LAND RECORD INDEX BOOKS                         

Most land record index books are alphabetized. Within each section, there may be a page for all individuals whose surnames start with Aa-Ac and whose first names start with A, B, C, and so on. First names will not be in alphabetical order, but should be in date order. For instance, there may be a Frank Acton on the top and one on the bottom, the two existing 200 years apart. Be certain to check each page thoroughly and make sure you're on the right page.        

ORIGINAL LAND PATENTS--PART 1 OF 2                        

Original land patents refer to land grants given to men who served in various military engagements or Indian wars, such as the War of 1812 or the Black Hawk Wars in Illinois. The U.S. government offered these grants to open up settlements in areas that it felt needed white settlers. Although this wasn't necessarily a politically correct policy, it enabled settlers to move West with some sort of guarantee of land ownership.    

ORIGINAL LAND PATENTS--PART 2 OF 2                        

If you find your ancestor was given an original land patent, check to see if he served in the military, Indian wars, or the War of 1812. He most likely did, and you'll find additional information by writing for his military records. You can find the address for military records at 

http://www.nara.gov/                      

DEED INDEX                        

There are several types of indexes for land records. One is the Deed index, which is broken down into two parts: grantor and grantee. The grantor is the person (or entity) who sold the land, and the grantee is the person who received the land. Typically, a grantor could be an entity (such as the U.S. government or a bank) or an individual over 21. Women were often grantors too, so don't look only for men! A grantee could be one person or several..     

GRANTORS AND GRANTEES                         

There are separate indexes for grantors (those who sold the land) and grantees (those who bought the land). Check both so you can locate property transfers or earlier transactions in order to identify other pieces of property. It helps if you know when the absolute earliest land transaction took place so that you can determine your ancestors' arrival in the county. This could lead you to other information, such as where children were born or where other relatives might be buried.

LAND BOOKS INDEXED BY LEGAL DESCRIPTION              

LOST LAND                        

If you find an inconsistency in property ownership, check tax records. The original property owner may have failed to pay taxes, and the land may have been sold at a sheriff's auction. This was very common in the mid-1800s and between 1930 and 1950. There were also instances of properties going dormant after the owner's death or after the owner moved but was unable to sell the property before leaving. During the Dust Bowl, some property was deemed worthless and was therefore abandoned. The state may have come in at a later date and repossessed the property due to vacancy. Ask the county recorder about abandoned property.

USING LAND RECORDS WHEN MARRIAGE RECORDS ARE UNAVAILABLE

Land records can give valuable clues, such as names of in-laws, when marriage records are unavailable. If a man transferred property to another man for only $1 or another minimal amount, it's a good indication that he was giving a dowry to his daughter. Be certain to check out any documents attached to land records that might justify dowries, land transfers, or probate proceedings. 

USE MAPS WITH LAND RECORDS                        

Land records often do not give very accurate descriptions. The legal description might read "from the big rock by the North Creek to the big oak tree on the South River, and then two roads past the railroad." You may need to find old maps of the area in order to locate old railroad lines or creeks whose beds have changed.

JOINT PROPERTY AND DIVORCE                         
        
In the olden days, a divorced woman was still required to obtain her ex-husband's signature when it came to land sales. Divorce didn't necessarily mean that the property had been divided evenly and that the couple no longer had legal responsibilities to each other. Often, property was considered joint property either because of a marriage dowry agreement or because both the husband and wife's names appeared on the purchase papers. In order to sell the property, both signatures were required, even if the parties were divorced. Keep this information in mind when you're researching land records.

POSTMASTER RECORDS                         
        
Postmasters were generally appointed by territorial or state governors in order to establish a mail route across a region. Postmasters were usually well educated and were often former schoolteachers and college professors from the East.

Postmaster records were considered part of the territorial records. You can find them in the state historical society for the territory they were part of. For instance, Iowa's postmaster records might be in the Wisconsin State Library or at the Iowa State Historical Society. They can also be located through the National Archives

EARLY LAND RECORDS                           
          
Land records can be difficult to find if a property's boundaries
changed and you don't know which county the property now resides in. A good site for beginning your research is Land Records, located at

http://userdb.rootsweb.com/landrecords/

This easy-to-use site contains more than 382,000 entries. You can search the site by surname, and you can search every state.
 

PROBATE RECORDS                             
           
Many researchers are confused by the jargon and legal terminology used
in probate and land records. Because of this, it's often difficult to
determine who left what to whom, where the property is located, and
who owns it.

For assistance in deciphering the jargon, visit Genealogy Quest at

http://www.genealogy-quest.com/glossaries/terminology.html