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UsingLand Recordsin Genealogical Research - USA Column published: 18 October 2006. By: Shirley Gage Hodges Biography & Archived Articles 
Many of our ancestors owned land, and finding these records will help us trace them even further back in time. Land Recordscan provide information that is unavailable anywhere else. I was one of those individuals who did not want to bother with land records. At one time I felt they were dull and boring. After a good friend sat me down and rather bluntly explained to me that I was really missing the boat if I didn't start using land records, I came around. I will have to confess that she had used the gentle approach with me before and I hadn't paid any attention to her advice. Now I will have to admit that one of the lectures I enjoy doing most is the one onLand Recordsbecause I now realize their importance.If you can, visit the area in which your ancestors lived. Go to the court house and find the office that houses the land records. They may be called by different names in different areas. Ask to see the books for land records. In most cases they will have indexes that are called the Grantee or Grantor indexes. If you are looking to see if your ancestor bought land look for them in the Grantee index. The entries will be alphabetically indexed by name. If you are looking to see if your ancestor sold land look in the Grantor's Index. When you have the information from the index you will want to ask to see the actual land deed. The deeds are absolute gold mines of information. Don't be put off by the handwriting and terminology. You will find many answers to many of the questions that you may have had about the family. Get a photocopy of the deed so that you can read it in comfortable surroundings. Years later you may find yourself reading that deed again. Because you now recognize the significance of some of the names mentioned in the deed it may have an entirely different meaning to you. If you are lucky enough to have ancestors in Eaton Co., Michigan you can still see the courthouse that was in use in 1845 when your ancestors may have gone there to conduct their business. I believe that Eaton Co. is the only county in the country that still has two original courthouses that are still maintained as well as the courthouse where they currently do their business. It is such a thrill to go into one of these old courthouses and know that your ancestors were there in that very same spot. We have two types of land systems in use in the United States:
 Shirley Hodges, biography & genealogy lectures; email: genealogyshirl@hotmail.com Editor's Note: Shirley Hodges is the author of the popular Guide to United States Census, 1790-1930 Suggested reading:
Check out the resources at GlobalGenealogy.com:
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