Have you ever used a home deed search to find out about your family history? While it may seem like home deeds wouldn't reveal very much information, the truth is actually quite the opposite. Aside from showing ownership of property, home deeds also unveil information on relatives, land values, and even your family's relationships with one another. They reveal the history of the property and the people who dwelled within. If you're interested in conducting a home deed search and digging up some family secrets, here are a few things to consider.
How Does a Home Deed Search Work?
Most real estate will pass through many hands. To learn its history, you need to trace that ownership through a series of deeds. You can do this by either working forward or backward. For example, you can start with the current owner of the property or the very first. By researching how the "right of possession" passed from person to person, you are creating the "chain of title." Creating this chain of title by searching through home deeds is known as a title search. Essentially, you are making a timeline for the ownership of the home
The location of deeds varies from state to state. Many states keep deeds in a single registry as governed by the law. In some states, the registry of deeds may be located in the county courthouse, while in others, it may be in the town hall. Some websites provide title deed searches, which is a great starting point. Gather as much information as you can from the online search before venturing out to courthouses or town halls.
How to Find Older Deeds
While most deeds newer than 1970 have been scanned and put in an online resource, many older deeds will not be available that way. In that case, you will need to find out where the deeds in your town are stored. Older deeds are normally in a grantor-grantee index book: a tome of a document filled with decades of information. You'll have to sift through these books to find the deed number and information from the clerk. Once you have the number from the deed index, you can look up the deed, itself.
Gathering Information from the Deed
When looking at a home deed, notice the name of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor). The deed will have information about these people in addition to the type of "covenant" they agreed upon. The covenant is how the buyer acquired the house, whether through a mortgage, quit claim, or something else. Next, there will be a detailed description of the property, along with boundaries, survey sections, and even the names of the neighbors with adjacent property.
Spousal Rights and Secret Marriages
Here's where it gets interesting. Many deeds will have a release of spousal rights. This shows whether the husband or wife agreed to the sale. Release of dower means the wife agreed, and release of courtesy means the husband agreed. This piece of information will give you insight into the relationships of your family. It can also tell you if someone in your family had a marriage you may not have known about!
Creating the Big Picture
While you're looking through deeds, be sure to keep notes, especially of the date and time. This will help you chronologically organize the chain of title so you can get a big picture of the property's history. Take note of interesting or open-ended information. Sometimes, you may come across something that doesn't make sense, only to have the answer revealed 3 owners later. You can also use other types of resources to substantiate information. For example, insurance maps, court records, will and estate documents, and tax information can all help create the overall picture.
Doing a home deed search is a lot like putting together a puzzle, where pieces are scattered all throughout your home. While it does take a lot of sleuthing and a little perseverance, the reward is knowing your family's vibrant history and possibly uncovering a secret.
