Land / Deed Records

Land and deed records are the group of records that document the transfer of property. Usually just real property, but personal property can be included.

Primary Documentation

	Documentation created at the time of the event for the event being documented.
	Secondary Documentation
	Documentation used to document an event other than the event for which it was created.

Sure Codes (TMG)

	3 - Primary Documentation
	2 - Secondary Documentation
	1 - Guess
	0 - No Information
	-  - Disproved Information

Locating Records-Land and Property

	Court House
	State Archives
	Libraries

Organization of Records

	Grantor Index
	Grantee Index
	Deeds
	Plat Books
	Subdivision Records

Grantor/Grantee Indexes

	GRANTOR - Index of sellers of property, parties of the first part.
	GRANTEE - Index of buyers of property, parties of the second part.

Parts of the Deed Record

	Book and Page
	Grantor
	Grantee
	Legal Description (Prior Book and Page Number)
	Purchase Price (Mortgage)
	Date
	Signatures

Grantor/Grantee Info

	Names of the parties
	Relationship of the parties
	Location of the parties - usually County and State
	Clerk's Statement that the wife has been queried, not in the presence of her husband, about her willingness to execute the deed.

Legal Description may Include:

	Street Address
	Lot Description
	Waterways
	Lengths and Angles of the Perimeter
	Adjacent Property
	Former Owners

Purchase Price

	Total
	Cash in Hand
	Mortgage
	Length
	Mortgage Release in Margin when Paid

Date and Signatures

	Date of the transaction is usually written within the deed text.
	Date of record is the date the deed is recorded by the clerk.
	Parties may have signed or used as X.

Tag Types

	No Property Tag is Standard
	Tag must be Created
	Suggestion: Deed-Buy and Deed-Sell

Deed-Buy and Deed-Sell

	Date of Transaction
	Address
	Memo - Other Info: Location of your Party, Prior Book and Page and any Unusual Information
	Source - Set of Records
	Citation Detail - Book and Page Numbers

Example

This indenture made the "26 Aug 1875" between Isaac Kline and Rebecca M. Kline his wife of Penn Township Westmoreland County Pennsylvania of the first part and James M Kiper of this County and State aforesaid of the second part . . . Twenty Five (25,000) Thousand Dollars lawful money . . .Paid by the Said Party of the Second part at or upon the sealing and delivery of these presents . . . Sell . . . Unto the party of the Second part . . . Beginning at a post . . . [legal description] . . . Containing Seventy Six acres more or less after deducting out of said boundaries Twelve acres and Six acres heretofor sold from . . . Signed and Sealed by Isaac Kline and Rebecca M. Kline

Sources - Deed-Sell

	Date: 26 Aug 1875
	Place: Penn Twnp, Westmoreland Co., PA
	Memo: All parties were of Penn Twnp, Westmoreland Co., PA. Prior Book 58, Page 580. Part of the property had already been sold.
	Source: Westmoreland Co., PA Property Records
	Citation Detail: Book 86, Pages 466-7

Reminder

	Omitting Citations simplifies TMG
	Adding Sure Codes to Citations enhances TMG
	Format of Citation is not critical - can change all Citations by changing the Source

Conclusion

	Adding Deeds allows the address of the person to be interspersed with the other events and makes it easier to determine the location of the person at any time.
	Adding Deed tags requires more input.