Researching Your Home's Age

The Webster Groves Historical Society would like to help and encourage the amateur historian to research the age of their home. Marilynne Bradley and Anne Morris have published a booklet named How to Research Your Webster Groves Home. This publication offers resources and how to use them and is available from the Historical Society for five dollars. Topics like determining the age of your home, architectural clues to an old house, and subdivision indexes make it a very useful aid to historical evaluations.

Here are a few pointers to get you started in researching your home wherever you may live.

• Collect any documentation on the property - title, deed, tax papers, etc.
• Contact local government offices for information.
• Look for information at local libraries. Churches have records of families and births of their membership.
• Download this PDF brochure from the Smithsonian Institute and National Association of Realtors for useful suggestions.

Good luck in your search of your home's history.