Ghana Land and Property

Land Records
Research use: An important supplement to records which begin later, as well as a source to build up local genealogies. For some families this is the only source of linkage information.

Record type: Land records, especially records of Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, and British holdings which contain names and family relationships of both Europeans and natives not found in other sources.

Time period: 1600 to present.

Contents: Name of landholder, name of wife, lands held, taxes paid, lists of previous landholders, lists of native workers, sometimes with families.

Location: National Archives, Accra; also the National Archives in Portugal, in the Netherlands, in Denmark, and the National Archives in London.

Population coverage: 20 to 40% of the European population; 10 to 15% of the native population.

Reliability: Good.