How to Research the History of Your House

At one point or another, we've all wondered about the history of the house where we live. When was it built? Who have the owners been over the years? Is my house historically significant? These questions often go unanswered because people aren't sure where to start looking. The truth is… local government agencies keep all kinds of records about you and the property where you live. Most of the records are freely available to the public and can be viewed not just by genealogists or scholars but by people like you and me.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Pencil
• Paper
• Transportation

1. Start at your local County Clerk or Recorder's office to look at land records. As long as you have an address you can work backwards and trace the chain of ownership of your property. The person selling the house is the Grantor and the buyer is the Grantee. Be sure to make notes of all the names you uncover. You can also look for tax assessment rolls or other property tax related indexes but they may be at a different county office.
2. Visit the main branch of your local library and ask to see the old city directories. Many of these directories have a reverse look up section where you can find your address and see who is listed as a resident. Now that you have at least one name (or a few names), you can look up the last name of the resident in the directories and see if an occupation is listed. For example: Smith, Maggie hairdresser b. 110 Pine Street
3. Armed with the names of owners and residents, you can also search through the microfilm archives of your local newspaper (the library will probably have these). One of your house's former occupants may have been newsworthy or even… notorious!
4. You might also check the library for old Insurance maps (e.g. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps) that detail the lot sizes and layout of structures. This can show you if any additions have been made on the property over the years.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a journal of your findings.
• Talk to your neighbors - they may have information you don't.
• When researching, always carry quarters for parking meters and photocopies!