Research Tactics: Lesson 6
Land Records
Print this Lesson“Our message is so imperative, when you stop to think that the salvation, the eternal salvation of the world, rests upon the shoulders of this Church. When all is said and done, if the world is going to be saved, we have to do it. There is no escaping from that. No other people in the history of the world have received the kind of mandate that we have received. We are responsible for all who have lived upon the earth. That involves our family history and temple work. We are responsible for all who now live upon the earth, and that involves our missionary work. And we are going to be responsible for all who will yet live upon the earth. No one ever received a greater or more compelling mandate than we of this Church have received, and we’d better be getting at it.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Mission Presidents Seminar, July 1999)
Discussion & Theory
Land Records
Land records are an often overlooked, but important part of genealogical research. The records, are among the most important documents available for tying a specific person to a specific place; especially in those cases, where time, place, and circumstances have made vital records unavailable or were never recorded. Nevertheless, vital records and land records should be used together to get the complete picture of a family.
Land Records
In America, land and property records apply to more people than any other type of record. Written evidence of people’s entitlement to land and property goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record a genealogist might use.
There are many types of land records, title abstracts, land purchases, grants, and more. Land records are typically one of the records kept from the very early days of settlement in an area and may be available when other records are not. These records provide information on relationships between individuals, approximate relocation dates, and the financial state of a family.
Land Grants from the Federal Government are relatively easy to locate and use. It is important to know the meaning of land description in order to locate and determine the rightful owner.
A deed is typically a legal document that transfers property rights or grants land ownership to a person. In many cases these records will include information about residences of family members, and in the case of inheritance will include the original owner.
Bring to Class This Week
- The file for the family you are working on and flash drive for transporting new finds
- Optional: Your family computer file to work on in class
Lesson Materials
Print out or download this material
- Lesson page — Our Ancestors Want Us to be Accurate
- A Typical Deed
- Legal Terms in Court Records
- Blank plat map
Helpful Links
Land
- History of Land Ownership in the United States
- How to position a plat map on Google Earth
- Download Google Earth
- Bureau of Land Management
- Map of Principal Meridians and Base Lines
- Rectangular Surveys
Location of county or state records:
Salt Lake City Family History Library (when available)
Homework for Next Week
- Update your file with land records you find
- Read Lesson 7 and study links.
