Hi,

I'm hoping someone can tell me where I can find land records and/or maps of Sussex County, Dagsborough Hundred, about 1860 - 1865.

My John Smith of M. at that time was in Baltimore Hundred. He had property in the village of Dagsboro seized and taken and sold for cash.

There was a house and outbuildings on it.

I'd like to find out more about this land and also who lived around it.

Thanks!

Joni
Calgary, AB

THE DELAWARE STATE ARCHIVES IS A GOOD START.OR THE COURT HOUSE.THEY ARE IN DOVER

ALSO I JUST FOUND www.historicalmaps.com. that site has some very old maps.you can check them out for free .

Thanks, I will definitely contact them. I was hoping they were on line for more of the years. I just found the 1868 Sussex County on-line, which was great, but I am interested in about 1857 to 1865 - naturally.

Joni

Hey, thanks for sending this site along. I will give it a try!

Joni

Hi. You specifically mentioned the 1860-1865 period. An excellent resource for just a few years later is the Beers Atlas maps, made in 1868, that show each Hundred in the State of Delaware, on individual maps. These maps indicate who all the land owners were, and you can see proximity of properties (or at least of land owners) to one another. While a map such as this may not help you with the precise span of years that you asked about, the Dagsborough Hundred map from that Beers Atlas map series may very well show some of what you want to know. This resource could easily come in very handy if you already know who some related, and/or neighbouring, families were, as hopefully at least some of them would appear on the map. The Beers Atlas maps are available from the Delaware State Archives. They'll gladly make and mail you photocopies (for a copying and mailing charge, of course).

Hoping this suggestion will prove of some help.

Best regards,

Dave Wilson

Thanks, David!

I think I am looking at the 1868 Nanticoke Beers Map, and it is good, but for some reason, it doesn't show Dagsboro. It shows it written down the side so I will probably have to go to the Delaware State Archives.

John Smith's land was in Dagsboro about 1855. He went to Fenwick Island 1859-1861. In 1862 John was still in Baltimore Hundred, and in 1865 his land in Dagsboro was seized and sold. I'm trying to find more info on who was living in the house when it was sold and who was living around it.

Joni

Hi, Joni. Dagsborough (the spelling, at the time, of that town/village's name) was in its own hundred, Dagsborough Hundred. It wasn't part of Nanticoke Hundred - or at least it wasn't in 1868. (I have no idea about years previously.)

The nearest other hundreds to the portion of Dagsborough Hundred that the town or village of Dagsborough fell within were Indian River Hundred and Baltimore Hundred. (Each began a similar distance away: around three miles.) The nearest adjacent portion of Nanticoke Hundred, that you've mentioned, to Dagsborough Hundred began a much greater distance from where Dagsborough was located within Dagsborough Hundred - like around 12 or miles away. So, in this case, I don't think the Beers Atlas Nanticoke Hundred map is going to be of any relevant usefulness to you.

Hoping this will help some.

Dave