Resources to Research the History of Your House
These are some suggestions for researching your house. We recommend that you begin your research at the Nassau County Clerk’s Office.
The Nassau County Clerk maintains a record of real estate transactions and makes them available to the public. The office is responsible for:
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Recording deeds, mortgages, and mortgage satisfactions.
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Computing, collecting and disbursing transfer and mortgage taxes.
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Providing certified copies of recorded documents.
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Recording commercial chattel mortgages, building loans, and their dispositions.
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Maintaining county land and subdivision maps.
Finding information at the Clerk’s office will be easier if you know the section, block, and lot numbers (the numerical code as established by Nassau County that designates your parcel) of your house. This information is available on your tax bill and My Nassau Property.
My Nassau Property: www.mynassauproperty.com
This site allows you to search by address. The “Property Description” section provides you with the block, section, and lot numbers of your house. This section also includes: the year the house was built and year it was remodeled; style of home (bungalow, ranch, old style); square footage; and lot size. You can also view aerial photographs of your house and neighborhood. (Please note: there are errors in some of the descriptions. When possible, verify the information using other sources).
Additional Resources:
Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1841 to 1963)
If your house was built before 1963 you may find articles about the previous owners. This site allows searching by address or name of the previous owner.
New York Time (Historical:1851-2017)
Access to the historical NYT is available from the Glen Cove Public Library’s online resources page by using your library barcode. This site allows searching by address or name of the previous owner.
Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University Call Special Collections at 516-463-6411 for an appointment.
Highlights of the collection include:
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1836 The US Coast and Interior: One of the earliest detailed maps that cover most of Long Island. Shows some houses and mentions a few owners.
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1853 Walling. Detailed maps that show houses as well as owners.
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1873, 1881, and 1896 Detailed maps
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Small local maps made by families for various reasons.
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Census dating from 1790 to 1920
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Secondary sources: family publication, community history, and PhD dissertations and student papers