This document is from Jean Church’s research.

Land Records

• Grantor-seller
• Grantee-buyer
• PA- Power of Attorney
• D of G-Deed of Gift
• D of T-Deed of Trust
• QC-Quick Claim
• John Smith et al- John Smith and others, co party
• LD-Land Division

Shortcuts and Rules

• Copy all land transactions for your ancestral name, where it appears as the grantor or the grantee. If there are numerous entries for your surname you may want to note that there is a large number of grants or deeds for Wm. Jones between 1795-1810, in the Beaver Creek twp. and note Book and page number, instead of copying all. You may want to copy Bk. Index to get the number of pages, on which the information appears, be sure to write Book name or number on this copy.
• After copying of pages and indexes, examine all deeds and grants for anyone who might be your ancestor. Even if he left the area, continue checking for land entries on him in that area until his DOD elsewhere, for he may have conveyed land as a resident of another county or state.
• Examine all deeds and grants for anyone with the given names of your ancestors, his children, his siblings, or their children, during your know ancestor’s life span. Go back with this until the earliest grantees and grantors in the county prove not to be yours.
• Examine all deeds in which both grantee and grantor have your ancestral surname, for often the may contain implied or explicit information on the relationship of the grantee and grantor. Example- Gift deeds “to my son, to my dau. grandson, Granddau. brother, or sister, etc.
• Note adjoining land owners with same surname, and sometimes the same given name, these may be relatives. You need to examine their land records too. Often a person with same given name maybe a grandchild.
• Witnesses may be relatives, and quite often neighbors.
• Chain carriers on land transactions are most likely to be the younger generation of a family, son-in-laws, grandsons, nephews. Here is another place to watch for the same given name.
• Check any deeds in the indexes listed under Type of Deed as PA, G of D, D of T, LD,QC. Not all counties will be indexed in this manner.
• Errors will sometimes be found, in courses, distances, misinterpretations, in handwriting when transcribed. Differences in name of grantor and grantee as given in heading and body of deed, or signature, etc. Record the deed in your files, as it is given, do not correct any clerical mistakes, but do make note of the apparent error.
• You may be faced with a large number of deeds and land grants for the same person or family name. It is usually best to start with the DOD of ancestor and work backward in time to the earliest land deeded or granted to the person or family name.
• You must use local maps, used in time period of deed or land grant, as well as present day maps. Use a NC Gazetteer and formation maps of NC counties. Maps that show water courses, trading paths, mountains, swamps, roads, mills, etc. Landmark names to locate general areas of deeds and grants.
• 12 Be sure to copy locations, Acres, date bought, date sold.
• Pay close attention to a person selling same number of acres of land he bought or was granted, this may indicate a move. Check tax records.
• If a person bought or was granted more land than he sold, it may indicate:
• A- A missing deed or grant. Incomplete deed records, check original indexes when possible. Check court records for a deed, not recorded in deed books.
• B- Acres fell into a new county created, or boundary lines changed.
• C- Land was sold for debts or taxes, or by a business partner, tenant in common, etc.
• D-Land was confiscated for Tory Sympathies, or activities during the Revolutionary was. Check British records, state-level and county court minutes.
• If it is evident that a person still owned land at time of his death and no original estate records exist:
• Check county court minutes from the date of last known land transaction forward in time to look for application of letters of administration (appointment of administrator), letters of testamentary ( Qualification of executor), on the estate of the land owner. If you find a letter of testamentary, qualification of an executor, this means there was a will. It may be missing from the records, or was missed by a transcriber of the records, or yourself.
• Check later deeds for anyone who sold more land than bought or granted, if anyone sold the land still owned by the dec. at his death, that person is most likely a lineal descendant of the dec. If the surname is the same of dec. check dates to determine if he was son or grandson. If surname is different check for marriages of daus. and grandaus. Check for a female of the same surname as dec. marrying a man of the same name, as person selling the land. If this grantor (seller) of the land conveys the entire parcel, it may indicate he is the sole heir of the dec. but, check the deeds, he may have bought out the other heirs. If he sells only a portion of the estate, do some math and figure out the fraction of land he is selling, this will give you the number of heirs. If a female is selling the land this indicated she is single or a widow.
• If you do not find the sale of this land among the deeds you have already collected, return to the deeds and keep searching in later time periods until the gap is too wide to figure a line of descent.
• If a person sold more land than he bought or was granted consider the possibilities:
• A, B, and C of above.
• He bought land in a partnership, business, relative or neighbor and the deed is indexed under that name. Check deed registrations in court minutes.
• He inherited the land from a male ancestor, check eirler generations’ deeds, for anyone still owning land when they died.
• He inherited land from a female ancestor, check will and estate records under maiden name of mother, and married names of sisters, aunts,etc.
• He inherited land in the right of his wife, check under her maiden name for wills, estate and deeds. Even check under names of married sisters and aunts.