Property research practice

I've been taking on some fun research requests lately at the Mercer Museum Library. The way these work is that a client — often one who lives too far away to make it here themselves — requests a specified number of research hours, and pays a corresponding fee. Then I do the research (keeping my eye on the clock) and, when the time is up, write them a letter summarizing my findings and send along any relevant documents I may have discovered. I always end up learning new facts, new research methods, and deepening my understanding of the collections here (which, even after four years, can feel super intimidating).

 

This week we received a request for research on a property that isn't even in Bucks County anymore — it turns out that, prior to 1752, Bucks County was much larger than it is today. Northampton County was formed in 1752 from part of Bucks, and in 1836 Monroe County, where the property in question lies today, was formed from part of Northampton.

I thought it might be interesting to share the research summary here, with some of the files I included.

Dear [Patron]:

My name is Rayna Polsky — I work as a librarian at the Mercer Museum Library in Doylestown. On May 12, I completed two hours of research into your request for more information on a property now in Monroe County, with the intent to trace its deed history back to the initial land grant.

I began the research by examining the completed research you provided, observing that the earliest landowner in those records was Mathias Otter, who sold the property to John Lor in 1771. I conducted a grantee (buyer) search for Mathias in our deed indexes, hoping to discover who had sold him the property, but unfortunately those records (at first) did not appear to exist.

Some of the notes I kept for this project

My next step was to examine our collection of early maps — perhaps I'd be able to spot his name there. Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as that, though I did make a note to return to the maps later, once I'd established any earlier landowners. I also familiarized myself with the layout of Bucks County prior to 1752, the year Northampton County was established.

Next I turned to our card catalog — yes, we have an actual card catalog — and searched for both any books or other manuscripts that may mention Mathias, but once again came up empty-handed. I also conducted a search using ROLLOPAC, our digital catalog, but met with the same result.

I then took a closer look at the document that recorded the transaction between Otter and John Lor, and discovered this clue:

... Recorded in the Rolls Office at Philadelphia in patent Book AA Vol. 10th page 216

Patent to Mathias Otter

Fortunately, the Library has those records on microfilm. Encouraged, I pulled them up on our reader and saved a digital copy (it had to be saved as two separate images, which I then spliced together with photo editing software). I also decided to transcribe the document, which often helps me absorb information more completely:

Patent to Mathias Otter

In pursuance of a warrant dated the 18th day of february 1750 and surveyed unto Joshua Parker a certain tract of land called Otters Meadow situate in Smithfield Township formerly in the County of Bucks now Northampton. Beginning at a post ... [I skipped the "metes and bounds" section, for brevity's sake]  ... Containing 108 acres and 151 perches & allowance of six acres kept for roads as by the said warrant and survey remaining in the said General Office and from thence copied into our Secretary's Office appears AND WHEREAS the said Joshua Parker by deed dated the first day of January 1761 for the consideration mentioned did bargain, sell & convey the [illegible] tract of land unto Samuel Dupui for AND WHEREAS Jane Dupui the widow of Nicholas Dupui & Daniel Brodhead & Elizabeth his wife Heirs of said Samuel Dupui by Deed of the 22 day of April last Conveyed the same tract of land unto Mathias Otter in Fee.

... in consideration of the sum of 16 pounds 18 shillings
WITNESS John Penn Esq. Lieutenant Governor of the said Province
This 31st day of December 1767, the eighth year of the Reign of King George the Third and the fiftieth year of the said Proprietaries Government
Recorded 2nd January 1768

This patent tells us the following:

1753: Joshua Parker is issued a warrant for the land from Penn or his Commissioners of Property
1761: Joshua Parker sells to Samuel Dupui, who dies, thence to Nicholas Dupui, who also dies, thence to Jane (Nicholas's widow), and also to Daniel and Elizabeth Brodhead
1766: Jane Dupui and Daniel and Elizabeth Brodhead sell the warrant to Mathias Otter

The Warrant Register

More notes!

Encouraged by this information, I then located the February 18, 1750 warrant to Joshua Parker in the Warrant Register and — after a quick refresher course on warrants, surveys and patents — deduced the following:

On February 18, 1750, Warrant #102 was issued to Joshua Parker for a proposed acreage of 50. A survey was conducted to record the metes and bounds, and a return — a draft of the tract, which contained 108 acres, 151 perches*†  — was taken back to the Land Office and recorded there on December 31, 1767, with Mathias Otter as Patentee. This patent was recorded, as we learned earlier, in Patent Book AA, Volume 10, page 216.

With a little time left, I located the survey return in Book C146, page 202.

The survey return

This concludes the summary of the two hours I spent researching your request for more information on a property originally in Bucks County, now in Monroe County, with the intent to trace its deed history back to the initial land grant. This project was quite enjoyable, and also very useful in helping to increase my understanding of the Library's holdings, and of early land records in general. I would be very happy to assist again, should you decide to pursue further inquiry.

Thank you very much,

Rayna Polsky
Librarian, Library and Archives
Mercer Museum and Library & Fonthill Castle
operated by the Bucks County Historical Society

*This included a six percent allowance for roads and highways. Many early tracts were laid out before any roads had been established, the necessity of which the Land Office acknowledged in advance. It was estimated that six percent of any land may be required for rights of way of future roads. If, for example, a warrant was for 100 acres of land, the surveyor would actually lay out 106 acres. 

†I'm not sure why the proposed acreage (50) and the return (over 108) vary so greatly.

So there you go — a little bit of research that taught me a bit about how land was recorded before anybody had a computer. Terry McNealy's How to Find the Story of an Old House was a huge help in understanding all the stuff about warrants and patents and surveys, which I've always found super confusing. I don't know where I'd be without that little book. 

If you'd like to purchase some property research (done via the Bucks County Historical Society (I also provide my own services, outside of work hours) for yourself, you can read more about it on the Museum's website.