Advanced Research Tools: Land Records

“The major fortunes in America have been made in land,” is a quote attributed to John D. Rockefeller. The major economy of the nation from the colonial period through the 1860s was agriculture. The acquisition of land was a promise of a better life, and a major draw to immigrants from other nations. In this course, we explore land development, law, and acquisition across the nation’s history. State and federal land records are discussed as well as maps and land platting. Genealogically-rich, deeds and other types of land records are full of relationships, community, and context for the savvy researcher.

Day 1

Development of Land Division in the United States

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

This overview introduces the colonial systems pre-revolution and land systems of other governments who held land early in our history. Historical events (cessations, treaties, wars)which affected land acquisition and the development of western states will outline the course for the week.

Understanding State-Land States

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

The original thirteen colonies have a common land theme: they are measured in complicated systems known as metes and bounds.  Beyond that, they have other models of land distribution often influenced by the immigrants who settled the areas.  We discuss the history, styles of survey, and general methodology.

Understanding Federal Land Division

Instructor: Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA

After the Revolutionary War the new United States Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 which set up a standardized system to survey land. This was the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and after some fine tuning in Ohio, it was used to survey the 30 federal land states. The PLSS used a method of creating townships and sections which provided a unique land description for each piece of federal land. 

Working With Deeds: A Refresher Workshop

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Whether a student has worked with deed and conveyance records frequently or has not had opportunity in a while, this class will be a refresher on reading land records, survey terminology, methodology, organizational techniques.  Students will have time to workshop practice exercises in class.

Day 2

Records of the General Land Office

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Understanding the records and resources of the General Land Office is critical to success in federal records.  Finding aids will be introduced.

Using the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Website

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

The BLM-GLO website is an invaluable asset to researchers looking for federal land patents and bounty land awarded to military veterans or their heirs.  User-friendly, this site works as a master index to land entry papers held by the National Archives.

Land Entry Papers

Instructor: Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA

The land entry papers are the application files individuals submitted to purchase or obtain land in the public domain. They document the first transfer of land from the federal government to private ownership. The land entry papers contain useful information for genealogists and include land obtained by cash or credit purchase, donation land, homesteads, and other acts of Congress such as pre-emption, timber culture, desert land, and mineral entries.

Using Tract Books

Instructor: Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA

Tract books contain a record of the disposition of each section of federal land. These volumes show the name of each purchaser as well as those who applied for land but never completed the process, creating a “genealogy of the land.” Tract books are used to locate information needed to access the land entry papers at the National Archives; locate individuals who applied for land but are not listed in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) online database; and identify neighbors who acquired land in the same location and time period as an individual.

Day 3

Finding and Using Land Ownership Maps

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Maps have more genealogical value to our research than we may imagine.  We will discuss a variety of map styles and where to find them online and offline.  We will also sample GIS system applications and resources for specific areas.

Online Sources for Land Records

Instructor: Kimberly Powell

Genealogical websites, state archives, historical societies, and county record offices can be valuable resources for accessing land records online. This session will cover strategies and tips for effectively utilizing these online resources like a pro.

Metes and Bounds Plats

Instructors: Kimberly Powell and Gerald Smith, CG

The session begins with a motivational presentation using case studies to show how land plats solve genealogical problems. After an introduction to metes and bounds concepts, students will learn how to abstract the metes and bounds from a historical record and then draw plats from the legal boundary descriptions.

Intro to Computer Platting Software

Instructors: Kimberly Powell and Gerald Smith, CG

In this workshopping session, students will practice platting land descriptions with computer software using a free trial version of “Metes and Bounds” by Sandy Knoll, Inc.

Day 4

US Military Bounty Lands

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Veterans from the Revolution to Mexican War and Frontier Conflicts all (eventually) were granted awards of land as a benefit for their service.  The laws and application processes were complicated, but the surviving records may prove invaluable to your genealogical research.

Introduction to Private Land Claims

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Land was granted to individuals by governments in a variety of ways througout this history of the country.  This class will introduce grants to people from France, Mexico, and Spain before those areas were part of the U.S. Discussion will also cover land administered by Congress by private act.

Buying the Farm…or Selling, Mortgaging, Inheriting It (and more)

Instructor: Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL

Land law seems like it ought to be the simplest of matters: you buy land, you own it, and that’s the end of it. Nothing could be further from the truth: land law is complex and murky, and understanding its complexity is often the key to answering some of the most challenging questions facing genealogists.

Land Division in Ohio, Texas, and Other Unique Areas

Instructor: Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Some areas within the United States have unique systems of land division, such as Ohio with its several methods of survey, and Texas, with a land division system influenced by the Spanish, Mexicans, and others. This class describes some of the areas that don’t follow the norm of other state land or federal land states.

Day 5

Workshop: State-Land States and Mapping

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

This workshop will take a case study from a state-land state and follow it through the process of finding the deed, platting, and placing it on a historic map. 

Land Records in the US Serial Set, American State Papers, Territorial Papers, and Other Government Documents

Instructor: Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

These three government publications contain unique and significant information concerning land transactions in the public domain. These documents cover most of the nation’s history and contain, among many things, information on land titles, bounty land applications and claims, and private land disputes. Students will discover the nature of these records and how to effectively search them.

Workshop: Government Documents, Tract Books, and Maps

Instructors: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL and Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Students will practice finding  and mining the information in genealogically-rich records related to land in government documents, tract books, and maps.  Records will be online or provided by instructors.

Don’t Fence Me In: Federal Land Case Studies

Instructor: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL

Single women and African-American homesteaders will feature in case studies showcasing a variety of records for people who took advantage of the 1862 Homestead and later related acts.