Gathering all the deeds for a property and connecting them in chronological order creates a chain of ownership or a chain of title. This is a very valuable tool when researching the history of the former owners of your house. If this information is not available online, you may have to visit your local official responsible for keeping property records. They should have records of every sale of your home, dating back to when it was built. We were fortunate to acquire this information from our lawyer when we purchased our house. We were able to trace the sale of our property through the previous 12 owners, and as far back as the Plan of the Town of Smiths Falls in 1890. We learned that architect George Thomas Martin bought the land in 1891 for $300 and had contractor Matthew Ryan build the house. We also learned that a person of historical significance lived in the house after it was built. Agnes Lamb was the niece of Alexander Wood, who was a partner in the Frost & Wood Company, Ltd. For 116 years, this company played a huge role in the history of Smiths Falls. They were one of the largest manufacturers of farm implements in Canada, and the biggest employer in town.

A chain of title opens many avenues of exploration. Town and city directories existed before the telephone was invented. They are organized by address, and document who resided at your house for a particular year, often with their occupation. Old newspapers are loaded with information such as obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, hobbies, affiliations, and sometimes even a photograph. They can be found online at sites like newspapers.com or at your local museum or library.