Learn tips and tricks for tracing your ancestors through land records available at multiple government agencies such as local and county tax assessors, county clerks, circuit court offices, and land use departments. Tina will also provide suggestions on how to track your ancestor's property using non-governmental sources like newspapers, directories, maps and more.

Meeting Summary

Every house has a history, but uncovering that history often requires the same detective skills genealogists use to trace their ancestors.

In this informative and practical presentation, Tina Beaird guides attendees through the fascinating process of researching a home’s past, tracing the people who owned or occupied it, discovering when buildings were constructed or modified, and understanding how neighborhoods developed over time.

Tina explains how to approach property research much like family history research: begin with what you know, identify the gaps, and work backward through historical records. She demonstrates how legal property descriptions, deeds, tax assessments, maps, and other documents can help reconstruct the story of a particular piece of land.

Highlights of the Presentation

• Following the chain of ownership: Using recorder of deeds records, grantor and grantee indexes, and legal land descriptions to trace property ownership across generations.
• Understanding property descriptions: Learning how township, range, section, subdivision, block, and lot information can identify a property long before modern street addresses or Property Index Numbers (PINs) existed.
• Using historical tax records: Discovering how changes in property assessments can offer clues about when homes, barns, or other structures were built, expanded, or demolished.
• Finding the people who lived there: Looking beyond ownership records to personal property tax rolls, city directories, newspapers, and other sources that may identify tenants and residents.
• Exploring historical maps and building records: Using plat maps, Sanborn fire insurance maps, aerial photographs, building permits, and architectural surveys to visualize how a property changed over time.
• Discovering overlooked resources: Learning how libraries, historical societies, preservation commissions, university archives, and online collections can provide valuable evidence.

Throughout the presentation, Tina shares examples from communities throughout the Chicago area, including Arlington Heights, Plainfield, and Cook and Will Counties. She also explains why record availability varies between jurisdictions and how changes in county boundaries and government offices can affect historical research.

One especially valuable lesson is that researching a home involves more than finding its previous owners. Tax records, maps, newspaper advertisements, and local history collections can reveal how a neighborhood developed, what buildings once stood on the property, and how the lives of its residents fit into the broader history of the community.

Whether you are researching the house where you grew up, an ancestral family home, or your current residence, Tina provides a practical framework for uncovering the stories hidden within its walls.

Why Watch This Video?

Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you, when it was built, or what stood on that land a hundred years ago?

Your home’s history may be waiting in records you never thought to search.

In Brick by Brick: Tracing Your Home’s History, Tina Beaird shows how genealogical research techniques can reveal the history of a house, the people associated with it, and the changing neighborhood surrounding it.

This Presentation Is Especially Worth Watching Because:

• You’ll learn where to begin. Tina explains how to turn a modern address into a historical research project and how to work backward through records.
• You’ll discover records you may have overlooked. Property tax books, building permits, personal property assessments, and historical maps can reveal surprising details.
• You’ll see real Chicago-area examples. Tina demonstrates resources and research methods particularly relevant to genealogists studying northeastern Illinois.
• You’ll learn how to identify more than just owners. Discover techniques for locating renters and other residents who may never appear in property deeds.
• You’ll uncover the story of the land itself. Learn how subdivisions, changing boundaries, and historical development shaped the places our ancestors called home.

One particularly interesting takeaway is how a sudden increase in property taxes can help identify when a building was constructed, even when the original building permit no longer exists.

Tina also introduces valuable research collections that can lead to photographs, old maps, architectural records, and other documents that bring a property’s history to life.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about your childhood home, your ancestors’ property, or the history of your neighborhood, this presentation will give you the tools and inspiration to begin your own investigation.

A home’s history is also family history. Sometimes the buildings and land our ancestors left behind can tell us stories that traditional genealogical records cannot.

Tina Beaird is a prominent genealogist and the owner of Tamarack Genealogy, with extensive experience in genealogy and local history.

Professional Background

Current Roles: Tina Beaird serves as the Genealogy and Local History Librarian at the Plainfield Public Library in Illinois. She is also the owner of Tamarack Genealogy, where she focuses on genealogical research and preservation of local history.

Education: She holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science with a specialization in Archives/Preservation from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.

Contributions to Genealogy

Experience: Tina has over 20 years of experience assisting researchers and has been actively involved in genealogical research for more than 30 years. She has received multiple grants for digitizing and preserving historic documents and photographs.

Leadership Roles: She is the First Vice President of the Illinois State Genealogical Society and serves on the board of the Oswegoland Heritage Association. Additionally, she is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and the Association of Professional Genealogists.