California, Alameda County, Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California Alameda County

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains deed records and indexes that are located at the Clerk-Recorder Offices in Oakland. Land records are primarily used to learn where an individual lived and when he or she lived there. They often reveal other family information, such as the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or neighbors. They may also include information about previous residences, occupations, military service, citizenship, and so forth. Most of the states in the United States are public domain states, which means the federal government controls the land. In state-land states, however, the state government appropriates all land within its borders.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records generally include:
 * Name of buyer
 * Name of seller
 * Name of spouse, heirs, other relatives, or neighbors
 * Place of residence at time of purchase
 * Occupation
 * Transaction dates
 * Amounts of monies exchanged, paid or assessed

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search, it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of you ancestor
 * The approximate date and place of the land transaction

View the Images
You will be able to search this collection once it is published.


 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Record Type, Volume, and Date Range

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.


 * Use the information found in the record to find additional land records that might have more information.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and probate records.
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members in the censuses. There may be clues to maiden names if a father deeded property to his daughter upon marriage. Witnesses and neighbors may be in-laws or relatives.
 * Repeat this process with additional family member’s records to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.


 * Collection Citation:


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