Deeds to seemingly small pieces of property may hold more genealogical clues than one realizes.
A deed for a comparatively minuscule portion of the property may have been drawn up to clear up a property line or a title. Deeds for fraction portions of property may also have been drawn up to settle an estate.
If great-grandpa owned several hundred acres, don't ignore those deeds for a couple of acres. They may contain more clues than you think.
One should not neglect the deed records. I have just completed research on a family using deed records dating from the initial purchase from the U. S. Government to the 1980's. As time went on and the family multiplied, events in the family became evident by the names on the deeds. Children deeding their share of the property to the mother was a clue that the father had died. Of special importance were mineral rights leases, etc. where the younger members of the family who sold out to others but retained their mineral rights. Husbands of daughters, granddaughters, etc. were identified in these records as well as the mailing addresses.
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