land aquisition

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

At 12:34 AM +0000 12/14/05, Jane March wrote:

>How do I find records of the surveys of land for the railroad and how the land was acquired?

>


Hi Jane.  I have email sitting in my in box that I apologize for not responding to (work has been a zoo all fall), but you have found a better place for info than I could ever provide.

As to your current request, head to the local courthouse and find where they keep the deed books.  It will take some digging in the old records, but most court clerks keep pretty good indexes.  Pick a year, then scan the index for entries for the railroad you are interested in.  There may or may not be survey maps, but there will be records of land purchases and (usually) records where a right of way across land was granted.  Depending on the era, you might be lucky to find typewritten records, but you may also have to decipher some very graceful and ornate handwriting.  Good hunting.

-- 
Bruce in Blacksburg         === In the heart of N&W territory. ===

Bruce B. Harper                              (540)231-4360
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