Patent Question

[ThinkingWolf]

My Plat of Survey, big suburb, big subdivision, traced to the original patents seems to fall under TWO patents. Is this simply a result of the land developer acquiring a chunk of land with no concern about patents?

Someone else offered up the Land Patent Search at
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp?

I had no problem locating my real estate.

Anyone know of a handy dandy tool to trace the assignment of the Patent?

[Notorial dissent]

Land Patent were generally issued for 160 to 240 acres depending upon where you are and when the Patents were issued, and under what set of laws, and there are number of different ones to consider. Patents were also issued for as little as 20-60 acres in some instances. It is no surprise that a subdivision development of any size would probably trace back to one if not more Patents.

That being said, it is because at some time in the past the Patent owners sold or gave away their property to someone else, and if you checked the county land records, or the abstract of title if it is available, you would see a long list of owners of that piece of property down to the current point when the developer consolidated the various parcels they had bought and then subdivided them to sell off as housing lots. The Patent is irrelevant to the developer other than that it is a part of the chain of deeds affecting the property and their title to it.

[ThinkingWolf]

So it's safe to say that the county land records are not usually available over-the-wire?

[Notorial dissent]

It will depend on the county, some do, some don't, it depends on what they feel like doing and if they have the money to do it.

The records certainly will be available through either the county clerk or deed recorder, and also at the tax assesors office.