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1. Does the recital give you a grantor and grantee but leaves out the deed book and page reference?

Your first attempt to get back on track is to look in the Grantee and/or the Grantor index to find either of the parties involved in the recital. If the recital uses the phrase “intended to be recorded” look for the deed to be recorded after the deed you found the recital in. Even with “good intentions” the deed may not be recorded. If you locate a reference and the property description within the corresponding deed matches, use the deed reference in the recital to continue your chain of title. If you cannot locate the transaction in the index you most likely have an unrecorded deed. In that case you will have to search for the seller named in the recital in the Grantee index.

2. Does the recital give a list of multiple transactions without specific references to some or all of those transactions?

When you find a recital that lists multiple transactions this typically indicates that the deeds to the property have gone unrecorded for multiple transfers. This is called clearing title; it explains how the current owner has the right to sell the property. If the oldest transaction does not provide you with a reference, you need to check the Grantee index for the seller listed in the oldest transaction in the recital. If you cannot locate the transaction in the index you most likely have an unrecorded deed. Be sure to extract all the names and dates from every transaction listed.

3. Does the deed not have a recital at all?

In this case you want to check the Grantee index for the name of the seller listed on the last recorded deed. Be sure to start looking in the year of the last transaction and work your way back. Bear in mind that a deed may have been recorded many years after the date of the transaction. The date of the actual deed, or instrument, is the important date.

4. Does the recital refer to a patent?

You should consider the patent as the first official deed to your property. It was the final document in the process to claim unseated property, first from William Penn and later from his sons and the Commonwealth. The original records involved in the patent process (including warrants and surveys) are found at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg. These records may contain additional information and researchers are encouraged to contact them for further assistance.

Pennsylvania State Archives Land Records

5. Does the recital refer to a will or an estate sale?

When a property descends through a will or an estate sale, the recital will not provide you with information on how the decedent acquired the property. Your first step will be to check the Grantee index for the decedent’s name.

6. Does the recital refer to a Sheriff’s sale?

When a property is sold by order of the Court of Common Pleas for debt or the County Treasurer for non-payment of taxes, the county sheriff becomes the Grantor of the property. The name of the original owner is not always mentioned in the recorded deed. If this is the case you should consult the Sheriff’s Deed Books for the information. The original owner is the person whose land has been taken or the defendant named in the debt case. Once you have obtained the name of the original owner you need to check the Grantee index.

Be sure to check the Township – Land Record Clippings at that the Chester County Historical Society. You may find a full description of the buildings published with the announcement of the sale.

7. Do you have multiple tracts, each with its own recital?

First you need to discover which tract is yours. Most lots or tracts of land do not stay the same size over the course of time. Your tract at one point either gained or lost acreage. If you find yourself with a deed that cites multiple tracts (clue: they may be referred to as Lot #1, Lot #2 etc) this means that the property now being sold was formed fully or partly from all the tracts listed. If you are certain your house was built prior to the date of the deed and if only one lot description contains the word messuage, it should be easy to determine which recital to follow back. If you are not certain the best option is to plot out each tract and match it with the plots from your previous deeds noting where your house currently stands in relation to the tract’s dimensions as you work your way back.