were nine heirs named, including their spouses and their current residences, two of which lived in Illinois.
Decennial U.S. Census records from 1850 to 1940 often state if the person owned a property. Keep in mind if a person did not own property, for example, in 1860 and died in 1869, a property may have been purchased after the census date. Therefore, always check the deeds. Look for deed records close to a date of death. Sometimes it takes several years to settle an estate.
Most county courthouses do not have deeds or indexes online, so an onsite excursion is necessary or you could pay a fee for the research, especially if the distance is too great. If your ancestor lived in Berks County, you are lucky. The Berks Recorder of Deeds has an online index and digital images dating back to the county’s formation in 1752. The site is free, but registration is required and there is a printing fee. The indexes and database collection are a bit complex, but there are instructions. Contact me if you are having difficulty using this site.
Lancaster County’s Recorder of Deeds has the same online services.
Property deeds are often a wealth of information. The parties involved, grantors and grantees, are often identified like this: “William Heffner, miller, of Maidencreek Township and his wife Maria to Daniel Dries, yeoman, of Rockland Township and his wife Catharine.” Current residences, occupations and spouses are valuable information. If you can’t find a person in a census record, or you are not sure when a person’s wife passed away or remarried, these clues are important. Sometimes deeds are useful to determine heirs to an estate, particularly when a will or probate has insufficient information or is not available.
One of several deeds that was useful to my research was of my ancestor John Saul who died in 1867. The 1860 U.S. Census states he was a land-owning farmer living in Maidencreek Township, Berks County, Pa. Most of his children were born in the earlier half of the century, so only a few children were still at home. There was no will, and the probate of the estate only mentioned two executors, probably John Saul’s heirs. Knowing that there had to be information concerning his property, I turned to a deed search. I discovered that the land was sold in March 1870. There were nine heirs named, including their spouses and their current residences, two of which lived in Illinois.
Decennial U.S. Census records from 1850 to 1940 often state if the person owned a property. Keep in mind if a person did not own property, for example, in 1860 and died in 1869, a property may have been purchased after the census date. Therefore, always check the deeds. Look for deed records close to a date of death. Sometimes it takes several years to settle an estate.
Most county courthouses do not have deeds or indexes online, so an onsite excursion is necessary or you could pay a fee for the research, especially if the distance is too great. If your ancestor lived in Berks County, you are lucky. The Berks Recorder of Deeds has an online index and digital images dating back to the county’s formation in 1752. The site is free, but registration is required and there is a printing fee. The indexes and database collection are a bit complex, but there are instructions. Contact me if you are having difficulty using this site.
Lancaster County’s Recorder of Deeds has the same online services.
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