Thank you Julie for the help! Yes I am aware I could contact the Register
of Deeds in Boyd Co., NE, but this is not a priority for me! My
grandfather did not live in Boyd Co., NE, but rather in Gregory Co., SD.
I knew my grandfather. He later moved to California, where he died. My
mother was his daughter!
One thing you did not suggest in your instructions is to send a SASE,
otherwise your letter may end up in the waste basket.
A very distant cousin,
rfs in omaha, ne
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:27:59 -0500 (GMT-05:00) julie
<genpub(a)earthlink.net> writes:
If you can find the community on a map, send a letter to the Register
of Deeds at the courthouse in the county seat. That office will have
all deeds on record from the time the county was established. Ask
for copies (annotated with Vol. & page nos.) of all land
transactions in which your grandfather was grantor or grantee. They
will probably advise you as to copy costs, and after they receive a
check from you, will send copies to you. Be sure to thank them -- it
greases the skids for the next time you or another genealogist
requests copies of documentation.
The same courthouse will probably have your grandfather's estate
probate papers, if he died in that county. Those can tell you a
great deal about whom were his heirs, and their locations, as well
as the disposition of his assets. Might help you locate long-lost
cousins. Good luck!
Julie Chapin Hesson, author, "Mason County, WV, Marriages,
1806-1915"