Google ancestor land records

How to Google land records for ancestry research.

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.

Google Ancestor Land Records
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What You Will Find in Land Records

Use the land records to find death date and place; find residence; find names (and addresses) of descendants; learn details to search for land records; discover other places where the ancestor may have held property; discover relationships; get a feel for an ancestor’s economic standing; look for clues about an ancestor’s feelings toward family members; find clues to the deaths of other family members; sort out adoptions, guardianships, and other unclear relationships; learn names of stores and vendors frequented by your ancestor; and find your ancestor’s signature, occupation, citizenship, and marital status. The following is a brief overview of some of the land records you will find.

Deeds. Deed books record the ownership and transfer of property, usually real estate.

Search Land Records for Historical Family Research
Introduction to finding and using land records when conducting individual and family historical research. Learn about the information found in land records, their value to researchers and terminology used in these records.

Bounty-land Warrants

The federal government issued bounty land warrants for individuals who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian wars between 1775 and 1855. Bounty lands were reserved tracts of land used both as an incentive and reward for service, and the veteran or their heirs could claim these lands. Bounty lands for Revolutionary War veterans were also set aside by the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Revolutionary War applications and warrants for Federal bounty land have been microfilmed and can be found at the National Archives, its regional branches, and the Family History Library system.

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Donation Land Records

In 1850, to lure settlers to the new western lands, the government gave lands to would-be settlers in Florida, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington Territories. These land grants were known as donation lands. Settlers were required to reside on and improve the land by cultivation for four years before receiving a patent. Unique to the donation lands were the limits placed on arrival time rather than the time of application. Young children who came with their families between 1850 and 1855 could claim their land when they became adults.

Search Land Records for Historical Family Research
Introduction to finding and using land records when conducting individual and family historical research. Learn a five-step process for finding, analyzing, and using the land records.

Homestead Records

The first homestead law was enacted in 1862 and was intended to encourage settlement in the west. As with the Donation Lands, the only requirement was to live on and improve the land through cultivation. Only a small filing fee was required. Although only an estimated 780,000 people received patents under the Homestead Law, two million applications were made, dispersing approximately 285 million acres.

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Research Insight for Land Records

Start by determining the time and place your family might have owned property. Begin your search at the minor jurisdictional level—usually the county (except in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont, where town clerks have kept the records). First, look at the indexes. You will want to check both the grantor or direct (seller) and grantee or indirect (buyer) indexes for all possible entries of the ancestor you are searching for. Once you find them, copy the references, which you will use to look up land transitions in the appropriate books or volumes and page numbers. Review every detail when you find the transaction, including dates, names, relationships, and property descriptions. Make a handwritten photo or digital copy of the entire entry.

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Google Ancestor Land Records

The following are sample search queries you can use to find online databases for land records:

Searching for free state databases

  • “land records” “Indiana”
  • “land grants” “Virginia”
  • “land registration receipts” “Colorado”
  • “land tracts” “Illinois”
  • “land claims” “Florida”
  • “land records OR grants OR claims OR tracts OR receipts” “New York”

Searching free online databases

  • “land records” site:glorecords.blm.gov (U.S. Bureau of Land Management Website)
  • “land records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch Website)
  • “land records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com/ (RootsWeb Website)

Searching subscription databases

  • “land records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “land records” site: myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “land records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “land records” site: findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google 18 Types of Ancestor Records

The following is an overview of the common 18 types of ancestor records that I have found constantly valuable in my historical and genealogy research and hundreds of other resources I have learned to research and use through the years. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces of my genealogy puzzle.

Google Ancestor Records
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records
Civil Vital Records Directory Records Family Histories
Histories and Biographies Land Records Maps
Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and Wiki’s Military Records Naturalization Records
Newspaper Records Photographs Probate Records
Publications and Periodicals Ship Passenger Lists Writings of Ancestors

In my profile of each resource, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each resource. I would encourage you to use this section as a starting point from which you can search out and find other genealogical tutorials, and guides that help to provide deeper insights.  The common websites that researchers first think of are Ancestry, Archives, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.

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Google Other Ancestor Records

The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you Google your ancestry.

 

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