How to Research the History of Your House
Follow these steps to make researching the history of your house efficient and successful. With these 10 steps you’ll be on your way to discovering the people who lived in your home and the fascinating stories of their lives. Here’s a quick overview of the process.
#1 Research the Deeds
Deeds are the documents (technically, the legal instruments) by which property is transferred. You need to start with deed research so that you can discover who owned your house or property before you. A deed contains the names of the buyers and sellers of a property. Through a process of “chaining the deeds” you can work your way back to when your house was built. Or, if you like, to the very first land grant. Deeds can go all the back to the 1600s. Make this step even easier by using a deed chart to track of each deed you find. Once you are armed with the names of the people who owned your property, you can move on to the next step of building out their full families.
#2 Census Records
Census records are snapshots of the population recorded every 10 years. The first United States Federal Census was taken in 1790. Census records from 1790 to 1950 are publicly available with the exception of the 1890 census which was destroyed. Family historians rely heavily on census records to help trace their ancestors back in time. House historians do the same thing for the people who lived in their houses. From 1850 to 1950 every person was individually mentioned in the census, from the youngest baby to the oldest person. From 1790 to 1840, however, only the head of household was listed, making it harder to recreate the families. Most houses are not typically earlier than 1790 so this will only affect a certain number of house history researchers.
Some states, such as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, have state census records. Typically, they were taken at the mid-point between U.S. Federal Censuses such as 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, etc. Each state is unique in what censuses were taken and what is still available today. The bottom line is that state censuses help you fine tune the families that lived in your between the Federal census years. If they are available – use them!
#3 Vital Records
Since the census records are taken only every 10 years you might get an incomplete or inaccurate view of a family. Vital records are used to fill in the gaps. Vital records consist of birth, marriage, and death records. Other records providing the same type of information can also be lumped into this category such as Baptism and other church records, gravestones, and obituaries. Depending on the time period, the vital record will give you specific information about the person and their parents.
#4 Probate Records
The term probate probably makes you think of wills. And wills are great documents for learning about people’s families and lives. But there is more to probate than just wills. Even without a will there might be a probate record called an administration file. There are also guardianship records for when a parent dies with minor children. And lastly, one of the greatest documents in the probate file is the estate inventory. These detailed what was in a person’s house when they died – such as furniture, tools, books, clothing, etc. It can give you a real sense of what your house was like a long, long time ago.
#5 Find Preservation Publications
Most states have a historic commission or a state-wide preservation organization. These groups are often tasked with inventorying “historical assets” – historic cemeteries, stone walls, houses, and other buildings. These surveys can be done for an individual house and often include architectural and historical significance. If a building survey has been done for your house then there might already been some history available. The oldest and most significant houses are the most likely to have an existing building survey. However, if your house is in a local or national historic district, it will likely be mentioned.
#6 Historical Maps
Maps are absolutely critical for house history research, particularly when a property started out rather large and then whittled down over the years to what we now consider a typical residential lot. As visual tools, maps can help you make sense of the changes that have happened to your property or town. The earliest maps tend to be from the mid 1700s. Most maps are from the mid to late 1800s. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps are available for the 1900s.
#7 City Directories
While census records provided people lists every 10 years, city directories were frequently created every year. These listings provide a great snapshot of who was living or working in a town any given year. They were the precursor to the phone book. Not all city directories still exist, but when not found in an online database be sure to check the local library, historical society or a larger nearby historical society.
#8 Tax Records
Tax records are one of the harder resources to access in the northeast but they are critical for solving specific problems such as when a house was built, when there was a fire, or when an addition was put on. All of these changes would be reflected in the tax value for the year. Tax records in the northeast were often kept in big heavy books that are stored in a Town Hall basement or closet and not easily accessible to the public. Some towns, however, are starting to digitize tax records and put them online. Other tax records can be found in the local Town Reports, if not annually, then every five years.
#9 Newspapers
All the records above help you build a great history and understanding of your house and property but newspapers give it the extra personality. Through newspaper articles you’ll discover whether the former residents of your house were likely to head to church on Sunday or end up in jail after a bender. More often then not you’ll find out where they were traveling and who came to visit them. The newspapers back in the day were full of social happenings in addition to crime and controversies. And, of course, you’ll want to search newspapers for obituaries which give some of the best summaries of previous home owners.
#10 Local Resources
Be sure to check out local resources like your local historical society, public library, town hall or historic commission. They may have collections of photos, yearbooks, local histories, county histories, annual town reports, oral history recordings, and more. Some states have “Memory Projects” which collect photos and stories from residents. The Mass. Memories Road Show is an example of that.