Using Parcel Maps to Find Ancestors' Land/Current Owner

 When I visited Franklin County, Virginia last August I mistakenly thought our Wray family land was located on Maggotty Creek (Maggodee Creek today). When you research the Moses Wray and Elizabeth Morris family online that creek is generally mentioned. If I read the deeds more carefully I would have noticed most of the land transactions involving Moses and Elizabeth, and their descendants, actually refer to their land being on White Oak Creek. Maggotty Creek is also mentioned because it appears their land was located in an area where White Oak Creek empties into Maggotty Creek. 

Someone on Facebook provided a link to an old photo they said was of an old Wray family house. Not old enough to be the home of Moses Wray and Elizabeth Morris, who lived during the 18th and early 19th century, but could be on their land, and could have belonged to a descendant. 

I found a similar house using Google street views from previous years. 

The photos below could be of the same house? The oldest photo, apparently, was taken decades ago. The other two are screenshots from Google Street View from 2009 and 2012. It's a little hard to compare because one of the houses has been abandoned for quite awhile. There are some differences in the sloping of the land between Google Street View and the old photo. Street View often doesn't show the sloping of land correctly. I think the gable with the window was removed when they installed a corrugated metal roof. There isn't another house in that area that looks like that house.

Sadly the old abandoned house has been torn down, and this is what the site looks like today. 

How do I confirm the Wray family owned this land and house? I tried using deeds to trace the Moses and Elizabeth Wray land forward. Deeds were not always filed, and the land was divided up so many times it's difficult to follow. It's possible the current owners of the land, where the house sat, are related to the Wrays, or they might have some information about previous land owners? Parcel maps, many are online, provide the names of the current owners of a piece of property, and sometimes recent previous owners. The name of the current owner also allows you to trace a piece of property backward using deeds or tax records. 

Since I had the address number of the property I was able to find the parcel using the Franklin County, VA - Online GIS Office. From the home page you select the Comprehensive Parcel Viewer. You can click on any parcel to find the owner, or use a name, or address. 

The Franklin County, Virginia parcel maps provide the names of the current owners of a piece of land and recent land transactions (sometimes older transactions). If there is a house on the property the size and age of the house are included. Importantly the information includes the deed book and page, plat map, and page. 

Here is the information you get when you click on a parcel.

If you click on the property card (at the bottom) you get even more information. 

Sometimes photos of the structures on a property are included. Since you can't always see houses set away from the road using Google Street View it's nice to be able to see the structures using the parcel viewer. 

Here is an example of the land transaction information. Generally fairly recent transactions are listed. In this case we see a transaction that took place many decades ago when Juanita Wray-Murray transferred land to her parents, Frank and Bertha Wray, who died a long time ago. Juanita is a distant cousin of mine. A Thurman family now owns the land and I'm likely a distant cousin of this family also. 

I'm confidant I have found the area where Moses Wray and his wife Elizabeth Morris once lived. Sorry I missed visiting that spot on my last trip. Hopefully I can return and visit the White Oak creek area. 

I've found parcel maps for many counties, and many states online, I wish they all provided the detailed information Franklin County, Virginia provides.