Direct Line Software

Whether you have one deed or a hundred, in a "metes and bounds" state or in a Public Domain state, DeedMapper has all sorts of uses!  Some examples:

• Find the location of a particular plot by anchoring a group of neighboring plots against a stream.
• Discover genealogical relationships by showing that person X sold a part of person Y's land.
• Untangle people having the same name by analyzing their landholdings and transfers.
• Create a map of original landholders in a region. 
• Trace changes in parcel ownership over the years.

How It Works

You use the Deed Entry Form to enter metes and bounds surveys or public domain property descriptions.   Plotting of deeds is automatic.

DeedMapper is designed for historical research so it handles surveys that have straight lines.  And those old deeds can have incomplete direction and distance information, obscure compass rose directions such as north by west 1/4 point west, and meander lines along a creek.  Not to mention those old oak trees and piles of stones that mark the property corners. These are no problem for DeedMapper!  Many different measurement units and survey methods are supported.  Partial plots are created when deed descriptions are incomplete.  And parcels can even be rotated to compensate for magnetic compass errors. 

Once you've entered the survey information for your parcels, drag them and drop them onto our optional background maps of your research area, or use your own background map image, e.g. a USGS topographic map image.  (Read more about background maps here.)

You can easily control parcel appearance, including line color and thickness, font size and color, and fill color. 

Analysis Features

The program contains a number of features to aid in deed analysis.

• Find neighboring plots by searching your deed file for deeds containing any phrase you want. 
• Filter your view to show only those deeds meeting certain criteria. Show land ownership as of a particular date.
  
• Display each parcel's Owner, Corner Descriptions, Line Descriptions, Area, and more.
  
• Use the Table View as a kind of grantor-grantee index of your deeds.   Sort by name, date, etc.

Outputs

Once your project is done you can output your work in a variety of ways.

• Print it at any scale you choose.  
• Export it as a graphic file in one of several formats for use in graphic design programs or word processors
• Export the Table View (summary table) for use in a spreadsheet or database program.
• If you use our optional background maps or you use a background image, you can export your parcels to Google Earth

Learning to use DeedMapper

We think DeedMapper is straightforward to learn.  Video tutorials of the program’s capabilities are included, and  sample projects (metes and bounds and public domain) are also included.   The Help menu is well organized around the common tasks of deed mapping.

Technical Specifications

Upgrade to version 4.1

If you own an earlier version of DeedMapper you can upgrade to 4.1 at a special price.

• What's new in 4.1?
  
• What's new in 4.0?
• Buy the upgrade
  

Can I use DeedMapper for legal work?

• Read this.
  

How about land in the western states?

• Public domain mapping

Still have questions? Please contact us anytime! We look forward to hearing from you.