People recorded evidence of their property, paid taxes on property, gave away property, bought and sold property, fought over property, and willed property to heirs in the 20 state lands states. When understood and used properly, metes and bounds land records comprise one of the most important sources for research in America.
\n
Comments (1)
Several corrections / updates on North Carolina patents. (1) The Master Card File Index has not been at the Secretary of State Land Office for several decades. It is now at the State Archives of North Carolina Search Room. Those index cards have also been microfilmed / digitized on familysearch. (2) The State Archives replaced their MARS system with DOC in 2018. The same data is there and searchable, it's just arranged differently. They have online tutorials include a document specifically on searching for land grants. (3) The free website nclandgrants.com links all the MARS data with digitized microfilm images and provides the most comprehensive and easy to use access to NC patents. It has over 800,000 (and growing) images, including ones not found anywhere else online like the entire site of patent books and all records related to Lord Granville Grants.