Butler County, Ohio, Land Records, Volume 2

Picking up where Volume One left off, typical information in the entries includes type of transaction (most are deeds but there are also quitclaims, mortgages, etc.); grantor(s) and grantee(s) with place of residence for one or both of the parties; the section, township and range of the property; date of the transaction and date of the recording; signers and witnesses; and miscellaneous tidbits such as "Final payment due," "no wife's signature" and "Land now lived upon by." The Miami University Land Leases were copied from two original ledgers that are part of the Havighurst Special Collection, King Library of Miami University. Three types of lots were available: the Oxford town inlot; the larger (four or five acre) outlot adjoining the town; and the farm or country lot, which averaged 100 acres. These lease records contain the lot numbers and the names of the leaseholders in chronological order. Like Volume 1, this work includes a brief history of Butler County, with maps of Symmes' Miami Purchase of 1788 and the Congressional lands of 1800 as contained in early Butler County, and the Butler County townships. The appendix explains some of the terminology used in land records, including the "Military Range" and "School Lands." An everyname index is included. Maps and an appendix enhance the text.