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Scanned Land Records, viewable online: The Commonwealth Land Office and its records: With the exception of the Revolutionary War years, the Land Office of the Commonwealth has operated continuously since William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 and began to administer and sell land. In 1981, the land records and the functions of the office were transferred to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth land records only document transacations between the Penns or the post-revolutionary Commonwealth and the first purchaser(s) of each tract of land. Deeds transferring land titles between private citizens, either after or during the patenting process, are maintained at the office of the Recorder of Deeds for the appropriate county. Researchers who wish to search federal land grants (including military grants made by the United States government) should find them deposited with the National Archives and Records Administration (Washington, D.C. 20408). It should be noted, however, that no such grants were issued in Pennsylvania. In order to successfully conduct research with the State land records the researcher must first identify the full name of the land purchaser, the applicant, the warrantee, or patentee; the county in which the land was owned; and the approximate date of the transaction. As a general rule, the State land records are not going to provide extensive genealogical information about the purchasers of land, for example, personal data such as the person's nativity, age, marital status, or occupation. They can be used, however, to document the presence of a particular settler in a specific place at a given time, a good starting point to begin or continue a family history. The five basic documents created in the land process are:
For a thorough understanding of both the history of the Commonwealth Land Office and the potential research use and contents of its records, researchers should consult the Record Group 17 finding aids and also Donna Bingham Munger's book Pennsylvania Land Records: A History and Guide for Research (1991). How to request a land records search by Archives Staff: You can use our records to do searches on your own, or you can pay for an archivist to do a search for you and send you the results. Print out and mail this form [PDF] with the specified payment to request that a land records search be done for you. Whether filling out the form or beginning your research on your own, you will need to provide three basic pieces of information as described below. What you need to know before a property or landowner search can be done:
To conduct your own land records research, begin with these indexes...
Tract Maps (from series #17.522, the Land Office Map Collection): A variety of maps and plots that might be helpful to a researcher who knows where a tract of land lies, but not necessarily who owned it at the time of the warrant or patent. These maps may also be of value to researchers who have followed the paper trail, found the warrant, survey and patent documents, and wish to attempt to determine the current location of the land. Normally, these maps do NOT show current ownership lines, political boundaries, roads or other such features, (although rivers, runs and springs are often depicted).
For more Land Office Records please see: Record Group 17 (Records of the Land Office)
PA State Archives - Research Guides - Land Records |
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