An ancestor disappears between other records, or you need to distinguish people with the same name.
Put the protocol to work.
Identify the land system and jurisdiction.
Determine which office kept the records for the place and period. Local deeds and initial government land grants are different record trails and may be held separately.
Search both sides of the transfer.
Look for the ancestor as a buyer and a seller, using variant spellings. Record every promising index reference, including transfers involving a spouse, heirs or known associates.
Read the complete instrument.
Capture the transaction date, recording date, residence, consideration, witnesses and legal land description. The place where someone owned land may differ from where they lived.
Build a chain of ownership.
Follow references to earlier deeds and later transfers. Keep parcel descriptions together to avoid mixing neighboring tracts or same-name owners.
Compare the surrounding network.
Use tax lists, maps and other records to test the identity of owners and neighbors. Look for a new place of residence in a later sale, then investigate that locality.
Don’t mistake a clue for a conclusion.
A deed index gives a route to the record, not its full meaning. Transaction and recording dates can differ, and land ownership alone does not prove residence.
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