Land Records for Genealogy

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Land records are a very valuable source for genealogy research. Deeds and other land records place a person in a particular location at a particular time. They identify neighbors and can establish a community. Sometimes deeds directly identify family members.

But many people shy away from using them.

In the past, land records were difficult to access. Once you got to the county courthouse and pulled out the dusty books, you faced a confusing index. Or worse yet, you didn’t find what you were looking for because the deed was indexed under another party’s name. And then the handwriting and the terms you don’t understand. What exactly is a perch, anyway?

FamilySearch.org

Well, that has changed. With the completion of FamilySearch’s digitization of its microfilm collection, deeds for many locations across the United States are available for free, online. In fact, one of my first research tasks when I begin a new project is to visit the FamilySearch “Research Wiki.” These wikis aren’t perfect, but they are a great place to start. Each county wiki has a list of what records are available, and where they can be accessed.

Once you find a collection of deed records, what do you do with them? Unfortunately, few of the digitized deed collections on FamilySearch are indexed. So, you still have to understand how to use a few types of indexes. The Russell Index is one of the more common indexes.

Patricia Law Hatcher, FASG, FGSP, wrote a book entitled Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records. In full disclosure, Genealogical.com sent me a copy of this book for free so that I could review it.

My first thought upon reading this book was that I wish I read it years ago! Hatcher provides helpful information and tips from her years of hands-on experience. . . information that I have struggled through figuring out on my own. I would have used land records much earlier and likely solved some brick walls if I read this book a while ago. The book is straightforward and covers a variety of topics necessary to using land records. She includes information for the creation and acquisition process for both state-land and public-land states; a fantastic glossary of terms you will encounter when researching with land records, and very simple to follow instructions for platting land.

Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records

The book also includes a very thorough “Locality Reference.” A listing of maps, atlases, and gazetteers is also provided for each state. These are resources that don’t come up on a typical Google search. And while I have been using land records for a while, I learned a lot from this book. Especially about public-land states, where I haven’t done as much research.

Some of the information is outdated, like using the microfilmed indexes at a Family History Center to do the legwork before you go to the courthouse. For most locations, you can now view the indexes and the deeds themselves from the comfort of your own home. But, these records are rarely digitally indexed. So, from the time you find the deed collection online, Hatcher’s information is pertinent. She provides us with instructions for using several types of indexes. She also provides tips on how to record and analyze the information once you find all of the relevant deeds. Any outdated information in this book serves to remind us that the excuses for not using land records for genealogy have essentially been eliminated.

By the way, a perch is 16.5 feet, and equals a pole or a rod. You’re welcome!

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