Daily AncestorRecorder of deeds
The recorder of deeds is the county official who copies deeds, mortgages and other land papers into the public record books.
The recorder of deeds, also called the register of deeds or county recorder, keeps the official copies of deeds, mortgages, liens and plats. In some places the clerk of court did the job.
When you write for a deed, the recorder's office is usually the place to ask. Many have indexes and record books back to the county's founding, though some were lost to fires.
As seen in a recordRecording note at the end of a deed
Recorded 6 June 1855. Jno. Kerr, Recorder
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Recorder of deeds." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/recorder-of-deeds. Last checked 2026-10-01.