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(This page's most recent update is December 2025)
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County plat maps and landowner atlases provide a snapshot of who owned or occupied land at a specific moment in time. Published by county surveyors, mapmakers, and commercial atlas companies—especially during the mid-1800s to early 1900s—these maps show property lines, landowners’ names, acreage, transportation routes, churches, schools, cemeteries, mills, and neighboring families. For genealogists, these resources offer an invaluable way to place ancestors in a physical landscape, identify relatives and neighbors, and trace land ownership across generations. This Quicksheet highlights the key elements found in plat maps and atlases and shows where to find them today.
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