Iowa, Poweshiek County Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
These records include digital images of land records including commercial incorporations, deeds, town lot records and marriages from the county recorder of deeds and the county auditor. The collection covers the years 1855 to 1934.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Land
 * Names of interested parties
 * Date of the event or transaction
 * Legal description of the property
 * Monies exchanged
 * Details of the transaction
 * Names of other family members or witnesses
 * Age
 * Birthplace
 * Residence
 * Color
 * Nationality
 * Number of marriage
 * Occupation

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching the collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date or location of the land transaction

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range to view the images.

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and census records
 * Search for the land transactions
 * 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
 * Some counties were subdivided or the boundaries may have changed. Consider searching neighboring counties
 * 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.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Iowa.
 * Beginning United States Land and Property Research
 * Iowa Guided Research
 * Iowa Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.