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House Marker Tips

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Tips To Researching Your Home’s History

  1. A good place to start is at the town’s assessor's office. You can request a copy of your home's current assessment, and the year of construction is usually part of the record. Be advised that this date may not be correct if the house has been razed, rebuilt or moved. Also, it may not be correct on some of the very old homes because records were not kept at the time and approximate dates were “assigned” hundreds of years later.

  2. Ask neighbors. Names and dates, and especially addresses or phone numbers of previous owners are invaluable in researching the history of your home, even if they are not precise. Write to former owners and ask them for information, and include your phone number. Many people are glad to know someone appreciates their old family home and are happy to provide names, dates, anecdotes, photos and papers.

  3. Go to the library. The Lane Library is a wonderful resource for Hampton history. Search for the earliest listed owner. Search records of the U.S. census and survey reports, available on line, to obtain more detailed information on the occupants. Check local history books. Compare illustrations of historic homes to the construction and style of your home, but remember in rural areas homes were often built ten years or more "behind the times" of their design. Many homes were also subject to remodeling to follow current design trends and may appear newer.

  4. Ask the Hampton Historical Society. The museum on Park Ave has a large collection of maps and documents pertaining to the town’s past. Members may be available to talk about the history of your home or neighborhood.

  5. To find the exact origins of your home you can continue your search at the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds in Brentwood, NH. Start by researching your purchase of the property and record the documents. Then search the index for the name of the former owner, look it up in the deed book, and continue the process backward. If your house changed hands many times, or was held in the same family for several generations, you may not be able to trace back all the owners. Record as much information as possible.