Understanding Information Contained in Land Records

Land records detail the transfer of property such as homesteads or parcels between individual parties or between the federal government and individuals. These records go back several centuries if you conduct a deep enough search, to the times before states were even in existence.

Land records involve such documents as abstracts, deeds and deeds of trust, plats, name change orders, and authority to cancel documents. These records may be filed under UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) transactions as well as in archives, and land records are often connected to probate documents (wills and trusts).

The national archives hold more than ten million case files just from the pre-1908 era, so electronic copies and electronic indexes are very rare and incomplete. Some land records have been scanned, and local counties or historical societies may have microform or microfiche records as well as original documents in their holdings. Begin a search of land records locally and branch out to state or national searches later. If you believe that a land record may have been filed under the UCC act, contact your Secretary of State.

Information You Need to Search Land Records

To effectively search for land records, you will need to know certain detailed information. First, you must know if the land in question is categorized as a military bounty land warrant, a pre-1908 general land entry file, or as a post-1908 land entry file.

Bounty land warrant information requirements: You will need to know the year of the congressional act which authorized the warrant, the size of the acreage, and the warrant number.

Pre-1908 general land files: You will need to know the state, the location of the land office, the classification of the land (homestead, timber, desert, etc.), and the final certificate number.

Post-1908 land entry files: You will need to know the name of the entryman and the serial patent number.

If you have the legal description of the land beforehand, it makes your search much easier. The legal description includes the section, township, and range of the land; the amount of acreage; the name of the entryman and the date of application or patent; and the final warrant number or certificate.

This information may be found in abstracts connected with the property, which are usually available by request from local abstract offices. Abstract companies do not always keep abstracts on site, however; sometimes the property owners keep the abstracts. In these instances, the documents will not be available through abstract companies.

More Information on Searching Land Records

Several states have their land records filed with state historical societies. These are listed on the webpage and available by clicking

http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/state-archives.html

. This page includes phone numbers, addresses, emails, and websites you may explore for more information on where to search for land records in these states.

A very detailed information page on land records may be found by clicking

http://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/67.html

. Here you will find almost everything you need to know about searching for land records through the archives of the government.