Land Records and the Genealogist

The value land records continue to be in genealogy research in amazing. The most powerful reason is the evidence of relationships, but many more records are often found buried inside land records as will be pointed out in the following lessons. Focus now on relationships.

EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIPSWife

Genealogists are constantly seeking evidence of relationships between people as they move back in time. Land records are excellent for providing proof of a spouse such as giving:

  • The given name of the wife,
  • Clues to the maiden name of the wife,
  • A previous county or place of residence where the marriage may have taken place.

If you only look at marriage records, which may not have been recorded, for the name of a settler’s wife, you may be missing out on the very record group that will answer your questions.

Other relationship clues are provided in Digging Deeper under the "Review Questions and Brief Answers" section of the textbook. Hopefully they will give you many reasons to take the time to search well the records of your ancestors.

 


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