I have a survey that needs to show adjoiners. Unfortunately, I have a small parcel that appears to be a remainder. Near as I could tell. It is part of a patent in 1893 of 160 acres. After that, parts were granted off until present day, the last parcel was never granted, so it's John Smith heirs. Whoever they may be.
Problem is there are no longer tract or grantor/grantee books in the vault. It's all scanned. Because of the architecture of the scan it takes maybe 5-10 times longer to use the books that way than open readable books.
It's not an improvement on the old days.
Finally, being frustrated that this parcel is basically unowned now and I missed something, I turned it and some other research over to the title people and they finally came to the same conclusion.
Sometimes progress takes things backwards.
"Finally, being frustrated that this parcel is basically unowned now and I missed something, I turned it and some other research over to the title people and they finally came to the same conclusion."
Pretty much no such thing as an unowned parcel. Somebody must be paying taxes on it, otherwise it would have been leaned and eventually sold at a tax sale/auction. I would show it as unknown heirs to Jon Smith, being a part of the original patent, it was land conveyed to somebody and in the current day, somebody has rights to it if it has not been sold at a tax sale.
"Finally, being frustrated that this parcel is basically unowned now and I missed something, I turned it and some other research over to the title people and they finally came to the same conclusion."
Pretty much no such thing as an unowned parcel. Somebody must be paying taxes on it, otherwise it would have been leaned and eventually sold at a tax sale/auction. I would show it as unknown heirs to Jon Smith, being a part of the original patent, it was land conveyed to somebody and in the current day, somebody has rights to it if it has not been sold at a tax sale.
The GIS shows it blank, no taxes being collected. John Smith is long gone, who knows where the heirs are. There haven't been taxes paid on it for many years if ever.
I agree that researching most county scanned records is really clunky and time consuming. I don’t have the same sense of “history” either when looking at scanned files online. There was just something about those old books that strikes a chord in surveyors who enjoy searching the record.
They've done a pretty good job with the new stuff in IDOC, but in this county that only gets you back to 2004. Some counties go back further, I haven't seen any other counties that take you back to patent with IDOC. In some counties you will need to go to the vault and grab the books. This county doesn't have any books in the vault, all you get is a bank of computers with the books scanned and you have to fight through them looking at a 12" screen. It's a slow and painful experience.
There is a 40 plus 1 rule in this state which often doesn't work for my needs. Case in point is the subject parcel of the OP.
Spent way too much time on that one, it is adjoiner #99 out of 177. Probably should show owner unknown and move on.