Gold Rush Maps & Mapping Questions...

[lilrich2u]

So I'm on a quest for a particular treasure, but kinda at a standstill right now. I need the property address or location from a piece of land that was purchased in California in 1850. He bought the property before there was even a town or any kind of city municipality. I found one map of the area with all the property owners names with the approx. locations from the 1880's, but does me little good because the guy died over 10 years prior and his land was sold. Do title companies typically keep records going back that far, or is there a office with the city/county that might have those records? Any ideas or suggestions on where to start? Thank you for any help.

 

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[aarthrj3811]

Just a suggestion...Go to the county and check the Claims Records...Art

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I doubt records are kept back that far. For example, property transcation records back that far in my area, that far back, just got given to the historical society. Who in turn just put them in a vault probably never to see the light-of-day again. And even then-so, probably purged of ancillary materials decades ago, so just various ledgers, summary pages, etc.... But I may be wrong. If your county has been incoorporated as a county that long, you can check with the assessors office (who .... afterall .... has property transaction records, and they are public access). But if you start asking the average desk clerk there, I bet the microfilm and lobby books they can show you, would not go back that far. And if you attempted to ask the average modern desk clerk "where are the earlier records", it's something that would have to go to superiors, who in turn would have to go to superiors, etc.... But worth a try.

 

[cw0909]

maybe with this pdf in hand,you could make your way through the assessor office/dept.
and or other offices/depts.,could get lucky google California land records in 1850,and
one of the genweb sites for your county might have something online,or the co. may
have something up,welcome to Tnet

http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/local-gov-program/pdf/historical-county-records.pdf

The California GenWeb
California State Office Directory
Directory - Bureau of Land Management California

 

[Mackaydon]

lilrich2you,
Welcome to Treasure Net !!
A little history of California land titles might be of interest and assistance in your search. Originally, the Spanish granted land concessions from 1769-1821. Your guy may have received one. More likely, he may have received a Mexican land grant that was given to influential Californians of Spanish descent. Ownership was memorialized as a handwritten topo map defining the area of ownership.
In 1846,the US declared war on Mexico; the war ended in 1848. The treaty that ended the war provided that Mexican land grants would be honored; the title records were sent from Monterey, MX to the States so that title could be investigated and confirmed.
In 1851 , all holders of Spanish and Mexican land grants were required to present their claims to the Board of California Land Commissioners. The process took an average of 17 YEARS to confirm title.
Meanwhile (have I lost you yet?), in 1850, the Calif. legislature met and adopted a recording system for land titles.

"Back in the day" (I started doing this 50 years ago), you could order an Abstract of Title that would provide you with a chain of title report going back to a Spanish land grant if such records were available. Today, you can go to a title company and order a Certificate of Title or a 'cancelled title policy' that will show you who owns the property today. But you need the address of the property first. That can be obtained through a title company doing a Grantor-Grantee search by name.
The biggest clue you gave was the fact the property was sold between 1850 and "ten years prior' to the 1880s. During that time, records were kept, but how extensive they are today can only be ascertained by either doing the Grantee/Grantor check yourself, hiring a third party to do the same or giving the assignment to a title company.
Tom's suggestion, above (assessor's office), may also lead you to the answer you seek.
I hope that helps,
Don.....