This guide was originally published on 9 March 2023.

Overview:
The purpose of this guide is to help keep the information being abstracted from deed books standardized in order to increase the searchability of the spreadsheets being created. The system was designed to be used for deeds in the land lottery sections of Georgia and for areas that use the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). The former divides an area being surveyed up into a large county, then into rectangular land districts (LD), and then finally into square land lots (LL). Alabama and Florida are the areas of the Wiregrass Region that use the PLSS. The PLSS divides land up into 6-mile x 6-mile squares known as townships. Townships are designated with a township number by how far north or south they are from the baseline for area, and then with a range number based upon how far east and west they are from an area's principal meridian.

While not originally intended to be used for areas that use the metes and bounds system of survey, a set of best practices has been established as to how to include land using that surveying system too. In Georgia, the metes and bounds survey system for the coastal counties and also for the counties east of the Oconee River. In Georgia, the areas using metes and bounds had their land originally issued through the headright system or through a crown grant system during the colonial period.

0. Table of Contents:

1. General Spreadsheet Formatting:
A. CLDLL/Grant and Sect. Town. Range. Spreadsheets.
B. Headright and Colonial Grant Abstracting Spreadsheets.
2. Grantor/Grantee Column: Standards Related to Names and Places and Their Modifiers:
A. General Name Spelling Standards.
B. Place of Residence Standards.
C. Other Modifiers to Names.
3. Details of the CLDLL/Grant Format:
A. General Usage.
B. County Codes and Colonial Parish Codes.
C. Subdivided Land Lots and General Usage of the Notes Column.
D. Format for Headright Grants and Colonial Grants.
E. Deeds for PLSS Land Recorded in Georgia Counties:
4. Details of the Sect. Town. Range. Format:
A. General Usage.
B. Georgia Deeds Recorded in PLSS States.
5. Town and City Deeds:
6. Amount Column:
7. Instrument Date and Recorded Date Columns:
8. Book and Page Columns:
9. Destroyed Deed Books, Missing Deed Books, and Re-Recorded Deeds:
A. Courthouse Disasters and Destroyed Deed Books.
B. Missing Deed Books.
C. Re-Recorded Deeds.
10. Current County Column:
11. Deeds Involving Enslaved Persons:
12. All Other Property:
13. Other Documents That Appear in Deed Books:
A. Wills and Other Probate Records.
B. Court Cases and Court Minutes.
C. Military Records.
D. Naturalization Records.
E. Recommendations for Other Records:
14. Changes and Updates:

1. General Spreadsheet Formatting:
1. A. CLDLL/Grant and Sect. Town. Range. Spreadsheets:
There are two general spreadsheet formats used by the WRDHP for abstracting deeds. The first, CLDLL/Grant, is used for Georgia. Below is an example of the column headings used in a CLDLL/Grant style. 

The second primary spreadsheet format is a Sect. Town. Range. style spreadsheet. A sample is below:

Overall the formats are more or less the same. They both share the following columns:
Grantor: A grantor is the seller for deeds and the borrower for mortgages.
Grantee: A grantee is the person receiving the property.
Amount: The amount being paid.
Date: The instrument date.
Recorded: The date the deed was recorded.
Bk:  Bk is short for book. In other words the letter or number of a deed book.
Page: The page number or folio number of a deed book.
Notes: This column is used for any other information or commentary about a deed.
Current County: The current county where a piece of real estate is currently (that is the modern present year) located.

The major differences between CLDLL/Grant and  Sect. Town. Range. are the columns from where they get their names.
C: The original county (or colonial parish) a piece of real estate was in at the time it was surveyed.
LD: The land district a piece of real estate is in.
LL/Grant: The land lot a piece of real estate is in, or the basic grant information for headright areas.

Sect. Town. Range. is a single column that is used for the Section, Township, and Range information for real estate in PLSS areas.  Sect. Town. Range. also has an Aliquot column. Aliquot is the term used for how a section from a PLSS township is subdivided. An aliquot would be something like the west half of the southeast quarter or the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter.

1. B. Headright and Colonial Grant Abstracting Spreadsheets:

When abstracting deed records for headright counties it is strongly recommended that a secondary spreadsheet be created that abstracts the basic information of headright grants and colonial grants. The columns used by WRDHP are:
Name: The name [surname, first name] of the person who was granted the land.
Warrant Date: The date of the warrant for the grant.
Survey Date: The date the land was surveyed.
Acres: The number of acres granted.
Adjoining: The list of the adjacent property owners or features.
Features and Notes: Specific geographic features that show up in the survey, like roads, and named bodies of water. If a survey has been identified as being within the county whose land grants are being abstracted was originally granted in another county it is recommended that the grant be cross-listed in both the original county and the current county. That the grant was originally recorded in a different county must be noted.
Located?: Has the survey been located on a modern map? WRDHP has been using an X to indicate that the grant has been located, but Yes or No, checkmarks, etc. can also be used.
Link: A URL to the image of the survey if it is available.

2. Grantor/Grantee Column: Standards Related to Names and Places and Their Modifiers:
2. A. General Name Spelling Standards.
The names of grantors and grantees should be typed as they appear in the record.

The concept of standardized spelling of a name is a 20th-century concept that has arisen due to government issues documents like birth certificates and social security cards. In the 1800s, there were often MULTIPLE correct spellings of a surname or even first names. Some examples include:
Beville/Bevill/Bevel
Corbett/Corbitt
Going/Goines
Greene/Green
Hancock/Handcock
Harpe/Harp
Hendrix/Hendricks
Hires/Hiers/Hiars
Hixson/Hickson/Hixon
Matthews/Mathis
Reid/Reed
Robinson/Roberson/Robertson
Sellars/Sellers
Shadwick/Chadwick
Wetherington/Witherington

In some cases, it could be that the people were illiterate and the county clerk was just going by what the name sounded like.

There are also a lot of instances of names adding or dropping a final s over time.
Abel/Abels
Daniel/Daniels
Shiver/Shivers

Then there are also instances where a non-English name has been Anglofied:
Brocard becoming Brokaw
Chavez becoming Chavers
Heidschuh becoming Hitechew/Hitshoe
MacDonald becoming McDaniel
McTerrell becoming Terrell
Nunez becoming Eunice

Type the surnames as they appear in the record. If it is apparent that the clerk has obviously butchered a name add the more accepted spelling at the end of the record surrounded by brackets. So something like:

If initials are used instead of a first name and middle name use what the record uses, even if the full name is known. If a record uses initials in one spot and a fuller name in another location, use the fuller name.

If there are multiple grantors or multiple grantees separate them with commas. Use a standard Oxford comma for the last grantor/grantee

2. B.  Place of Residence Standards.
Deeds records will typically list the county or city of residence of the grantor and grantee along with their state of residence.

Use the two-letter standard USPS abbreviations for all US states and territories. Spell out the word county in full.

For South Carolina districts use the word district even if the district has since been deemed a county if the original record uses the word district. Do similarly for Louisiana parishes.

If a state was a territory at the time of the record do not note it.  A record stating "John Smith of the territory of East Florida and the county of Jefferson " should be typed as "John Smith of Jefferson County, FL."

For residences from other countries spell out the residence in full.

Do not include Georgia Militia District numbers if they are given as residences.

If the record gives a former place of residence for a person record that information in parentheses immediately after the name. So a deed record stating "William T Cunningham, formerly of the county of Macon and the state of Georgia, but now of the county of Brooks and the same state aforementioned" would be typed as "William T Cunningham (formerly of Macon County, GA) of Brooks County, GA".

There are several counties in Georgia that have had variant spellings occasionally used in documents. Use the modern standard spellings of these counties. The most common counties with this issue are:
Bryan County (often spelled Bryant County)
Bulloch County (often spelled Bullock County)
Clarke County (often spelled Clark County)
Greene County (often spelled Green County)
Irwin County (often spelled Irvin County or Irving County)
Laurens County (often spelled Lawrence County or Laurence County)
Screven County (often spelled Scriven County)
Wilcox County (often spelled Willcox County)

If the residence is the same as the county whose records are being abstracted omit the residence information. For WRDHP spreadsheets, every grantor/grantee name without a place of residence listed is implied to be the same as the county being abstracted if the residence information is not listed. There are three exceptions to this:

1. The first exception to listing residences within the same county being abstracted is when a record lists the town or city of residence. In other words, if a deed record says "John Smith of Lowndes county and the state of Georgia" and you are abstracting Lowndes County, GA deeds type "John Smith"; however, if the record says "John Smith of the town of Naylor and the state of Georgia" type "John Smith of Naylor, GA".

2. The second exception is if there are multiple grantors and grantees and the various grantors (or the various grantees) live in several different counties or states.  If the record states  "John Smith of the county of Lowndes and the state of Georgia,  Jane Smith Haynes of the county of Jefferson and the state of Florida" type "John Smith of Lowndes County, GA, and Jane Smith Haynes of Jefferson County, FL".

3. A third exception is when deed records from deed books that have been destroyed are being reconstructed from deeds that were re-recorded later. List the county information for the pages being reconstructed, but omit the residence information from the re-recorded deed.


City, County, and State Governments:
When a grantor or grantee is a governmental organization do not list the names of the members of the government, only list the governmental organization. If the grantor is the various members of the Lowndes County Commissioners just type, "Lowndes County". For the mayor and city council of Valdosta, just type "Valdosta". Likewise, if a deed or land grant is from the state of Georgia and is signed by the governor at the time just type, "Georgia" instead of George M Troup.

2. C. Other Modifiers to Names:

Familiar Relationships:
Occasionally, there will be other information in deed records that will make it where the basic name of a grantor or grantee will need to be modified. In general additional information should be added after the name in parentheses.

Some deeds will tell the relationship between the people involved in the deed. Put information about relationships between people in parentheses. For example: William Smith and Mary N Smith (his wife)

Trusteeships and Guardianships:
There are also deeds with people acting as guardians/trustees for people or trustees for organizations (such as masonic lodges or churches). In these instances, list the guardian/trustee first and then in parentheses put who or what they were a trustee for. For example:
Taylor Moore, Tommie Johnson, Ed Duncan, Mitchell Robinson, Henry Williams, P M Moore, and C Pierce (trustees for Second Oak Grove Baptist Church)

Professions:
Some deeds, liens, agreements, and other records recorded in deed books will occasionally list a person's profession. List the profession in parentheses after the name. For example:
Abijah Hall (carpenter and millwright)

Race:
In the decades before and immediately after the American Civil War, if a person was not white, but somehow owned property their race would often be recorded. In these circumstances put the information as it is written in the record after the name in parentheses. For example:
Frank Ward (colored)

Sheriff Sales and US Marshall Sales:
Not all instances of a person selling property were done willingly. Foreclosed mortgages or unpaid taxes lead to a person's property being sold by the county sheriff. If the person whose property is being sold is known list their name and then "sheriff sale" in parentheses. For example:
Charles O Force (sheriff sale)

Do similarly for US Marshall sales. For example:
Moseley, Wells & Co (US marshall sale)

3. Details of the CLDLL/Grant Format:
3. A. General Usage:

Every original county in Georgia has been assigned a specific code that will go into the C column. "Original county" is used to mean the counties that were either surveyed into land lots or the counties where headright grants were granted. The map below shows the original survey counties with the county lines in 1895 overload on top of them. For a version of the map that can be zoomed in on please see the Georgia Archives' digital copy here.

Only one county code is to be used per row in a spreadsheet. Likewise, only one land district (LD) is to be used per row. Multiple land lots (LL) can be listed in a single row if they are all in the same original county and the same original land district. Land lot numbers are to be separated by a comma and a space. Land lot numbers are to be listed in numerical order. If a deed lists land in multiple land districts, list the land districts in numerical order. Similarly, if a deed list lands in multiple original counties list the counties in alphabetical order.

If the original county is unidentifiable put a single question mark [?] in the C column. If the land district is unidentifiable put two question marks in the LD column. If the land lot is unidentifiable put three question marks in the LL/Grant column. Try to identify at least the county or the land district if at all possible. If the land lot number can be identified through other deeds add the land lot number in brackets [ ] in the LL/Grant column.

If the land lot number or land district number is difficult to tell due to illegible handwriting add a question mark to the end of the number. If an alternative land lot number is speculated add "[maybe ___?]" following the number.

Due to LD 10 and LD 11 of old Appling County being surveyed into multiple noncontiguous sections. Land district numbers for those land districts are to have an additional number after them. Land district 11, section 1 would be "11.1" and land district 11, section 2 would be "11.2". The land district numbers for all other counties do not need to be modified.

In order to make searching for specific land lots easier in a spreadsheet if a land lot number is just one or two digits in length, a second version of the number is to be put in at end of the normally listed numbers following a comma and then the text for the second version of the numbers and the final comma is to be changed to white. Below are several deeds with land lot numbers having only one or two digits. One cell is highlighted to show the hidden digits. Using the search function in a spreadsheet to find any cell with just a 5 will bring up potentially hundreds of cells that have nothing to do with LL 5, but having 005 in hidden white text allows entries related to LL 5 to be easily found.

3. D. Format for Headright Grants and Colonial Grants.

The usage of the C column (aka the original County column) is the same for headright grants and colonial grants. Headright grant/colonial grant counties did not use a land district system, so instead put HR for headright or CG for colonial grant in the LD column.

The LL/Grant column is used completely differently for headright grant/colonial grant counties than how it is used for land lot counties. Ideally the grants for headright/colonial grant counties should be abstracted before deeds for those counties are abstracted. This makes it easier to identify the original grant when later records poorly describe the land. Ideally, a deed record for headright grant/colonial grant counties should include:
1. The name to whom the land was originally granted.
2. The date of the original survey or the date the land was granted.
3. The original acreage of the grant.

For such an ideal scenario an entry should look something like below:

Occasionally a tract of headright or colonial grant land will develop a nickname. If a nickname for a tract is mentioned in a deed add the nickname in quotes after the acreage with the nickname separated from the acreage by a comma. For example:
Langley Bryant. 1787. 200 acres, "Egypt"

A new row should be used for each separate headright/colonial grant tract mentioned in a deed.

That is the ideal scenario for headright and colonial grant counties, but that is rarely the case in practice. Deed records for headright/colonial grant counties will often only list the acreage

Making an effort to identify the grant information for tracts is recommended. If the grant information can be identified, but is not listed in the deed itself put the information in the LL/Grant column in brackets following the information that is listed.

If the deed does not make it clear if the land was granted under the headright system which began in 1783 put two question marks in the LD column, and put the county code used for the county if it was a headright grant.

Very often a deed in a headright/colonial grant county will just give the acreage for the deed. If the nature of the grant cannot be identified, after filling at the C and LD columns as mentioned above just put the acreage for the tract in the LL/Grant column.

If only a part of a tract of a known grant is being sold in a headright/colonial grant county put "part" in brackets after the acreage or tract name of the grant then describe any additional information about the tract in the notes column. For example:
LL/Grant:
Ambrose Gordon. 1786. 7,187.5 acres, "Traders Hill" [part]

Notes: 830 acres, adjoining the lands of William Cohen, John Brooks, and E R Alberti, known as Traders Hill

3. E. Deeds for PLSS Land Recorded in Georgia Counties:

Occasionally there will be deeds in Georgia deed books for areas outside of Georgia that use the PLSS. This is very common for areas in South Georgia or for areas near the Alabama border.

The information for PLSS deeds is to all go in the notes column. Use the standard initialisms listed in section 3. C. for the aliquots. The section, township, and range information is to be expressed in the following standard format: S##. T##_. R##_. The numbers for each section, township, and range should have two digits. Section 2 should therefore be written as S02. Each township will have a number and a direction north or south. Each range will have a number and a direction east or west.

PLSS deeds recorded in Georgia should have their aliquots listed before the Sect. Town. Range. information, and be separated from the Sect. Town. Range. by a comma. Aliquots for separate sections should be listed separately, but listed together in one row. Information for different sections should be separated by semicolons. Likewise, information for separate townships and ranges should be separated by semicolons. For example:
NEQ of NEQ, S18. T02N. R13E; SH of SEQ, S17. T02N. R13E;

For PLSS deeds, the C, LD, and LL/Grant columns should be blacked out as seen below.

4. Details of the Sect. Town. Range. Format:
4. A. General Usage:

As mentioned in section 3. E. the standard directional initialisms are to be used for aliquot information. Unlike the CLDLL/Grant Format, the Sect. Town. Range. Format of spreadsheets has a column for aliquot information. Section, township, and range information should be listed in the Sect. Town. Range. column in the S##. T##_. R##_ format as discussed in section 3. E. Aliquot information goes in the aliquot column.

PLSS deeds with multiple sections should be listed in separate subsequent rows. Likewise, PLSS deeds with multiple townships and ranges should be listed in separate subsequent rows. Only PLSS deeds in the exact same section, township, and range should be listed in the same row.

4. B. Georgia Deeds Recorded in PLSS States:

Deeds for land originally surveyed in Georgia will occasionally be recorded in states that mainly use the PLSS. For areas in North Florida, this is common as a strip that was originally Georgia became Florida in 1866. The information for all such deeds should be put into the notes column. Deeds for land lot areas should be listed beginning with LL followed by the land lot number(s), then a period, followed by LD, followed by the land district number, followed by another period, followed by the name of the original county. For example
LL 198, 216, 217. LD 16. Old Irwin County, GA.

For deeds in the same original county, but different land districts a semicolon should be used after the LD number and before a subsequent LL. For deeds in multiple counties, a separate subsequent row should be used for each original county.

The Sect. Town. Range. and Aliquot columns should be blacked for deeds in Georgia recorded in PLSS states.

The information for headright/colonial grant lands should also be put in the notes column. Use the format normally placed in the LL/Grant column as discussed in section 3. D. Place any additional information after a semicolon.

5. Town and City Deeds:

Deeds for towns and cities may not give the land lot and district where they are located. Likewise, they may not give the headright/colonial grant or section, township, and range where the town lot is located. Try to ascertain this information through common sense and a bit of research.

The original county and land district for land lot counties should be able to be figured out for any town in the state of Georgia that is not directly adjacent to an LD line or an original county line. If the land lot information cannot be figured out at all place three question marks in the LL/Grant column. If the headright grant/colonial cannot be identified place three question marks in the LL/Grant column.

The information for town and city lots goes in the notes column. The information should be arranged in units of decreasing size. That is the name of the city, the block/range number/letter in the city, and then the lot number/number. A colon should follow the name of the city or the name of the specific survey in the city. For example:
Valdosta: Block 10, lot 7

"Lot" should always be used even if there are multiple lots listed. If multiple lots are listed, but are in different blocks the information should be separated by a semicolon. For example:
Valdosta: Block 31, lot 1, 2, 3, 4; Block 32, lot 1, 2, 3, 4

Additional information, such as descriptions of buildings on lots should follow a semicolon after the lot number.

6. Amount Column:

The usage of the amount column is pretty straightforward. The information entered should be the dollar amount given in a deed record.

The spreadsheets are to be set to be automatically formatted to US dollars with two decimal places.

In the 1800s, deeds might use a third decimal place. Additional decimal places can be added by clicking on a button in the menu. The button is located here:

Deeds using British Pounds should use the pound symbol (£). If the payment was done with Confederate dollars, CSA$ should be added before the amount. Due likewise with any other monetary unit.

For mortgages type "Mortgage" in the amount column regardless of the value.

If property was purchased with promissory notes type "Prom Notes" in the amount column and describe the promissory notes in the notes column.

If the property was given due to love, affection, or some similar emotion type "Love" in the amount column.

If the property was just given as a gift without any type of emotion mentioned type "Gift" in the amount column.

If no amount is mentioned at all leave the amount column blank.

If the property is being exchanged for other real estate type "Exchange" in the amount column. These deeds are typically recorded one following the other in a deed book.

If the deed is a lease agreement type "Lease" in the amount column and describe the conditions of the lease in the notes column.

If the deed is some sort of agreement other than a mortgage or a lease, type "Agreement" in the amount column and describe the agreement. One common agreement is the sharing of a brick wall between buildings.

If the deed involves the exchange of anything else of value for whatever property describe it in the notes column.

If the information for a deed extends over several rows the same amount is to be included for each row.

7. Instrument Date and Recorded Date Columns:

The "Date" column is to be used for the instrument date of the deed record. The "Recorded" column is the date the deed was recorded.

Typically the instrument date will be given in the very first sentence of the deed. Deeds involving enslaved persons will have the instrument date among the very last sentences of a deed. Some county clerks appear to have been influenced by clerks from South Carolina and put the instrument date at the very end of the deed for all manner of deeds.

The recorded date is typically the very last line of a deed. Most deeds will say "Recorded x date."

The full DD MMM YYYY date format should be used. That is: 10 September 1849.

If a day is not mentioned but a month and a year are mentioned type two question marks followed by a space then the rest of the date. For example:
?? September 1849

If a month is not mentioned but the date and year are then type the date followed by three question marks, and then the year. For example:
10 ??? 1849

If only the year is given only type the year.

8. Book and Page Columns:

The book and page columns are also relatively straightforward. Nearly every county assigned a letter or number to their deed books. The letters or numbers are to go the Bk: column. What counties do once they reach the end of the alphabet varies widely. Some counties will just start using numbers for their subsequent deed books, while other counties will start using double letters like AA, BB, CC...

The BK: column is to ideally be limited to two letters or numbers. If triple letters start being used after ZZ, AAA should be abstracted as 3A. If the number sequence goes into three digits type it as it is.

A single blacked-out row should be used to separate information between the end of one deed book and the beginning of the next deed book.

Some counties will re-record several deed books into a new unified deed book. The new deed book might be referred to as an amalgamation of the numbers. For example, if deed books A, B, C, and D are re-recorded together it is usually referred to as deed book ABCD. In these circumstances, type it as it appears.

The entire range of pages a deed appears on is to be typed with a hyphen separating the first page a deed appears from the last page the deed appears as long as the deed appears on every page between them. If a deed appears on one page, but is finished on a page that is not the very next page type the page numbers with commas instead of hyphens.

If a page is skipped, torn out, otherwise missing, or left blank mention it in all capital letters in the notes column. Type "PAGE MISSING", "BLANK PAGE", or whatever is relevant to the status of the page.

Sometimes the pages of a deed book are numbered by hand by the clerk and there might be two pages with the same number. For these circumstances, use the regular number for the first instance of the paper, a lowercase a for the second use of the page, and so on. For example:
489, 489a, 489b.

Some deed books will use a folio number system instead of a page numbering system. When then happens the left page should be referred to by just the regular number and the right page as the number with a lower a at the end. An exception to this, is when the folios have been lettered as "a" and "b" instead.

Abstracted records for subsequent deed books should be separated by a row that has been blacked out. An example is below:

9. Destroyed Deed Books, Missing Deed Books, and Re-Recorded Deeds:

9. A. Courthouse Disasters and Destroyed Deed Books:
Courthouse fires are one of the most frustrating genealogists encounter while researching. The WRDHP has primarily been focused on abstracting deeds from the 1870s and before. The map below shows Georgia counties that existed circa-1870 that have suffered the loss of deed books due to fires and other disasters, or whose ancestral counties have suffered the loss of deed books. Some courthouses might have been destroyed, but had deed records survive those disasters.

When abstracting deed books beginning with the earliest surviving deed book is recommended. For counties that had some deed books survive a disaster that could mean starting mid-way through the alphabet. Typically if a disaster destroyed all of the deed books for a county, a new alphabet series will be started.

A remark about the destruction of previous records should be made in a row above the first deed book available. The row mentioning the disaster should be highlighted in red, and separated from the first deed book by the standard row that has been blacked out. If possible list the date of the destruction of the courthouse disaster. Make note of the letters or numbers of the deed books that were destroyed in the disaster. For example:

9. B. Missing Deed Books:

Deed books going missing (typically stolen) is a lot rarer than deed books merely being destroyed in a courthouse disaster, but it does happen enough to warrant instructions on how to handle the situation when abstracting deed books.

When the spreadsheet has reached the row where it the missing book would normally go type the relevant letter or number in the Bk: column then highlight the row in red. In the notes column, type that that book x is missing or stolen depending on the situation. If more information about when the book went missing include it.

If the deed book went missing after the deed books for the county were indexed the basic information that had been in the deed book should be in the index book. If this is the case, put that while the deed book is missing an index for it still exists. The information available in index books varies widely by county. Most index books will have at least the grantor, grantee, book, page number, and date recorded. Some index books will also list the instrument date, the land lot/land district numbers, and maybe even subdivisions of the land. Very rarely will the amount paid for a piece of property be listed in the index book. Going through every page of the index book(s) will have to be done.

Put the rows with the information from the index book below the row that has been highlighted in red that states the condition of the book. The rows should be colored as they normally would.

9. C. Re-Recorded Deeds:

After a courthouse disaster, it is fairly common for deeds to be re-recorded. Typically there will be many deeds re-recorded within a few years of a courthouse fire, but some deeds will not be re-recorded until several decades later. In the notes column type the name of the county with the two-letter USPS postal abbreviation for the relevant state followed by Book _ p___. For example:
Lowndes County, GA Book E p603

If a re-recorded deed mentions the original deed book and page numbers, parts of deed books that have been destroyed can effectively be recreated. For deads from earlier deed books that were later re-recorded create a row in the spreadsheet where the destroyed deed book would have gone. Add as many rows as needed. Re-recorded deeds will typically have the date a deed was originally recorded, put that date as the recorded date when creating the entry when adding it the section where the abstracted information would have gone had the deed book survived.

Using this process, over seven hundred pages of the deed books that were destroyed by the courthouse fire in Troupville in 1858 have been recreated. Below is a small sample of Lowndes County deeds that from original deed book A.

10. Current County Column:

The current county column is the county where the real estate mentioned in a deed is currently located (that is in the present, and not at the time when the deed was recorded. This information will not be recorded in the deed record.

The location of PLSS is easy to find. Section, township, and range maps for all counties in Florida can be found here. USGS maps will also have all PLSS sections, townships, and ranges clearly marked.

Locating the current county in Georgia of land lots is a bit more difficult. Not all Georgia counties have detailed maps that show their present boundaries that also have the land lots clearly marked.  The Georgia Archives has a county map series that does show land lots. It can be located here, but most of those maps date from either 1860s or the early 1990s. Try to check for county line changes that could affect the location of land lots by consulting the Georgia County Formation Map. Some tax assessor maps will show land lots as well. In general, it is easier to fill in the current county column after all the information from deed books has been abstracted.

For land lots located only in one county use the full county name with the USPS standard state abbreviation. For example:
Lowndes County, GA
Hamilton County, FL

For land lots that are located in multiple counties, list the county whose name comes first in the alphabet in the second county, third county, so on with a slash separating the county names. For example:
Echols County/Lowndes County, GA.

Due to part of Georgia becoming part of Florida in the 1860s a land lot can be located in two different states. List the Florida county first followed by the Georgia county with a slash separating the two. For example:
Hamilton County, FL/Lowndes County, GA

The location of headright/colonial grants might be impossible to locate unless there is a cadastral map of the county needed.

If the county cannot be determined at all due to a deed missing standard information put three question marks in the current county column.

If the deed is not for a piece of land the current county column should be blacked out.

11. Deeds Involving Enslaved Persons:

The terminology used in deeds involving enslaved persons varies widely. People were rarely called a "slave" in the original deed record. More often than not an enslaved person was simply called a negro. Race was so inherently linked to a person's status that "negro" became a euphemism so well established that it was regularly used in legal documents.

Information for deeds involving enslaved persons goes into the notes column. If the deed also conveys land or other property, the portion of the deed involving the enslaved persons should be listed on a separate row. Every entry for enslaved persons should begin with "Enslaved Persons:"

Most deeds involving enslaved persons will give the first name, age, and gender of a person.  When this full information is given the name should be written first followed by the age typed in numerals, and then an M (for male) or an F (for female), Information for different individuals should be separated by commas. For example:
Enslaved Persons: Rosanna 46 F, Mingo 56 M, George 28 M

Other deeds may just give the enslaved person's name and then described them as a "woman", "boy", "girl", etc. When this occurs put the additional description in parentheses following the person's name.

An enslaved person's complexion or height will also be included from time to time. Put that information in parentheses following their name.

If an enslaved person's children are mentioned in a deed something like either "and her children" or "and their children" should be typed with a colon immediately following children.  After the name of the last child, a semicolon should be typed. For example:
Enslaved Persons: George 47 M, John 40 M, Sampson 37 M, Lewis 20 M, Harry 20 M, Peg 36 F and her two children: Miles 4 M, Caty 2 F; Clarissy 30 F and her two children: Hiram 4 M, Bob 4m M; Elizer 26 F and her four children: Betty 6 F, Francis 4 F, Lloyd 2 M, Norman 3w M

If a deed just mentions that persons are being sold, but does not give their names type "Enslaved Persons: Names not listed

For deeds related to enslaved persons, the C, LD, and LL/Grant columns should be blacked out. For PLSS deeds the Sect. Town. Range. and Aliquot deeds are to be blacked out. The current county column should also be blacked out. All other columns should be highlighted to "darkorange1". Below is an example:

12. All Other Property:

In addition to real estate and enslaved persons, deed books will also record transactions for a variety of other property. This most often includes:

• Livestock

• Wagons and carriages

• Plantation tools

• Furniture

• The stock of goods in storehouses

• Steam sawmills

• Railroads

• Interest in incorporated companies

List the property in the notes column.

The C, LD, and LL/Grant columns or the Sect. Town. Range. and Aliquot columns should be blacked out, as should the current county column.

13. Other Documents That Appear in Deed Books:
13. A. Wills and Other Probate Records:

Typically wills will be recorded in a county's will book or in some other variety of probate record. The name of the deceased should be treated like a grantor and the names of the beneficiaries should be treated like grantees. Put "Will" in the amount column. The date the will was written should be treated like the instrument date and placed in the date column. The date the will was recorded will go into the recorded column. Put the probated date, if it is given, in the notes column.

Divisions of estates should be done in a similar manner to wills. Put "Division" in the amount column.

13. B. Court Cases and Court Minutes:
Court cases and court minutes are most often recorded in deed books if the court case is related to a deed being recorded. Put the names of the plaintiffs in the grantor column in one row and the names of the defendants in the grantor column. Describe the basics of the court case in the notes column.

13. C. Military Records:
During the American Civil War, if a person applied for exemption from military service that document will often be recorded in deed books. The name of the person filing for exemption should be placed in the grantor column, and any information about their reason for exemption should go into the notes column.

If a person was able to furnish a substitute for military service they could also be exempted. The information is also typically recorded in deed books. Put the name of the person furnishing a substitute in the grantor column and that they were furnishing a substitute in the notes column. The substitute's name should go into the grantor column in the row immediately below. Place any information about the substitute in the notes column.

The C, LD, and LL/Grant columns or the Sect. Town. Range. and Aliquot columns should be blacked out for military services records, as should the amount and current county columns.

13. D. Naturalization Record:
Naturalization records will be recorded occasionally in deed books. The person's name should be placed in the grantor column, and any information about their birthdate, where they were born, when they migrated, etc. should be placed in the notes column.

The C, LD, and LL/Grant columns or the Sect. Town. Range. and Aliquot columns should be blacked out for naturalization records, as should the amount and current county columns.

13. E. Recommendations for Other Records:

For all other records, the name of the person that the record is about should go into the grantor column and any other information should go into the notes column.

14. Changes and Updates:
None as of 9 March 2023.