Pennsylvania Land Records

Land records are my favorite genealogy source. They can contain valuable information to determine identity, kin, and residence. Hmm . . . one source that answers primary genealogical questions? Yes, please!

Sure, some can be duds. Some are nearly impossible to read and they contain a lot of legalese and boundary descriptions that aren’t easily identifiable today. But more often they are a gold mine of information. Take the time to understand the process of obtaining land, depending on location and time period. This post will focus on land records in Pennsylvania, and the collections that applied to the majority of land records. However, there are additional registers (Like Old Rights Register or New Purchase Applications, depending on where and when a person was attempting to acquire land. A great place to start is the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) “Land Records Overview.” But the collections below pertain to the majority of land acquisitions in colonial Pennsylvania to about 1817.

If you are doing colonial or pre-nineteenth-century research in Pennsylvania, tracing a property from the initial application can provide insight. It may also potentially identify otherwise forgotten relationships. A wonderful resource for understanding how a person obtained land in colonial Pennsylvania is Donna Bingham Munger’s Pennsylvania Land Records: A History and Guide for Research (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1991).

Historical Land Acquisition Process

A relatively small number of people legally obtained land in Pennsylvania before William Penn’s proprietorship. Beginning in 1682, William Penn transferred land through the warrant, survey, and patent process. After Penn’s death, his sons and later the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continued the process. The warrantee was frequently not the patentee. Warrantees transferred or sold their interest in the land (sometimes several times) before the patent issued. The grantor and grantee didn’t always record these transactions. The patent or subsequent deeds may include this previously unrecorded chain of ownership.

Speculation was very common as new opportunities for land ownership opened. A person may have applied for a warrant without ever setting foot on the land. For this reason, a warrant or a real estate tax record is not necessarily proof of residency.

The PHMC has a PDF version of the Pennsylvania “Genealogical Map of the Counties.” You can also purchase an 11 X 17 copy for $2.00. I’m a visual person. I love this map because it shows the date of county formation and the date of treaty or purchase.

The resources below for land records are not exhaustive. But they are a great place to start, and the PHMC’s website provides links for additional records types and a description of the land acquisition process throughout the years. You can also check out the FamilySearch Pennsylvania Land and Property Research Wiki for additional resources.

Step 1. Application

This was the first step to legally obtaining land. Digital images of the applications are available on FamilySearch in the “Applications for warrants, 1734-1865” Collection. They are not indexed or searchable, but they are arranged chronologically. The applications often contain additional details that the warrant itself omits, so it’s worth finding it.

I’ve had success finding applications by first finding the warrant (Step 2 ). Determine the date the warrant was issued, and then search a few weeks to months before that date for the application.

Step 2. Warrant

The collection, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952,” at Ancestry.com includes a digitized image of the original warrant. This is an indexed database with images, so finding your ancestor is relatively simple. Once you have found a warrant or warrants (remember, people often took out several warrants without actually getting the patent), go back and try to find the application.

Next, check out the Warrant Registers (indexes) at the PMHC Pennsylvania State Archives website. These provide the name of the warrantee and patentee; the warrant number; the date, location, and the number of acres; and the location of the recorded survey and recorded patent. To use these registers, determine the county at the time of the warrant. Use the Genealogical Map of the Counties above if you don’t know. The index is arranged by surname, and then chronologically. Pennsylvania Archives, RG-17, Records of the Land Office, WARRANT REGISTERS, 1733-1957 {series #17.88}.

By the way, the Pennsylvania Archives records on Ancestry are available for free to Pennsylvania residents. Access the PA State Archives Records through Ancestry.com here.

Step 3: Survey

The surveys include a written restatement of the warrant and includes a diagram and measurements of the tract. They often include adjacent property owners. Images of the original surveys are available through the collection, “Original surveys, 1682-1920.” They have been digitized, but you still have to view them at a Family Search Affiliate Libary or History Center. If you cannot visit a FHC or Libary, you can try to submit a Family History Libary Remote Access Service Request.

Not to worry if you can’t view an image of the original survey right away. The PMHC Pennsylvania State Archives website digitized the Copied Survey Books. These are “faithfully reproduced copies of the original surveys.” As such, we genealogists treat them with the same reliability as an original. But we know that transcription errors may occur.

For either the originals or the copied survey books, you’ll need to know the volume, subseries, and page number, which you can find in the Warrant Registers. Be sure to view the reverse of the page of the copied survey books for patent information, if available. RG-17, Records of the Land Office, COPIED SURVEYS, 1681-1912. {series #17.114}

Also, be sure to check out the Warrant Township Maps and the Connected Draft Maps, if they’re available for the location you’re researching. They will show you adjacent property owners, township boundaries at the time, and more. Be aware that the PMHC arranged both of these collections by the current county/township.

Step 4: Patent

The PMHC Pennsylvania State Archives digitized the Patent Indexes. You may not need to view the patent index, as you likely already have the information they contain from the Warrant Registers or the Survey. If you don’t know the name of the warrantee, but you do know the name of the patentee, you can start here and work backward. RG-17, Records of the Land Office, PATENT INDEXES, 1684-[ca. 1957], {series #17.147, 154 & 155}.

Images of the patent are available in the collection “Patent Books, 1676-1960,” at FamilySearch.org. These records are not indexed. You’ll need to know the patent book and page number (which can be found on either the warranted register, the copied survey books, or the patent index).

If you know the name of the tract of land from an early deed, you can search by tract name on the PMHC’s website. Ideally, you’ll want to have a rough idea of the issue date of the patent and select that collection. The index is then arranged alphabetically by tract name.

Subsequent Deeds:

After the patent was issued, almost all land transactions are recorded at the county level. I recommend using the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki. Search for the county to see what records may be available in addition to the deed books. FamilySearch digitized most Pennsylvania county deed books. Most of these are not searchable. However, most counties include either a separate digitized index book or an index at the beginning of each individual deed book.

I am always surprised by the additional types of records included in deed books. You may find Articles of Agreement, Contracts, Powers of Attorney, or my personal favorite, Estate Settlements. Be sure you understand the type of index the book is using. Also, search parent or subsequent counties. And search for every relevant family member’s name you can think of. You don’t want to miss an important record because your person of interest is hidden in an et al.

Click the link below for additional genealogy resources.

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