What are deeds?
Deeds are legal records that
document the ownership and conveyance of property. Deeds record the transfer of
real estate from the current owner (grantor) to a new owner (grantee).
The deed is one of the oldest and
most common types of county records. Deed records in Texas are
kept by County Clerk of the county in which the property is located. The
information that can be found in deeds far surpasses the basic transfer of land
from one person to another, and often points to other records or avenues of
research to pursue. Recorded among Travis County deeds are other types of
property records, such as bills of sale, contracts, deeds of trust, easements,
liens, and mortgages. Deeds can provide information about family members,
social status, occupation, and neighbors. Early land deeds are especially
detailed and predate most other record sources, increasing the importance of
land records the further back a researcher goes.
 |
| Travis County Deed Book A, 1840-1844 |
How do I search for
deeds?
Deed records are extremely voluminous and can
take a significant amount of time to research, depending on how much
information you hope to compile on a property. Deed records are not organized
by property address, but rather by the names of the buyers and sellers. If you
are researching the history of a specific property, it is often easiest to
begin with the current property owner and then tracing back the
chain of ownership (if you know the property address but not the owner, start
by looking the property up on the Travis Central Appraisal District website).
In practice, deed research can be a difficult and lengthy process.
When deeds
are recorded, cumulative indexes to the deeds are compiled. There are two types of indexes: the direct
index, which is organized by the grantor (seller) name, and the reverse, or
indirect, index, which is organized by the grantee (buyer) name. Travis County deed indexes can span multiple
years, a single year, or part of a year, depending on the volume of deed
records filed.
 |
| Travis County Direct Index to Deeds 1842-1893, A-D |
Indexes are not listed in strict alphabetical
order, but rather, they are organized chronologically by the first two letters
of the party's last name and the first name. In the grantor (seller) index, entries
are organized by the grantor’s last name; in the grantee (buyer) index, entries
are organized by the grantee’s last name. Each entry includes the names of both
the grantor and grantee, type of instrument (legal document), and the volume
and page number where the full text of the deed is found. Travis County’s
earliest deed indexes do not include the property location, although later
indexes do. When the index does not include the property location, and there
is more than one transaction listed for the names you are searching, you will
need to read the text of each deed to differentiate the properties.
 |
| Travis County Reverse Index to Deeds, 1917- 1927, H-Mc |
It is important to be aware that names may be
misspelled or listed under variations, and there can be multiple individuals
with the same name and multiple transactions between the same parties. If an initial search for a name does not turn
up any information, check under other possible spellings. Early index book
entries are handwritten, and sometimes names can be difficult to read - some
clerks had better handwriting than others. Abbreviations are also commonly
used in indexes. A few examples include:
Chat Mtge – chattel mortgage
Do - ditto (same as above)
D/T - deed of trust
Mchs Lien – mechanics lien
Mtge – mortgage
P/Atty - power of attorney
The Travis County Clerk’s office
records and maintains the county’s deed records. Historically, deeds were recorded
in large bound volumes, and the books are microfilmed for easier access. More
recent deeds are recorded digitally.
Records can be accessed in a
variety of ways, including on microfilm at the County Clerk’s office, online on
the County Clerk’s website, and online on the Portal to Texas History.
- Deeds and Deed Indexes, 1840 – mid-1980s
Deeds from 1840 to
the mid-1980s were recorded in bound volumes; these books are microfilmed, and
the microfilm is available at the County Clerk’s office for visitors to use in
their research.* Until recently, this was the easiest way to access older Travis
County deed records.
However, since
2015, the County Clerk’s office has collaborated with the Travis County Archives to digitize the original bound volumes and place the images online.
Currently, deeds from 1840-1919 and indexes from 1842-1924 (a total of over 300
books) are available online on the Portal
to Texas History. Images are free to access and download. The digitization project is ongoing, and more
books are continuously being added.
Travis County Deed
Records on the Portal to Texas History, 1840-1919 (Books A-Z, 26-315):
Travis County Direct
Deed Indexes, 1842-1924:
Travis County
Reverse Deed Indexes, 1842-1924:
Currently the
Archives is digitizing deed books from the early 1920s and will progress
forward through the decades. To check on the status of a book, you are welcome
to contact the Archives. The Archivist can be reached at 512-854-4675 or christy.costlow@traviscountytx.gov.
For deeds records
that date after 1919 to the mid-1980s, microfilm is the best method of access
until the books are digitized. For a fee, the Clerk’s office scan perform
searches for patrons.
Travis County Clerk
Recording Division
5555 Airport Boulevard
Austin, TX 78751
512-854-9188
More recent deeds can be accessed online
on the County Clerk’s website at https://www.tccsearch.org/.
To search deed records by name:
o
Enter the grantor (seller) name in the grantor
field (format: LastName FirstName)
o
Enter the grantee (buyer) name in the grantee field
(format: LastName FirstName)
o
Select search
o
Click “view” in the image column for the record
you wish to view
o
Note: If you only have one party’s name or do
not know if they are grantor or grantee, you may need to conduct a separate
search under both fields or use the combined name search.
* As of March 24, 2020, Travis County offices and lobbies are closed due to Covid-19 concerns. Normally the office is open for research Monday – Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, except legal holidays.
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