Hello fellow listers, My husband's boyhood home will soon be sold and I would like to find out how to research it's history to include in our family tree papers. We have not lived in the area for over 32 years. The sale is being handled by another party and we have very little information about when the property first came to the family in the early 1950's. I was once told the farmhouse itself was the second oldest in Perry Co. and it dated back to 1818. It is a log home that has been remodeled, added onto, etc. several times by the various owners. Other than it's age, I know of no historical significance. Were would I start? Any ideas would be appreciated. We only get back to the area about twice a year. Thank you, Toni Hackenberger St. Peters, MO

Toni, In order to complete guaranteed legal transfer of real estate property in Pennsylvania a "clear title" is required. To get a clear title, a "title search" must be performed. A title search is done, usually by paralegals working for an attorney. They search backward in time through land transfer books located in the county courthouse of the county in which the property is located, probably in the office of the county register and recorder. I have found that both clerks and paralegals working in these offices are quite willing to tell a novice how to use the indices in the "grantor" and "grantee" books and how to proceed from one book to the next in order to complete a title search. The records used to make title searches are open to the public in county court houses. When you live in or near the county where the property is located, or if you can pay a visit to the county, you can do excactly the same work as is done by a paralegal in order to trace the history of a given property. Since you live at a great distance, perhaps you cannot, yourself, do the title search in the courthouse. In that case can you ask a friend or relative who does live near the courthouse to do the search for you. If not you can hire someone to do a title search. To save money on title search, I would suggest you try to contact the present owner of the property and ask for the name and address of the "title company" that is doing the title search on the property to be sold. Since the title company will have just completed a bona fide title search for the seller of the property, I would think they would be amenable to giving you a copy of their title search for a fee less than that charged to the property seller. It's worth a try! Hope this turns out to be accurate and helpful advice, and wishing you good luck, Nelson R. Sulouff //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ----- Original Message ----- From: "richard hackenberger" <rhackenb@mail.win.org> To: <PAPERRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 3:28 PM Subject: [PA-Perry] Property History > Hello fellow listers, > My husband's boyhood home will soon be sold and I would like to find out > how to research it's history to include in our family tree papers. We > have not lived in the area for over 32 years. The sale is being handled > by another party and we have very little information about when the > property first came to the family in the early 1950's. I was once told > the farmhouse itself was the second oldest in Perry Co. and it dated > back to 1818. It is a log home that has been remodeled, added onto, > etc. several times by the various owners. Other than it's age, I know > of no historical significance. Were would I start? Any ideas would be > appreciated. We only get back to the area about twice a year. > > Thank you, > Toni Hackenberger > St. Peters, MO > > > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

Get an abstract. You might have to contact an abstract company in Perry county. That should give you a history of the owners. richard hackenberger wrote: > Hello fellow listers, > My husband's boyhood home will soon be sold and I would like to find > out how to research it's history to include in our family tree > papers. We have not lived in the area for over 32 years. The sale is > being handled by another party and we have very little information > about when the property first came to the family in the early 1950's. > I was once told the farmhouse itself was the second oldest in Perry > Co. and it dated back to 1818. It is a log home that has been > remodeled, added onto, etc. several times by the various owners. > Other than it's age, I know of no historical significance. Were would > I start? Any ideas would be appreciated. We only get back to the area > about twice a year. > > Thank you, > Toni Hackenberger > St. Peters, MO > > > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

Toni, You might try the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The website is: www.nationaltrust.org I know they have tons of information for those who want to preserve old homes and when you get to their website click on "Help From The National Trust". Would you and/or Richard be related to the Hackenbergers of Juniata County? Bob Robb Richmond, VA ----- Original Message ----- From: "richard hackenberger" <rhackenb@mail.win.org> To: <PAPERRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 6:28 PM Subject: [PA-Perry] Property History > Hello fellow listers, > My husband's boyhood home will soon be sold and I would like to find out > how to research it's history to include in our family tree papers. We > have not lived in the area for over 32 years. The sale is being handled > by another party and we have very little information about when the > property first came to the family in the early 1950's. I was once told > the farmhouse itself was the second oldest in Perry Co. and it dated > back to 1818. It is a log home that has been remodeled, added onto, > etc. several times by the various owners. Other than it's age, I know > of no historical significance. Were would I start? Any ideas would be > appreciated. We only get back to the area about twice a year. > > Thank you, > Toni Hackenberger > St. Peters, MO > > > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >