New Hampshire Land and Property

The availability of land attracted many immigrants and encouraged settlement in the colonies. Land ownership was recorded in New England towns from the first settlement of the town. Land records are primarily used to learn where people lived and when they lived there. The records often reveal other information, such as the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or neighbors. You may learn where a person lived previously, his occupation, if he had served in the military and other clues. Sale of the land may show when he left, and may mention his new destination.

Land Jurisdictional Periods
In 1629 the province of New Hampshire was granted to the proprietorship of Captain John Mason. Mason, his heirs, and those who purchased the patent assigned many town grants and many individual grants. These years are commonly known as the Masonian Proprietary Period.

From 1641 to 1679, New Hampshire was considered part of Massachusetts. Town charters granted by Massachusetts, to 1740 have been published in volume 24 of the New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers. The charters extend to 1740 because Massachusetts and New Hampshire had the same governor for most of the time until 1740.

New Hampshire became a royal province in 1679, although Massachusetts continued to claim the Merrimack Valley until 1741. Town charters were granted by Massachusetts during its jurisdictional period, and charters were granted by New Hampshire during its jurisdictional period. These recorded charters, land grants, maps, and plans can be found in several volumes of New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers.

New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers. 40 vols. (See the full citation in the "Court Records" section of this outline. FHL book 974.2 N2nhp vols.24–29; films 1033740–42). Each volume has an every-name index.

Volume 24; film 1033740. Town charters granted by Massachusetts, 1641–1740. Town charters granted by New Hampshire, 1740–1800s. Reference is often made to Masonian grants.

Volume 25; film 1033741. Town charters granted by New Hampshire, 1740–1800's. Reference is often made to Masonian grants.

Volume 26; film 1033741. New Hampshire grants, within the present boundaries of Vermont, 1749–1764.

Volumes 27, 28; films 1033741–42. Masonian proprietors’ township and individual grants in New Hampshire, 1720s–1830's. Contains maps, plans and descriptions of land grants.

Volume 29; film 1033742. Masonian proprietors’ documents, 1629–1700's.

New Hampshire. Proprietors. Proprietors’ Records, 1748–1846. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1975. (FHL film 983688). Microfilm of original records located in Concord, New Hampshire. Partial indexes are found at the beginning of vols. 1–3.

Registration of Deeds
When proprietors sold their land to others, the deeds and all subsequent transactions were recorded in provincial, county, and some town records. From 1623 to 1772, the Registry of Deeds was at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

County registrars of deeds began to keep deed records in 1769, when the first five New Hampshire counties were created (Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Strafford). New Hampshire land records now may be found within town records.

New Hampshire Province Deeds and Probate Records from 1623–1772. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1975. (On 118 FHL films beginning with 1001345). These films are of the indexes to the volumes and are alphabetically arranged.

All existing pre-1772 deeds are now at the New Hampshire Division of Records Management and Archives. The address may be found in the "Archives and Libraries" section of this outline. For records of deeds after 1772, refer to probate offices in the counties.

Additional information on land and property records can be found in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

NEW HAMPSHIRE- LAND AND PROPERTY

NEW HAMPSHIRE, [COUNTY]- LAND AND PROPERTY

NEW HAMPSHIRE, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- LAND AND PROPERTY