One reason for tracking all the deeds of land-owning ancestors is that there can be residential clues in land records. If your relative didn’t finalize a land transaction until after he moved, that deed of purchase may contain clues as to where he was living.
Deeds often style the buyers and sellers as being “of” a certain area in the portion of the deed where their names are stated. Sellers usually had to acknowledge the deed in front of a local official (notary, justice of the peace, judge, etc.) in the area where they were living when the deed was signed. The official in front of whom they made the acknowledgement will typically indicate the jurisdiction in which they were permitted to serve–that’s a residential clue. Even if you already knew to where the person moved, the dates on the document may help you to pinpoint the time frame of that migration.
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