Where can I find detailed information about U. S. mid-1800s land ownership maps? [closed]

+6 votes
292 views
I've been aware of them for a while but yesterday read the description of them @ Ancestry and felt that a lot of detail was missing.  I didn't find anything about them in an Internet search.  Apparently, everything wasn't mapped which is a shame.  I've seen a few from New York State and they are very useful in locating ancestors and in seeing place name changes.  I just cited one in my great grandfather's profile. Details about the lot designations, etc. would be helpful.  I will ask about them at the NYPL maps room when I visit in the near future.
WikiTree profile: Silas Beismer
closed with the note: Sufficient answers
in The Tree House by Lorraine O'Dell G2G6 Mach 6 (66.8k points)
closed by Lorraine O'Dell
Thank you both for these answers.  I've looked at the references given.  What I was looking for was a little more detail about what the various plat indications are on the map cited in the profile given so I could pin down my great grandfather's actual lot but I can do that, more or less, with the town. I did reread the information at Ancestry about the U.S. Historic Land Ownership Atlases because, initially, it was unclear exactly how much of the country was surveyed.  Doing a search on that title, took me to a Wikipedia article which has a lot of detail.  That article took me to an article about the Public Land Survey System which also has a lot of interesting information and any more would be above my head.  Having read or tried to read the plat survey information at the county office of one of my ancestor's lots was also an education as it uses the metes and bounds surveying system which is, in my opinion, ridiculous as almost all of the reference point of the survey are moveable and removeable.  In any case, I would have to visit the county of town offices to ask questions about the historic land map and I assume that the plats have changed somewhat over time.  There are so many political and historic ramifications in this one little topic it makes my head spin.  I'm going to close this question.  Thank you.

2 Answers

+8 votes

I have found some in the Library of Congress. I have found some from the New York town historian websites, and some from nygengeb.

If you are looking for county boundary changes, I recommend  

https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/

This has an interactive map and also a text of the chronology.

Although a different location https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Northern_Cayuga_County_Maps_-_Where_Ancestors_Settled has source citations for several maps, that might give you some clues where to look. 

Also you can search New York property records.

by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (654k points)
+6 votes
Standards for land surveys, recording of deeds, etc., can vary tremendously from state to state. There are important similarities among states with shared histories -- for example, among the states that use the land survey system first established for the Northwest Territory -- but as a general rule you probably need to ask this question for one state at a time.
by Ellen Smith G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)

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