Illinois, DeKalb County Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains digital images of deed books, grantor indexes, and grantee indexes from the courthouse in Sycamore, Illinois. This collection is being published as images become available.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Record Content
The records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Date of transaction
 * Legal description of the property
 * Monies exchanged
 * Details of the transaction
 * Names of witnesses

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Approximate date of the transaction
 * Location of the property

Search the Collection
To search the collection you should start with the indexes. Follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Indexes" category ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range"

As you look at the index pages, make a list of your possible ancestors and the information given for each one. Then return to the "Record Categories" and ⇒Select the "Land and property records" category ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range" based on the information you obtained from the index.

Look at the images comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the deed, or extract the genealogical information needed.

These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and census records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment records or military records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Search for the land transactions of a couple and their children. The parents may have sold or given property to a son or daughter. Such transactions confirm relationships that might not be found in other records.
 * Search for records of people in the county who shared a surname. These may have been the couple’s parents, uncles, or other relatives. Your ancestor may have been an heir who sold inherited land that had belonged to parents or grandparents.
 * To find later generations, search the land records a few years before and after a person’s death. Your ancestor may have sold or given land to his or her heirs before death, or the heirs may have sold the land after the individual died. For daughters, the names of their husbands are often provided. For sons, the given names of their wives may be included. Heirs may have sold their interest in the land to another heir even though the record may not indicate this. Continue this process for identifying each succeeding generation.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.


 * Some counties were subdivided or the boundaries may have changed. Consider searching neighboring counties as well since that courthouse may have been more convenient for the person.
 * One deed does not usually give sufficient information about a couple and their children. A careful study of all deeds for the person or the family will yield a richer return of information.
 * For each parcel of land owned, you should obtain two documents:


 * 1) The deed that documents when ownership transferred to the individual or the family and
 * 2) The deed that documents when ownership was transferred to someone else.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites
DeKalb County Illinois Free Public Records

Related Wiki Articles
Illinois Land and Property

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Illinois, DeKalb County Land Records, 1838-1927", images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org: accessed 19 July 2012), Land and property records &gt; Deed record vol 10 1851-1852 &gt; Image 507 of 636, Henry E Brooks and Samantha E. Brooks, dated 29 March 1852; citing Illinois DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder. Illinois, DeKalb County Land Records, 1838-1927. The Office of the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder, Sycamore, Illinois.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

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