Keys to Unlocking House History

By Kim Wolterman

Here at last is a guide designed to remove the frustration and put the fun into researching the history of your own or an ancestor's home or property. With its step-by-step approach and beneficial research suggestions, Keys to Unlocking House History walks the reader through the process of discovering and preserving the history of a home.

Keys to Unlocking House History will help you learn how to research and obtain the deeds on the house and property, find out who owned and lived in the house in the past, and offers helpful websites for researching historical sources online. Just like people, every house has a story to tell. This book will help you write the story of who walked the halls of your home before you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kim Wolterman
• Release date: May 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9780982464021

Kim Wolterman

Owner of Provenance Publishing LLC, and author of "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed(room)? Researching a St. Louis County, Missouri Home", "Keys to Unlocking House History", and "From Buckeye to G.I. LeRoy C. Kubler The War Years, 1942-1945". I am a Platinum Author of numerous articles on researching house history at EzineArticles.com, and offer professional speaking on house research topics.

Book preview

Keys to Unlocking House History

by

Kim Wolterman

Copyright 2011 Kim Wolterman

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover images courtesy of Kim Wolterman & Robert Harris

Cover by Joleene Naylor

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Section One: Organizing Your Research

Section Two: Searching the Records

Things to Know Before You Go

Abstract of Title

Deeds

Real Estate Tax Records

Building Permits

Maps & Atlases

Newspapers

City Directories

Photographs

Vital Records

Last Will & Testaments

Court Records

Census Records

Biographical Sketches

Family Histories

Local Histories

Architectural Collections

The Internet

Section Three: Putting It All Together

Appendices

Appendix I. Glossary

Appendix II. Bibliography

Preface

Obtaining a century home plaque for my house. It seemed a simple enough goal. All I needed were two pieces of documentation to prove the house was built in 1902. Surely a quick trip to my local historical society office would provide the necessary information. Right? Not exactly. It took three years and countless trips to multiple libraries, historical societies, the county government center and, ultimately, a trip to Chicago, before I was finally able to make application for my plaque.

Keys to Unlocking House History is designed to give the reader what I didn’t have – a systematic plan to follow in researching a property. The intent is to remove the frustration and put the fun into the endeavor. When the reader runs into brick walls (sometimes, literally!), the book will provide other avenues to explore.

There is a huge interest in the documentation and preservation of historic structures in the United States. Some of this interest comes from owners who are applying for historical building status. Others are seeking to understand the previous owners and why certain modifications were made to their homes. Additionally, there is a growing desire on the part of many genealogists to find