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The McHenry County Historical Society
Historic Sites Committee
HOW TO CONFIRM & DOCUMENT THE AGE OF
YOUR HOUSE
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At the time of purchase, ask the sellers
for any information they may have about the house:
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Property abstracts
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Old deeds
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Names of previous owners
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Pictures
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Old letters or papers with information
pertaining to the house or any of its owners
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Talk to neighbors and senior citizens in
the area.
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Get a legal description of the property.
It will be contained in the title information. This "legal" will be used
in many avenues of research.
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The title company that issued the title
insurance has probably run a title search on the property. A "chain of
title" is necessary for house history research. It may be costly. Some
local title insurance companies allow manual research in their title
books free of charge.
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The Recorder of Deeds office at the
county courthouse has records that are open to the public. Clerks there
will advise on how to use the Grantor-Grantee indices. Know the Property
Identification Number and have the legal description when you go there.
The Grantor books indicate the seller, and the Grantee books indicate
the buyer of the property. Date of sale, quit claim deeds (QC), warranty
deeds (WC), "book and page" information, and brief legal description and
other legal documents may be contained on microfiche in this office.
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The County Treasurer's office at the
courthouse has all real estate and personal property tax records on
microfilm or fiche by date, township and section number. Look for a
large increase in the tax amount, indicating a rise in value (a
structure added), in the "tax due" column.
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The Township Assessor's office may have
old records (from the late 1800's) that contain construction dates,
crude floor plans, builder's names, building materials, etc. These
excellent sources of information may, however, be in storage, as the
offices are mostly computerized, Ask questions, and give clerks time
(weeks) to find the files.
CITY RECORDS
Sanborn Fire Maps, 1880's through at
least 1930
(found at Historical Society, McHenry Public Library or City/Village
Halls)
Building Permits - begin in late 1950's
Biographical information on early
homeowners and business owners is available in the Research Library at
the Historical Society.
Pictures, early postcards, abstracts
and business records may be found at the Historical Society or at
McHenry Public Library's Genealogical Room.
AGENCIES
Chicago Historical Society,
312/542-4600.
Their library contains catalogues of various companies that put out
house plans like Sears, Wards, Budget. The library also contains
information on Chicago architects.
Illinois State Historic Preservation
Agency, Division of Preservation Services, Old State Capitol,
Springfield, IL 62701, 217/785-4512.
Help with National Registers, grants, architects, local government
services.
McHenry County Historical Society
Research Library, 815/923-2267
6422 Main Street, PO Box 434, Union, IL 60180
By Appointment only, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
There is a user fee, but it is free to members.
Northern Illinois University,
815/753-1779
For the Illinois Regional Archives Depository. Microfilmed records
from the county are deposited here. Call and ask what local
information is available.
NEWSPAPERS ON MICROFILM
McHenry Plain Dealer,
found at McHenry Public Library
Nunda Advertiser and
The Herald, found at Crystal Lake Public Library
Woodstock Sentinel, found
at the Woodstock Public Library
Marengo Republican, found
at the Marengo Public Library
Harvard Herald, found at
the Harvard Public Library
These are important sources of building
information, often including detailed descriptions of styling and
layout by builders and contractors.
YELLOW PAGES FROM OLD TELEPHONE BOOKS
They list builders, contractors and
businesses from at least 50 years ago to present.
Call local libraries in regards
to house history research materials available.
PLEASE SHARE ANY ADDITIONAL
SOURCES WITH US SO WE MAY DIRECT OTHERS.
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