How to Research
the History of Your
Old House
Part One:
Land and the Law
Primary Topics
- Legal Descriptions
- Conveyances
- Using the Recorders' Office
1. Legal Descriptions
What's an "acre?"
Key Points
- Based on Cartesian (X-Y) coordinates
- Basic unit is a section, one square mile, 640 acres
- A 6x6 array of sections is called a legal township
-
Not to be confused with a political township
- One has a name, the other a number
- Pulaski County's unique situation
-
Not to be confused with a political township
- Each township has a unique identifying number
- Range (East/West of meridian)
- Township (North/South of baseline)
- Each section in a township has a number, 1-36
e.g. Medaryville is in Sec 4, Twp 30N,R4W
Normal references are to
"aliquot parts"
- Based on halves and quarters
- "Nested," e.g. S1/2 NE1/4 NW1/4
- 20 acres
- Unwind from right to left
Land areas can also be platted
- A plat is a cadastral map, mapping geography to ownership
- Plats are always named
- e.g. "Medary Ville," "Elston's Second Addition"
- Broken up into blocks and/or lots
- Also show streets, alleys, public spaces, etc.
- Usually must be accepted by local government
- Descriptions will not include secion/township/range, etc.
Detail from Medaryville Plat
A Plat Book shows land ownership
- Land ownership is very dynamic
- Town and Country Publishing, LaPorte IN
- Old plat books are an enormously valuable resource
Detail from York Twp. Plat Map
2. Conveyances
Chain of Title
- Based on official county land records
- A continuous "path" of ownership over time
- A summary is known as an "abstract of title"
Abstract Basics
- Complete record of ownership over time
- Each entry is numbered
- Chronological order
- Includes mortgages, taxes, probate, etc.
- Updates are common; appended to original
Letters Patent
Treaty of Tippecanoe, 1834
This area is an exception
Types of Conveyance
- Letters Patent
- Deed
- Warranty
- Quit Claim
- Administrator
- Trustee, etc.
- Transfer by inheritance
- The case of John and Eliza Crouch
What is a mortgage?
Detail from Medaryville Plat
3. The Recorder's Office
Repository of Property Records
- Deeds and other transfers
- Mortgages
- Plats of towns and subdivisions
- Other archival information
- How Juanita Waugh did it
Other states may do it differently
Property Research Tools
- Deed Books
- Grantor
- Grantee
- Indices
- Miscellaneous Records
- Plats of towns and subdivisions
Most counties are putting their records up online
Two Main Service Providers
The Plan
- Get full legal description of property
- Also Tax ID number
- Watch video on using Recorder's resources
- Visit Recorder and make first pass
- Is it in a platted area?
- Work both backwards and forwards
- Help!!
Next meeting July 9, 1:00 EDT, at Museum
How to Research the History of Your Old House
By capouch
