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Generally, the title to a particular piece of property contains either a partial or
full history of the house or other property that you may be researching.
Tax records, which give the legal description of the property, will also be an important
source of information. There may be some limitations on the availability of early records.
Maps, especially plat maps, are an excellent source for tracing the age of a house,
street, or the development of a particular community. The Sanborn fire insurance maps are
in book form and also on microfilm.
Many older neighborhoods have benefited from studies such as those done by the
Metropolitan Interfaith Association or have been placed on the National Historic Register
by local organizations.
By checking city directories, it is possible to find the year that a particular house
first appears. Select a date that comes closest to the year you believe the house was
built, and then either work back or forward in five-year increments until you have located
the first listing in the directory. This listing names the occupant of the property, which
is, in most cases, also the owner.
From the 1920s through the 1940s, the newspapers had a real estate transactions section
that included pictures of homes with the purchasers' name, seller's name (if not new), and
sales price. Many of these items are in the Memphis Room Information Files; however, it is
also possible to check older newspapers on microfilm if you know when a house was built or
sold.
Many of the street photographs in the Memphis Room show individual houses, neighborhood
areas, or historic houses.
The library does not have architectural drawings.
For more information see:
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