House Research

The Hudson Library retains a wide variety of materials to assist you in learning more about the history of your home.

Archives librarians are also available to help you get your started on your house research. Please contact us for more information.

Getting Started

If you are just looking for basic information on your home, we suggest you start with the following resources first:

  • Hudson: A Survey of Historic Buildings in an Ohio Town – Book documenting 350 structures in Hudson. Copies of the book are available for check out.
  • House Reports – The Hudson Library maintains a collection of the Hudson Heritage Association house reports (also available online through the Hudson Heritage Association website), which vary in size and scope but typically include genealogy of previous owners, deed and tax history, architectural reports/ inspections and occasional photographs.
  • Houses of Hudson Collection – A Hudson Library project submitted to Summit Memory. The resource includes photographs and descriptions for more than 500 homes in the downtown Hudson corridor, keyword searchable by address. Records feature basic descriptions of properties sometimes including homeowner information and approximate build date.
  • City Directories – Located in the archives reading room. The city directories are helpful for finding property owners. Some of the city directories (1910, 1950) list properties by address, rather than by owner, which makes the searching easier.

It is recommended to start working at the latest possible date and work backwards in time. If you are interested in conducting more extensive house research, please consult the tips below.

Detailed Research

Great Lot / Sublot

To start house research, it is recommended that you know the great lot and sublot (or village block) (if applicable) where the house once stood (or still stands). Land in Western Reserve was originally divided into evenly divided townships and ranges and then further subdivided into great lots. Hudson (known as Range 10, town 4) consisted of 100 great lots. Maps are the best resource for determining the great lot and sublot numbers, see below for finding helpful resources.

It is useful to know if the property you are searching for is in the Township or Village of Hudson:

  • Village: Typically properties located near the center of Hudson. Great lot numbers are: 35, 36, 45, 46, 55, 56, 55 and are usually subdivided even further into block and sublots. You will likely need to know the block and sublot information in order to start research on a village home.
  • Township: Properties in the township were typically not subdivided further but usually given a directional location within the sublot (i.e. 60 North or 60 N)

Local Maps

Located in the archives reading room dating 1855, 1878 and 1891.

Summit County Atlases

Print copies are located in the archives reading room, but are also accessible online through Summit Memory’s Maps & Atlases page.

Ohio County Atlases

Additional atlases are located in the archives reading room and available online:

Getting Started: Deed Research

Deeds provide information about the ownership of the history of a property. You should be familiar with the terms “grantor” and “grantee” when doing property research. A Grantor (“Seller”) is the individual who transfers the property to the Grantee (“Buyer”).  Deeds will only give you information about who owned the property, but will typically not include information about improvements or additions (buildings) added to the land. 

  • Index to Summit County, Ohio Grantee/Grantor Land Records Index, 1795-1840 – Available in the Hudson archives. You must known a grantor/grantee (either from general knowledge, tax records or maps) to get started. Start by using the index in the back of the volume to find the pages where the individual is listed.
  • Original Deed Records – Deeds are maintained at the county level. Hudson was part of three different counties throughout its history: Trumbull (1799-1807), Portage (1807-1840), Summit (March 3, 1840-present). The Summit County Recorder’s office has the full run of deeds, but other county offices may be consulted below:

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Getting Started: Tax Research

Tax records are helpful to determine home construction dates and ownership history. Once you know either the home owner (during a particular year) or the great lot number, you can start working on the tax research.

Tax Auditor’s Records – The Hudson Library owns microfiche copies of most of the tax auditor’s records from 1808-1939.

Summit County Fiscal Office – The Summit County Fiscal Office has original copies of all tax records to present. 

Additional Resources

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Detailed maps of U.S. cities and towns in the 19th and 20th centuries. These maps are helpful to track ownership of buildings from one year to the next, and also when lots were developed into buildings and houses.

Census Records

Trace the owner of a property using census records. Keep in mind that the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire and does not exist.

  • Ancestry Library Edition (available for free at the Hudson Library & Historical Society)
    • U. S. Census records; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; petitions for naturalization; passenger lists and more.
  • Family Search
    • Offers free family history, family tree and genealogy records and resources from around the world. The site features an online searchable database of many different records including the United States Census and the U.S. Social Security Death Index as well as military, church, and vital records from the United States and from many different countries.

National Register of Historic Places

Official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Some Hudson properties are included. Searchable database available. Akron-Summit County Public Library also posts copies of these reports online for properties in Summit County.