Farm Mills, 777 Kings Road, Madison Heights, VA (VDHR # 005-0101)
Download FarmMills_005-5101_Maps.pdf 9.12 MB
Download Farm Mills_005-5101_Research Report.pdf 204.36 KB
Download Farm Mills_005-5101_Chain of Title.pdf 208.46 KB

Point Lookout, 779 River Road, Madison Heights, VA (VDHR # 005-0100)
Download PointLookout_005-5100_Maps.pdf 8.65 MB
Download Point Lookout_005-5100_Chain of Title.pdf 167 KB

Project Abstract: A brief overview of the history of the property at 777 Kings Road was researched and compiled into three documents: a research report, chain of title, and set of maps. A chain of title and map set was also prepared for a nearby property at 779 River Road. As the two properties were, on occasion, part of the same tracts or owned by the same individuals, it is recommended that all of the documents be studied to provide greater understanding. This report includes events that generally occurred between 1814 and 1978, per the scope and limitations of the project.

Notable findings of the project included:

• Discovery of the name "Farm Mills" that was associated with the property prior to 1831.
• Discovery of substantial historical information about several individuals who owned the property, including William Mitchell, Thomas Love, and John M. Love.
• Discovery of additional construction details regarding the original house at 777 Kings Road (the present house was constructed on the foundations of a house that is said to have burned circa 1900). These details were located in several deeds and plats.
• Discovery and/or confirmation of the location of several features of interest through mapping, including the location of the Mitchell/Love House at Farm Mills (along with a smokehouse and barn) and a previously unknown cemetery (identified on a 1937 plat as a "graveyard" and in an 1831 deed as a "fresh grave").

The confirmation of much of this information was only possible due to the use of GIS (Geographic Information System) software, whereby modern property boundaries were compared with boundaries described in historic deeds that were platted. These historic property lines were then conformed and superimposed on modern aerial and topographic imaging layers. By accurately platting (drawing) and geo-locating historic land tracts, historical research, including the ownership of a particular tract of land, can be confirmed with confidence.

Project Abstract: This land study involved deed research and mapping of over 100 land transactions spanning from 1739 to the present day. The study area was a portion of western Albemarle County north of Crozet and White Hall known as "Brown's Cove." The area was named for Benjamin and Lucy Brown and their descendants, who played a key role in the development of Albemarle County during the 18th and 19th centuries. The primary property of focus was "Headquarters," the home of Thomas H. Brown. Other proprieties studied included "Brightberry," "Walnut Level," and "Mount Fair." In all, more than 130 maps were created for the project.

Methodology & Process: A detailed, methodical process was used to extract as much information from primary source documents as possible. The first step in this process was to develop a chain of title for each of the properties being studied. For Brightberry and Walnut Level, the chain of title only attempted to trace whatever tract the house in question occupied through time. For Headquarters, a complete chain of title was developed for all of the tracts that created the holdings of the present day Headquarters Farm, LLC (HQF) tract. The Mount Fair chain of title generally follows the process used for Brightberry and Mount Fair, with some expansions as directed by the client.

Once the chains of title were developed, survey data was extracted from all deeds which contained usable “metes and bounds” information (bearings and distances). These parcels were then georeferenced and placed on a USGS topographic map of the Brown’s Cove area. 127 unique maps were created for this project. Each handwritten deed that is referenced in the chains of title was then transcribed, and a unique “transaction number” was assigned to each deed or will cited in the chains of title. 96 instruments were cataloged as a part of this project. Where applicable, each transaction number corresponds to a map number, which identifies a map that gives further information about the land transaction.

Historic descriptions of parcels were placed on the topographic base map utilizing clues found on the topographic maps (which occasionally display former property lines with a red dashed line), aerial photos (fence lines and hedgerows often follow current or past property lines), current county tax maps, and other sources. Inconsistencies with declination (the difference between magnetic north and true north, which changes over time), the accuracy of surveys (18th century Virginia surveys typically measured to the nearest pole in length and the nearest degree in bearing), and transcription errors (the deeds found at court houses are transcribed copies of the originals, which the landowners retained) create opportunities for error when mapping historic parcels. It is also possible, especially on larger tracts (such as the 2850 acre parcel in “Transaction #1”), to be able to positively place points of the survey at opposite ends, but to find that the distances or angles that are in between the two points are off. Whenever possible, tracts that have been conformed to agree with other known information have notations on their respective map pages.

Notable findings of the project included:

• The location of the former dividing line between Louisa and Goochland Counties. In 1744, the area south of this line was ceded by Goochland County for the establishment of Albemarle County. In 1761, Louisa County ceded the area north of this line to Albemarle County.
• The location of the tract of land referred to by Benjamin Brown as "Trinidad."
• The establishment of proper and correct chains of title for many of the properties in the study area. For example, local tradition held that "Headquarters" was built on the first land grant in the area that Benjamin Brown, Sr., received, a 740 acre tract patented in 1750. However, careful mapping proved that "Headquarters" instead rests on a 400 acre tract that was patented by William Burruss in 1740. The Browns became the fourth owners of the land when Benjamin Brown, Sr. purchased the western half of it in 1751, and Brightberry Brown purchased the eastern portion in 1790.