If walls could speak, oh, the stories your house would tell!  If you own an older home, you’ve probably at some point wondered who slept in your bedroom long before you, or maybe, why that ghost keeps hiding your car keys. Want to get a glimpse into the secret past of your abode? Try these steps.

Steps

1. 

   Inspect your house closely. You can learn a lot just by looking. Check out how your house was built and what type of building materials were used. Examine the walls and moldings. Look for original materials, such as the bricks of the fireplace. Housing design has changed dramatically over the years, and you may be able to find some clues as to when your home was built, what substantial changes it has endured, and how well off the original inhabitants were. You can also get a good idea of how long it’s been since a room was remodeled. Different styles of kitchen cabinets and appliances, for example, go in and out of vogue every few years.

2. Talk to your neighbors. If you’re new to the neighborhood and want to find out about the recent history of your house, your longtime neighbors may be able to help. Plus, asking about your house and the neighborhood is a great way to break the ice.

3. If you live in America, visit your local or county courthouse to look at the deed registry. The registry is usually found in the clerk and recorder’s office. Ask for the registry of deeds for your particular property. In the U.S. this information is indexed by a lot and block number in a city, and a section, township and range for rural property.
   
    
   • Review the history of the purchase and selling price. Sometimes a dramatic increase in the selling price over a short period of time usually means a building or room was added or had a large renovation. Check building permits which list type of structure, dates of construction, details, and owner.

    

4. Track down previous owners to find out what improvements were made. The owner information can also be accessed by tracing the deed history. Once you find out who the previous owners were, track them down by searching the internet or using one of the many commercial people-locator services available. Speaking with those who came before you may allow you to get a better image of the original house. Of course, this is easier said than done if the owners you’re looking for died a hundred years ago.
   
    

5. Check other public records based on owner's names, the address of the house, and any other information available. Often an older house will pass from one owner to another through a mortgage or a will and will thus not show up on deeds. You might want to look at surveyor maps to see if anything had been added or demolished. A good place to start looking is at the assessor’s office in your jurisdiction. The assessor keeps records of the taxable value of the home, and there may be old appraisals on file that describe the house in great detail. You can also check old city directories (reverse phone books that list the homes by address), county histories, vital statistics, and census records.

6. 

   Use library reference rooms and computers to help track down relevant information. Search through historical records and lists of addresses of previous owners. Neighborhood names as well as street signs change with the times.

7. Research the history of your neighborhood. There may be a great deal more information available about your neighborhood than about your house, and this information may provide tremendous insights into your home’s history. For very old houses, which are common in much of Europe, for example, neighborhood information may be all you can find about the early history of your home.

8. Compile all of your information to create a chronological picture of your house. Show how and when it was built, when various parts were added or demolished, and what natural events may have made changes to the house.

 

Tips

• Use a binder or portfolio to organize your findings. This will keep everything neat and easy to locate should you need to show previous owners some of your research.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can often find out as much with one question as you can with hours of research. If you’re making a lot of copies at the public records office or library, one question you should always ask (if it’s not posted) is how much they charge for copies.
• Try to find pictures of the house or neighborhood from past years to give you a good idea of what’s happened in the time since the pictures were taken.

 

Warnings

• Take care in infringing on the personal lives of previous owners or relatives. They may have painful memories which they do not wish to remember, or they may just not want to be bothered. In some cases it might be best to gather your information without personally contacting these people. In any case, respect their wishes if they don’t want to take the time to talk with you.
• Handle delicate and old documents carefully. They may be the only records available. Protect them with clear archival covers (available at scrapbook or crafts stores) and save them in binders.