Deeds and Land Records

Deeds and Land Records



I get many questions about how to locate land where someone's ancestor lived.  Many times someone will know the land lot number but needs to know where in that militia district they lived.

Cherokee County has a very "unique" way for compiling information on Land Lots which are transferred from owner to owner.  They maintain a Numeric Index in addition to the Alpha list of Grantee and Grantor Indices.  They maintain the information ongoing on the Numeric Index, even for portions of lots.  This is a more time consuming way of keeping track, but it surely is the easiest system when you are the one researching it.

Background Information:
When the ten Georgia counties were formed from the original Cherokee County (which existed from December 1831 until December 1832), it was divided into 4 Sections, running north and south, with the First Section being the easternmost and the Fourth Section bordering on Alabama. Land Districts are used in most of Georgia to designate legal boundaries of land. The Land District is then divided into Land Lots. Each of the 4 Sections mentioned above was divided into Land Districts. These Districts were then divided into Land Lots.

All of present day Cherokee County lies within the 2nd Section and contains all of three Land Districts and parts of six others. So if your ancestor owned part of Land Lot 386, 15th District, 2nd Section, you can find exactly where he lived by using the 1895 Cherokee County map which shows all the Militia Districts, Land Districts and Land Lots.

We thank Mr. Williams for contributing this information to this site. 


Click on the Thumbnail to the left for a map that shows Militia and Land Districts.  This map by Wyndell Taylor

The 1831 Map will also help you with researching the land districts. 
You will find it at the CVIOG Georgia site, or the Hargrett Rare Map Site.
 



Credits:  Mr. Williams - Land District & Courthouse Information
             Map - Militia and Land Districts - Wyndell Taylor
             Map 1831 - CVIOG -

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