Genealogy
Research Under a Microscope
One
of the first steps to analyzing a deed is to identify the relationship,
kinship, and even community role of every person named in a deed. Why? Because
your ancestor did not live in a vacuum!
So many people (neighbors, doctors, elected officials, and other family
members) add to your ancestor’s story. The details of a deed may lead
researchers to their ancestor’s home place or final resting place. Persons named
in documents may introduce new family members, in-laws, female maiden names,
neighbors or even enemies.
Types of Deeds
Deed
of trust, warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds are filled with genealogical
hints. I must say I’m partial to deeds of trust, because they often name the
daughter(s) and in-laws and their current state/county residence. But, of course, there are plenty other deeds
of genealogical value: Sheriff deeds, deeds of gift or division, deed of
release. Each offer names, times and
place of event and can lead us to related documents
Land
Often legal land descriptions are provided in
deeds, they may name neighboring lands, schools or even cemetery boundaries. This
information is not limited to land deeds. They are provided in Sherriff deeds,
law suits, probates, etc. Why is this important? A recent deed mentioned a
bordering cemetery of the late 1800’s. Older plat maps also showed the cemetery
to be exactly where it was described with all the neighbors surrounding. But
the original records were ensconced in a local University Special Collections.
Without the name of the cemetery, I would not have located papers on the family
that gave detailed information to include veteran troop information. Sure, the
plat map (sometimes you have to plat the land) helped this search, but it was
the original deed that made this research project a success.
Another arduous brickwall wall research was
solved by tracing land deeds that led us to locating Cherokee Freedmen and the
unscrupulous practices of an ancestor. Seems, our ancestor used his negotiating
skills to acquire land from the less fortunate by loaning money with impossible
payback schedule. Yes, he was a true user of usury! However, he quickly
acquired a lot of land in Nowata (OK).
People
A recent deed provided three great finds. 1) The
migration of the family, 2) the daughters surnames, 3) and spouses names. With names like Jane and Ella Gross, the
likelihood of finding these girls was nil. But a North Carolina deed submitted
to the court almost 29 years after the death of their father, not only gave the
legal land description but the residence of Mary and Ella and their respective husband’s
names.
It is not uncommon to find a deed to be
submitted to the court years later than expected, so be sure to span your
time frame when researching these documents.
Property
“Property’ does not always translate to land.
Slaves, for one, were also property. Following an inheritance deed, I was able
to follow not only the slave, but the slave master who migrated from Virginia
to Charleston, S.C. Elaborate details of the migration and terms of the slave’s
purchase agreement were outlined.
Other property may include the inheritance of a
horse, a printing press, or barrels of wine.
These are just some property deeds that have lead us to finding families
and kinfolks migrating from the south and moving west.
Kathleen
Brandt
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