Taking The Mystery Out of Land Records (2nd Ed.)
Content
CHAPTER 1..................................................................................1
WHY BOTHER WITH LAND RECORDS?........................................1
CHAPTER 2..................................................................................3
THE 2ND STOP ON THE TRAIL OF OUR ANCESTORS.....................3
CHAPTER 3..................................................................................5
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS...........................................................5
Other Things Found in Deed Books:......................................10
CHAPTER 4................................................................................11
HISTORY OF LAND RECORDS.....................................................11
The Beginning:........................................................................11
English Land Law:..................................................................13
Revolutionary War:.................................................................13
Land Act 1785:........................................................................14
State Land States and Public Domain States:........................15
CHAPTER 5.................................................................................17
SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND................................................17
Knowing Where To Go Looking:..............................................17
Published Land Records:.........................................................18
Land Records on the Web:.......................................................18
Land Records on Microfilm:.....................................................19
CHAPTER 6..................................................................................21
THE SAME, YET SO DIFFERENT.................................................21
A Closer Look at Deeds:..........................................................21
The Law of Dower:..................................................................22
Recording of Deeds:................................................................23
Witnesses:................................................................................24
Swearing To in Court:.............................................................24
Ready to Move On?.................................................................25
CHAPTER 7.................................................................................27
STATE LAND STATES' LAND RECORDS.....................................27
Metes & Bounds Surveying Method:........................................27
Acquiring Land In the Colonies:..............................................28
Acquiring Land In Later State Land States:.............................29
Steps to Securing a Patent:.......................................................29
Patent Files:.............................................................................30
After Statehood:.......................................................................31
State Land States.....................................................................32
CHAPTER 8.................................................................................33
RESEARCHING IN STATE LAND STATES.....................................33
Not all State Land States Are the Same:..................................34
Finding Aids:
..........................................................................34Indexes - Master and Individual Deed Books:.........................35
Other Types of Finding Aids:....................................................37
Moving To The Deed Books:....................................................38
Telling You What You Don't Want to Hear:.............................38
Taking a Look at a Metes & Bounds Legal Description:..........40
The Down Side of State Land State Research:...........................41
Locating an Ancestor's Property Today....................................42
I Can't Find My Ancestor:.........................................................43
I Found a Deed, Where Do I Go From Here?............................43
Where To Go Looking:...............................................................45
CHAPTER 9....................................................................................49
PUBLIC DOMAIN STATES' LAND RECORDS..................................49
Disposal of the Public Domain Begins:......................................49
Understanding the Public Domain Survey:................................50
Conducting the Survey:..............................................................52
The Land Act of 1785:................................................................53
The First Land Openings and the Lessons Learned:..................54
The Land Auctions:....................................................................55
Land Opening Tract Books:.......................................................57
Overview of Land Entry Case Files:.........................................57
Moving Past the Land Openings:..............................................58
CHAPTER 10.................................................................................59
RESEARCHING IN PUBLIC DOMAIN STATES.................................59
The Bureau of Land Management::..........................................60
Taking a Closer Look at Land Entry Case Files:.....................61
What Can Be Found In a Land Entry Case File?.....................62
How to Order a Land Entry Case File:....................................64
Private Land Claims:...............................................................66
Moving Past Land Openings and Land Entry Case Files:.......66
Abstracts:..................................................................................67
Finding Aids:............................................................................68
Moving to the Deed Books:......................................................70
Telling You What You Don't Want to Hear:.............................71
I Can't Find My Ancestor:.......................................................72
Where Do I Go From Here?....................................................72
Locating the Property Today:.................................................74
Where To Go Looking:............................................................74
CHAPTER 11.............................................................................,.79
SUMMING UP............................................................................79
Recap:......................................................................................80
APPENDIX....................................................................................85
WHICH STATES ARE WHAT?......................................................85
TERMS FOUND IN DEEDS............................................................87
SOURCES, NOTES & WEBSITES...................................................94
Sources:.....................................................................................94
Notes - Where to Find Books:...................................................95
Web addresses:..........................................................................96
WHERE TO ORDER PATENTS.......................................................99
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