House History Research Record

Who this is for

The working record for researching the history of one house. It keeps the questions you want answered, every source you have searched and what it showed, a timeline of the building, the people who lived there and the clues the house itself gives, so nothing is searched twice.

Owners curious about when their house was built and who lived in it, local history researchers working on a single building, and anyone preparing a house history as a gift or for a sale.

What this helps you track

• The questions you are trying to answer about the house
• Every archive, library and website searched, and what it showed
• A dated timeline of building, alterations, sales and name changes
• The people who lived there, their years and occupations
• Clues in the fabric of the house and the next records to try

How to use it

1. Write the address, any former names or numbers and what you already know about when it was built, then list your questions.
2. Log every search on the first page, including the ones that found nothing, with the reference so you can find the record again.
3. Add each dated event to the building timeline with the source it came from.
4. Add each household to the occupants table as directories, census returns and deeds name them.
5. Walk round the house with the clues list, and write the next records to search in the notes.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where do I start?

With what you already know: the deeds or title documents, old sale particulars and neighbours' memories. Then work back through maps, directories, census returns and local archives, logging each search as you go.

Why log searches that found nothing?

Because a negative result is still a result. Knowing that a directory or map has already been checked stops you searching it again, and the gap itself can be a clue to when the house was built.

How is this different from a family history research log?

A family history log follows people. This record follows a building: its sources are deeds, plans, maps and directories as well as census returns, and it adds a building timeline and the physical clues in the house.

Can I record approximate dates?

Yes. Write a date as precisely as the source allows, such as a year, a decade or between two map editions, and say in the source column what it rests on.