Land Records Search Tips

• Land Records often include documents related to patents (the first deed issued on a plot of land), surveys (a drawing of a piece of property showing all boundary lines and including the legal description of the property), plats (a drawing of several contiguous parcels of land, usually including the names of the owners of each parcel), and tax lists (a list of land owners and the amount of property tax they owe on their land).
• Land records can provide two types of important evidence for the genealogist. First, they often state kinship ties, especially when a group of heirs jointly sells some inherited land. Secondly, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing researchers to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups.