How do we begin researching a house's past?

Question

House used to be a funeral parlor; how do we search for information about its history? We don't even know the name of the parlor. Suggestions, please.

When my mother-in-law bought the house just over 20 years ago, the realtor told her it had been a funeral parlor. They had to remove caskets & such before moving in. How do we begin researching a house's past?

Answer 1

As the other folks said, go to the office of your county recorder of deeds. Bring the street address. They may send you down the hall to get a legal description of the property. Then they will look up the deed. Most such offices do this only for people who come in, in person, not on the phone. They are required by law to make the information available to anyone who asks, but they are not required to make it really easy, by putting it online. So don't be shocked if they're not helpful on the phone. They will be helpful once you walk in.

They can show you who owned the property at any particular time. Have a list of questions, and have cash available to make copies.

Then, I would go to your local public library or, if you have one, your newspaper office. See if you can find mentions of the funeral parlor, or old ads for it, in the newspaper. A local library may have the newspaper on microfilm even if it no longer exists.

Many towns, cities and neighborhoods are chronicled in books of local history. Ask your librarian if there is a history of your town or county.

Ask older people living nearby what they remember.

I once lived in a one-hundred-year old farmhouse. When I dug up the ground for a garden, I found many old artifacts. You might clean, label, and mount these to make a small "museum" for your house.

Answer 2

Two suggestions:

1. Have a "Title Search" conducted by your County or City Registrar of Deeds. This will show the complete history of your property, all the way back to the treaty with the Native Americans that transferred the property from them. This procedure costs a little money, but it is very comprehensive (and fascinating!)

2.Go to your public library. They will have copies of all (or almost all) of the city directories, going back well into the 1800s. The first part of these directories is devoted to people and their addresses at the time. In the back section, however, you'll find a list of all the streets in the city, and all the addresses, which can be cross-referenced with the first section. Good luck!

Answer 3

the fire department & police are issued a book each year that tell's them who lives @ an address, the phone @ the address & what & where the owner works. These books are published by a company & if U knew the company, u might find out something, , but these books are only permitted to be read by Fire & police

Answer 4

Start at the "vault" in the register of deeds office in your town's courthouse, or the courthouse wherever the house is located.

Answer 5

go to your county they can tell when that house was built.or by tax records you even can find out who owned the property before house was built. plat map. state or local records are at your court house

Answer 6

all cities have a hall of records start there