Researching the History of an Old House in Cecil County presented on March 1st.

The speaker’s series for the winter of 2013-14 continues at the Historical Society on March 1 when two professional title searchers explore how to dig through records to determine the history of a piece of property or an old house.  In the informative, how-to program, Wendy Webb and Darlene McCall share special skills and insights that will show you how they go about finding the conveyances, the metes and bounds in deeds, and all the things that are crucial to understanding and documenting a property.

Combined they have nearly 80 years of experience combing through deeds, mortgages, tax records, real estate documents, wills, and other public records, while creating property chains that show who bought a property and from whom, as well as when they bought it.  Wendy, and business partner Rosemary Jackson, own “Title Abstract & Research, Inc.” a firm that searches public records in Cecil County for attorneys, realtors, surveyors, and title insurance companies. Darlene retired from the practice, after working for an Elkton attorney.  She is an active Cecil County genealogist and local history researcher, helping other investigate the areas heritage in old newspapers, photographs, maps and other sources.

During the lecture, Wendy, will demonstrate the use of the latest online tools for Maryland Land Records, plats, and property tax assessments.  The Maryland Judiciary, the Clerk of the Court, and the Maryland State Archives provide online access to records, which makes this aspect of being a history detective a little easier, once you learn how to navigate the systems.  And Darlene has done a case study on a local property, leveraging the sources of genealogists and historians such as obituaries, newspapers, and family records, which she will discuss.

Representatives from the Cecil County Historic District Commission will also be on hand to answer questions for anyone interested in learning about listing a property on the Cecil County registry.  The Commission, a part of county government, is charged with preserving historic resources such as old buildings.

This free program, sponsored by the Historical Society of Cecil County, takes place at 2:00 p.m. on March 1^, 2014, at the 135 E. Main Street in Elkton.