Howard Co IN USGenWeb Project : Source Materials
Howard County Indiana - Land Records
This section of the Howard County Indiana USGenWeb Project Website focuses on land records in Howard County.
Documents such as plat maps, atlases, and property tax lists are a useful tool for genealogists as they show land ownership and can help to confirm ties between families and neighbors. Plat maps were published on a somewhat regular basis, usually by the county and/or local businesses. They are usually broken down by township and list the owner of the land, as well as the total acreage. The location of the residence is normally indicated, as are schools, cemeteries and other local places of importance. In the mid to late 1800's, the newspaper often published a list of land owners who were delinquent on their property tax.
Find below links to original land patents, plat maps and other property-related materials for the Howard County area. The Land Grant maps are reconstructed based on the descriptions from the Bureau of Land Management's database (see below for more information).
Although Indiana is known as "The Crossroads of America", it has become a permanent home for many pioneers and immigrants looking towards a new life. While the Homestead Act of 1862 is the most well-known legislation to provide an impetus to move West, much of Howard County was already purchased by that time. For information about the history of Indiana public land survey, visit http://www.kokomo.lib.in.us/genealogy/survey.html - courtesy of Carl Leiter and the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library Genealogy and Local History Services. (FYI: This page contains some large graphics and may take some time to load.)
The Bureau of Land Management General Lands Office is building an online database with all the original land patents from federal lands. The Indiana listings are complete through 1908 and can be searched at the Bureau's site.
If you have access to plat maps or other property-related materials for Howard County published before 1921 (the copyright cut-off date) please contact the County Coordinator, Tracey Morris.
Howard Co Indiana Land Patents - 1835-1850
List of Signers of original homestead land grants by township and reconstructed Plat Maps of Land Grants - by section within each township.Twp 24 N - Range 3 E Roughly Clay & NW Center Twp.
- Section 1, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 2, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 3, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 4, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 5, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 6, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 7, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 8, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 9, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 10, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 11, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 12, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 13, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 14, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 15, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 16, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 17, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
- Section 18, Twp 24 N Range 3 E Clay Twp.
1930 Tax List Index
Miscellaneous Land-Related Materials
- Howard Township Landowners in 1877
- 1876 Delinquent Lands (Property Tax) - Clay Twp.
- 1876 Delinquent Lands (Property Tax) - Honeycreek Twp.
- 1876 Delinquent Lands (Property Tax) - Taylor Twp.
- Land Grant Record - Joseph H. Reeder (USGenWeb Archives)
- Land Grant Record - Sarah D. Reeder (USGenWeb Archives)
- Surname Index for Family Maps of Howard County, Indiana, Deluxe Edition OFF SITE LINK - commercial product.