Property Research
We often receive property related questions. The top five questions we receive have been compiled here to help you use property to uncover some of your family's story.
1. What inspires property research?
Often the purchase of a home inspires people to begin uncovering the history of their new home, other times people become curious about a quirky trait in their home like a wall going down the middle as if it were once split into two, or an odd room that after some research turned out to be a mechanics shop. Sometimes, when renovations are underway, letters or notes from 100 years ago fall from the walls or ceilings. Unique experiences in a home can also inspire property research, with the hope that the event will be explained by events of the past. Whatever the case may be, there is always a unique story that motivate people to learn more about their property.
2. What do I need to get started?
Similar to genealogy, speaking to neighbours or longtime community members who may know about a property's past is a good place to begin. Speaking to people often allows you to glean information that is more anecdotal or hasn't been captured in land records. For example, a land record would not reflect that the land was once a potato farm, or a community library was once run out of the living room.
When researching the property records themselves, your legal land information such as lot/concession or lot/plan number is required. These details can be found on a land document such as your property taxes or deed. If you are researching another property, maybe one your ancestors lived on, you can usually find this in an old directory or online via Onland.ca. The Archives also offers a pre-recorded tutorial via the Archives YouTube channel that walks through ways to find this information and research that can be completed from home once you have it.
3. What files or photos do you have on our home?
The Lambton County Archives typically does not have specific files on homes. Only a handful of homes in Lambton County have a file. Most of the information at the Archives that can assist are in the assessment roles, maps, fire insurance plans, or photography collections. These are not currently available online. Although there are not maps, photos, or fire insurance plans for every location or every year, you may have luck finding additional information in these documents.
There are also a series of photos by a local photographer that shows almost every building in the County in the early 1990s. If you are looking for something earlier, the Street Scenes photo files can be a useful resource. The Street Scenes files are especially helpful if the home was in or near a town.
The Family photo files can also be useful because they showcase family group images of a family standing outside their homestead. These images date back to over 100 years ago.
The Archives does not currently have many blueprints or architectural plans in the collection for local homes, but there is a small collection that can be utilized.
4. When was our house built?
This commonly asked question can be tricky, and is not as easily answered as one might think. To find the age of a home, local history books written by historians are a good place to start. Searching for clues in online via Onland.ca may help narrow down a time frame. Assessment rolls and directories are also helpful in narrowing down when, or if, a person lived on a specified property.
5. How do I learn about who owned my property over time?
Much research can be done from the comfort of home. There are two main sites that can be used to learn more about who owned the land. To learn the basics of these sites, view the Lunch and Learn tutorials on the Archives YouTube channel.
A. OnLand
This will show you the land ownership dating back to the Crown.
B. FamilySearch
There are some written records that predate what is in OnLand and these can be found on FamilySearch in the Township papers. This site requires creation of a free account to gain access.
Good luck on your journey to uncover your property’s past!