
For example, around the time when titles were being searched for petroleum rights at the beginning of the 1900s lots of deeds were found that were from more than 100 years earlier and hadn’t been recorded until that period in the 1900s. Many deeds were not recorded at the time of execution, but at a much later point in time. Some deeds have also been collected by historical societies, archives, and libraries. Many courthouses have deeds that were never recorded. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Archives each hold microfilmed indexes for most county deeds that were recorded in 1850 and earlier. The recorder of deeds office may also hold chattel mortgage records. Mortgages and deeds are often recorded in separate indexes. However, some of them have been organized according to the Russell system, which can be somewhat difficult to use. The recorder of deeds office also holds buyer and seller indexes, also known as grantee and grantor indexes. The recorder of deeds holds mortgage and deed records, which is where the search for land records should begin.
Berks county deed searchy series#
Any claims made to those lands are listed in the Pennsylvania Archives series 3, volumes 3 and 7, along with maps. Those lands were known as “Donation Lands.” That same area also included “Donation Lands,” which were auctioned as part of the process for redeeming Revolutionary War Depreciation Certificates at the time. The Continental Army’s Pennsylvania Line of soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War were offered land in western Pennsylvania. The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, which is located in Wilkes-Barre, and the Connecticut State Library have several resources and records relating to those settlements. The University of West Virginia at Morgantown and the Virginia State Archives at Richmond should therefore be consulted for records relating to that part of Pennsylvania, in addition to resources within Pennsylvania.įrom 1753 to 1782 Connecticut claimed the area that included Wyoming Valley and Upper Delaware Valley and many settlers from Connecticut moved into those regions. Virginia and Pennsylvania got into a conflict about the southwest corner of the state. References to the “Lower Counties” are referring to counties that now make up Delaware. The Philadelphia City Archives has copies of early Pennsylvania grant records, as well as an index to those records. Researchers can obtain copies of them for a small fee. The warrantee maps, warrants, patents, and survey records that still exist today are held by the Pennsylvania State Archives. It was charged with keeping all records pertaining to land that was granted by the Commonwealth, or by William Penn, as well as keeping track of state boundaries and records regarding land owned by Pennsylvania itself. In 1682, the Land Records Office was opened in Pennsylvania.
Berks county deed searchy registration#
There are several records that can be found there, including: Divorces, Naturalizations, Peddlers’ Licenses, Registration of Attorneys, Oaths of County Officers, Equity, Sheriff’s Sales, Juror Lists, Some Tax Records, Some Civil Court Records. Since 1707 the clerk of the court of common pleas has acted as prothonotary.
