New to Land Research? — A 3-Step Guide

  1. Start with the Indexes. Search the grantor (seller) and grantee (buyer) indexes for your surname and variants. Note the deed book, page, year, and role. If searching online images, use the FamilySearch catalog below.
  2. Pull the deed & chain the title. Read witnesses, neighbors, metes & bounds, and prior references (e.g., “being the same land conveyed to…”). Walk backward (to earlier owners) or forward (to later sales), building a property timeline.
  3. Map it. If the deed cites a recorded plan/lot, check plan books. For rural tracts, correlate calls (creeks, roads, neighbors) with Caldwell 1878, warrantee township maps, and county GIS.

Tip: Bring in tax lists and probate files to confirm occupancy years and identify heirs who inherited or sold the property.

FamilySearch Catalog — Deeds & More

  • Jefferson County, PA Deed books, 1818–1887; indexes to deeds, 1818–1910
    Open catalog listing

    Includes deed volumes and separate grantor/grantee indexes. Image access may require sign-in; some items viewable only at Affiliate Libraries.

  • Roads, plats, and related local records
    Search the catalog for “roads,” “survey,” “plan,” or a specific borough (e.g., “Punxsutawney—maps”).
  • Township & borough records
    Some borough/township offices hold working copies of historic plans; originals are typically recorded with the Recorder of Deeds.

Note: If the page shows a camera with a key icon, try from a FamilySearch Affiliate Library or the FamilySearch Library.

Metes & Bounds — Quick Help

  • Bearings: Read as “North 45° East” → travel 45° toward the east from north. Opposites differ by 180°.
  • Distances: 1 perch = 16.5 feet; 1 chain = 66 feet = 4 rods = 100 links; 80 chains = 1 mile.
  • Calls: Each boundary line (“thence…”) ends at a corner (tree/stone/post). Corners often cite neighbors.
  • Natural features: Streams and roads move—use historic maps to reconcile to the modern landscape.
  • Plotting: Transcribe calls line-by-line; you can sketch by hand on graph paper or use a basic plotting tool. Close the polygon—if it doesn’t close, look for copy errors or magnetic declination issues.
  • Cross-evidence: Confirm with tax lists, probate, and neighbors’ deeds that repeat the same abutters.

Common abbreviations: deg (°), min (′), sec (″), ch (chain), lks (links), R (rod/perch/pole).

Jefferson County Courthouse Pointers

Address: 200 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825
Phone: (814) 849-1606
Website: jeffersoncountypa.gov
Email (general): commissioners@jeffersoncountypa.gov

  • Recorder of Deeds: Deed books, grantor/grantee indexes, and plan/plat books. Request by book/page from the index. Ask for recorded plans for borough lots.
    Recorder of Deeds Office · Phone: (814) 849-1645 · recorder@jeffersoncountypa.gov
  • Prothonotary / Civil: Road/view petitions and civil cases may include maps or surveys.
    Phone: (814) 849-1610
  • Tax Assessment / Commissioners: Annual assessments help confirm occupancy between deeds.
    Assessment Office · Phone: (814) 849-1630
  • Register & Recorder / Orphans’ Court: Estates that transfer land to heirs (see Probate for guardianships and partitions).

On-site tip: Bring a chain-of-title log; note every prior reference (“being the same land…”) and every neighbor named in the calls.

Jefferson County Archives

The Jefferson County Archives preserves permanent county records that intersect with land ownership and road layouts.

Location: E.M. "Jack" and Jean Parker Archives314 N. Pickering St., Brookville, PA 15825
Phone: 814-849-0077 to set an appointment
Website: Jefferson County Archives - Jefferson County History Center

  • Typical holdings: Commissioners’ minutes & road books, road/view petitions, older assessment/tax duplicates, historic map copies, and select court series.
  • Research tip: Road/view petitions list abutters—often the fastest way to rebuild a neighborhood cluster for metes & bounds tracts.
  • Access: Call or email first for appointment requirements or to request specific dockets by township/year.

Repositories & Local Sources

  • Jefferson County History Center
    172 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825
    Phone: (814) 849-0077
    Website: jchconline.org
    Email: info@jchconline.org
    Atlases, township maps, tax books, vertical files, photographs.
  • Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society
    400 West Mahoning Street, Punxsutawney, PA 15767
    Phone: (814) 938-2555
    Website: punxsyhistory.org
    Email: punxsyhistory@outlook.com
    Borough maps, Sanborns, family files, and local deed abstracts.
  • Pennsylvania State Archives (PHMC)
    1681 North Sixth Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102
    Phone: (717) 783-3281
    Website: phmc.pa.gov / Archives
    Email: ra-statearchives@pa.gov
    Warrantee Township Maps, Copied Survey Books, and patent records.
  • FamilySearch Library (Salt Lake City) & Affiliate Libraries
    Find a FamilySearch Center
    Access to Jefferson County deed book images and catalog materials.

Pennsylvania Land: Warrants, Surveys & Patents

To push ownership into the earliest period, consult Pennsylvania’s state-land system: warrant applications, surveys, and patents. Jefferson County tracts appear on warrantee township maps and in Copied Survey Books.

Tip: Names on warrantee maps are first-title holders; later atlas owners (e.g., Caldwell 1878) reflect subsequent conveyances.

Historic Maps & Atlases

Use maps to translate deed descriptions into places you can see.

Parent & Neighbor Counties

Families near county lines or before township formation often recorded deeds in adjacent courthouses.

  • PAClarion
  • PAClearfield
  • PAArmstrong
  • PAIndiana
  • PAForest
  • PAElk

Use our Boundary Changes resources to confirm the correct jurisdiction by year.

How to Use Full-Text Search to Find Neighbors & Mentions

Full-text search lets you find your people in digitized books, county histories, deed abstracts, and newspapers—even when the name appears only as a witness or neighbor in someone else’s deed.

FamilySearch Full-Text — Official Tips

  • Filter your results: use the filters panel (upper-left) to narrow hits quickly.
  • Exact word/phrase: quotation marks — "Henry Jones".
  • Include a word/phrase: + — +Judith.
  • Exclude a word/phrase: - — -John.
  • Different spellings: ? — Jens?n finds Jensen/Jenson.
  • Word stems/wildcards: * — Car* matches car, cars, carriage, carpenter, etc.

Practical land-research patterns

  • Witness & role clues: "being the same land", "by lands of", "beginning at" + a surname, e.g., "by lands of" "Henderson".
  • Variant names: try initials, nicknames, and wildcards: J* L* "Bassett", Bas?e?t.
  • Place anchors: combine a hamlet/borough with deed words: "Sprankle Mills" (deed OR plat OR lot).
  • Neighbors cluster: search two surnames together: "Bassett" "Henderson" with filters for County/Collection.

Workflow tip: When you spot a deed citation (book/page) inside a digitized history, pull that deed from the catalog section and add it to your chain-of-title log.

Research Tips

  • Always log both sides: search grantor and grantee indexes for each surname variant.
  • Triangulate with maps: line up calls with Caldwell 1878, warrantee maps, and GIS.
  • Exploit neighbors: repeat abutters across multiple deeds to nail the location.
  • Mind the gaps: use probate to explain missing deed transfers (heirs/partitions).
  • Follow the money: nominal consideration often signals family conveyances; check witnesses for kin.

Jefferson PDFs (auto-updating)

This list pulls from our PDF Index; it auto-updates as we add new scans. Prefer browsing everything? Visit the PDF Index or the file directory.

How to Cite Jefferson County Land Records

Cite both the original record and, when applicable, where you accessed it (courthouse, archives, FamilySearch, or this website). Examples:

  • Deed (courthouse or FS images):
    Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, Recorder of Deeds, Deed Book A: 42, John Smith to George D. Bassett, 12 May 1836; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 31 Oct 2025).
  • Recorded plan / borough lot:
    Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, Recorder of Deeds, Plan Book 1, p. 14, “Plan of the Borough of Brookville,” Lot 12, Block B; viewed in office, Brookville, Pennsylvania.
  • Warrantee township map (state-land):
    Pennsylvania State Archives, Warrantee Township Map, Rose Township, Jefferson County, tract of William Henderson; PHMC digital image (accessed 31 Oct 2025).
  • Webpage (this site):
    “Deeds & Land Records,” Jefferson County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb (https://jefferson.pagenweb.org/deeds.html : accessed 31 Oct 2025).

Prefer a formal style? Adapt to Evidence Explained or Chicago notes, ensuring creator, series/book, page, jurisdiction, and access path are included.

Deeds & Land FAQ

What if the index shows only initials?

Check surrounding years and both grantor/grantee sides. Cross-reference with tax lists and the 1878 atlas plate to confirm which person owned land in that location.

The deed describes “Lot X in the recorded plan of <Borough>.” Where is that?

Look in plan/plat books at the Recorder of Deeds. Note the plan name/date, block, and lot. Then compare to Sanborn maps and modern GIS.

How do I follow land after an owner dies?

Search probate (Orphans’ Court) for guardianships, partitions, or distributions. Heirs’ deeds often cite the decedent and prior deed references.

What’s the fastest way to find neighbors?

Use the full-text patterns above plus the 1878 atlas for the township. Search for repeated adjoining names in multiple deeds.

Glossary of Land & Deed Terms

Grantor / Grantee

Seller / buyer of the property.

Metes & Bounds

Boundary description using directions, distances, and landmarks.

Calls

Individual lines of a boundary (e.g., “N 45° E 120 perches to a white oak”).

Premises

The land being conveyed (sometimes described by prior deed reference).

Consideration

Amount/value paid; nominal values can indicate family transfers.

Warrant / Survey / Patent

State-land sequence: application → measured survey → final grant.

Recorded Plan / Plat

Official borough/town plan showing blocks, lots, streets; cited in lot deeds.

Chain of Title

Ownership trail constructed by following deed references forward/backward.

Need a term added? Send a note to the coordinator (see footer).

Contribute Deeds & Land Material

Do you have deed abstracts, plan/plat scans, locality maps, or township indexes that name Jefferson County residents? We welcome scans and transcripts. Please contact the coordinator to contribute your materials.