How to trace the history of your Dover, New Hampshire house

1. TRACING THE HISTORY OF YOUR HOUSE By Cathy Beaudoin

2. Consider these questions as you explore your home’s past… When was the house built? Who was the architect or builder? What style is it? What did the house look like originally? Who were original owners or occupants? How does house fit into the neighborhood? The City?

3. 10 Prevalent Styles of Architecture in Dover

4. 5 paths to investigate: 1.) Begin with the setting: rural vs. urban, waterside vs. forest, low-lying vs. hillside, newer side street or urban core 2.) Oral histories: ask around---neighbors and long-time residents, historical society members 3.) Physical evidence: style, building materials, framing, nails, roofing, siding, foundations, windows, doors, fireplaces 4.) Consult a professional: “house investigators” ($350!) 5.) Documentary evidence: deeds, tax records, probate records, cemetery records, building permits, directories, atlases, maps, newspapers, photographs, census records

5. Library’s Historical Room: Dover history section

6. 1827 map by Asa Tufts, Postmaster DOVER MAPS

7. 1834 Dover Village by G.L. Whitehouse

8. Dover Village 1851

9. 1871 Atlas of Strafford County

10. 1871 Atlas---Dover downtown

11. Bird’s Eye View, 1888 http://memory.loc.gov

12. Zoom View, Bird’s Eye View map, Dover, 1888 http://memory.loc.gov

13. 1892 Atlas of the State of NH

14. Sanborn Insurance Map, March 1898 http://www.dover.lib.nh.us

15. Dover Directory, August 1830

16. 1830 Dover Directory

18. Photographs of some of Dover’s Historic Houses from the Library’s collection

19. Can you identify these children?

20. Federal Census, 1790, Strafford County: Dover

21. Obituary Index: http://www.dover.lib.nh.us AND…Newspapers on microfilm back to 1828!

22. Various Cemetery Sources

23. Register of Probate Strafford County Building Wills Testamentary proceedings Inventories Administration Accounts Indentures Petitions Renunciations Accounts of sales Balance books Guardian bonds/accts Documents tracing the settling of an estate

24. Heritage Walks 1979- 2002+

25. Library’s Historical Room: town histories, city reports, city directories