Taking the plunge? Start with archives

— Finding the keys to open the door to your home’s historic past may be as close as a few computer keystrokes or a trip to the local library. Here are some suggested resources to explore:

1 The Quapaw Quarter Association records

at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies: tinyurl.com/7tvw6qu 401 President Clinton Ave.

9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Contains research files of the Quapaw Quarter Association, including 11,000-plus images and files on individual houses and businesses in the Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter neighborhood, arranged by address.

2 Assessors’ records

: arcountydata.com.

Assessors’ records, used to find the Section, Township, and Range for a property as well as details about the house such as square footage and outbuildings, and its recent previous owners, are available for many counties online (although the Butler Center doesn’t have any for Pulaski County).

3 Bureau of Land Management General Land Office records:

glorecords.blm.gov.

Using the Section, Township, and Range information for a property procured from step two above, searches can be made for federal land patents (the initial transfer of a piece of property from the federal government to an individual), surveys, field notes, etc.

4 County court records:

These records, usually found on microfilm, can be used to search the county court records to trace the buying and selling of a property.

5 Sanborn Maps:

Available online via the Butler Center at www.butlercenter.org under the “Genealogy and Research Tools” tab. Get for a password to access the Sanborn Maps database by calling the Central Arkansas Library System at (501) 918-3000.

The maps can be viewed from home by accessing the research databases at your library’s website. CALS cardholders can call (501) 918-3000 for login and password to the Sanborn Maps database.

The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Arkansas range from 1867 to 1970, though not all years are available for all locations.

6 City directories

provide detailed information about the previous residents and are available in print and on microfilm at the Butler Center.

Many libraries carry early editions of relevant directories in their research departments.

7 Arkansas History Commission:

arkives.com.

Additional Arkansas-related resources, including Pulaski County assessment records, can be found at the commission, which is located at One Capitol Mall on the state Capitol grounds. Open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mondays -Saturdays.

HomeStyle, Pages 38 on 08/25/2012

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