Real estate is an important part of historical and
genealogical research. Real estate records do not generally tell you when a
house or business was built, when your ancestor was born, how they died, or who
their parents were. They do however provide a significant amount of detail on
your ancestor’s life. The records can help to determine when they moved to or
from an area, what their occupation may have been, their financial status, or
mention other individuals in their FAN club (family/friends, associates,
neighbors).
When a real estate record is
located, efforts can be made to locate other pertinent records, such as court
records, tax records, maps or newspapers. Without attempting to locate real
estate records, gaps will likely be left in our research. After all, don’t most researchers want to know how many acres their
ancestor farmed, how close they were to town and the circumstances of their
property acquisition and sale among other details of their ancestors’ lives?
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