The Importance of the Title Search

As a paranormal historian and researcher, one of my favorite aspects of the investigation process is conducting a deep dive into the background of every location in my case file. This deep dive includes studying a multitude of primary source documents, not just concerning the people involved, but the land itself as well!

One such primary source document that is a staple in my research process is the title/deed search. Although it won't give you everything you need (for example, the title will just tell you who OWNED the property, not necessarily who lived/worked there), it is an invaluable source of information. The title deed gives you a run-down of who has owned the land through written record. It can often tell you how that land was acquired from person to person---was it sold or passed down through a will to a family member. It will give you property boundaries and physical descriptions, allowing you to see just how extensive the property is/was and if it was ever part of a larger land tract. Sometimes, if you're lucky, it might even give you a reason for why that property is haunted.

Quite a few years ago now, my investigation team was called into an apartment building in Huntington, WV. Our clients were a young couple who were experiencing some strange paranormal activity. Well, that's not entirely true. The young man was the one experiencing paranormal activity. He was plagued by shadow figures darting around the apartment. Unexplained noises and voices were heard that could not be blamed on the neighbors. Objects would disappear, only to be found much later, and only by his girlfriend. At night, he experienced horrible dreams and interrupted sleep. 

This poor guy was being terrorized by something he couldn't explain. The worst part, however, was that he and his partner were seriously starting to doubt his sanity. Why was his sanity being questioned? Because these things were happening to him and only to him. The young lady wasn't experiencing anything out the ordinary. She'd come home to her partner telling her something had gone missing, and she'd find it right where it was supposed to be. Aside from the nightmares, all other activity, including the shadow figures and voices, tended to only happen when the guy was home alone. 

We spent the night at the apartment with all of our gear. Unfortunately, we didn't experience anything ourselves that night. After reviewing hours of audio and video, we still couldn't find anything that would make us believe there was paranormal activity going on in that apartment. In a way, it was really disappointing, because I know I personally felt that we had let this couple down. 

But, in comes the historical research. Due to work restraints and the urgency of the case, I didn't get to do a full historical write-up before the actual investigation. So, it was several days later before I made my way to the Cabell County Courthouse to pull the title of the property in hopes of at least giving the clients a thorough report. 

What I found was....interesting. The apartment dated back to the early 1930's and was always used as an apartment building. There was nothing unusual with the boundary descriptions or chain of ownership except for one little clause (or covenant) embedded in the original document. The original deed for the apartment clearly stated that PERSONS OF COLOR should never be sold or rented to.  

This was an important detail because the young man was black. His girlfriend, however, was white. We came to the loose conclusion that he was the target of these paranormal hostilities because a deceased racist former owner did not appreciate that covenant being broken. When presented with this information, the clients also believed there may be something to it. The young man had never experienced paranormal activity in any other location before this. If he was just starting to show signs of mental illness, it's likely that his symptoms would also show up while outside the apartment, which they weren't. Everything started after moving into that apartment, and all the activity was contained therein and concentrated on him alone. 

Since their lease was almost up, the couple decided the best thing to do was just to find a different apartment, one without a racist ghost. We checked in on them a few months later, and things were completely normal. I like to think this case had a happy ending, but while we were able to provide some answers to a client, can it really be a happy ending when things like this happen?

From the 1920's to the 1940's, the United States was seeing a population shift. It was the peak of what we call the Great Migration of Blacks from the south into the bigger cities of the north and midwest to find work. It was pretty common and perfectly legal for individual property owners, as well as whole entire neighborhoods, to include covenants in their title deeds banning different races and religions from taking ownership. 

The first step against this practice was the 1948 U.S. Supreme Court case, Shelley v. Kraemer, which ruled that these covenants couldn't be enforced by state or federal governments. However, they could still be socially enforced and often were.  It took another 20 years before the 1968 Fair Housing Act outlawed them completely. But, even then, there were other ways to socially enforce the original covenants and keep certain people out of certain neighborhoods. 

Amazingly, out of all the title searches I've done over the years, that was the only time I actually found one of these covenants included, and it just happened to be for a case where it was significant. But, I challenge you---If title searches are part of your investigative process, keep an eye out for similar wording. You never know when it might be important. 

Read more about racially restrictive housing covenants over on the History Channel!  (LINK)

10+ FREE Online History Resources for Paranormal Investigators

Whenever I research the history of a haunted location, or undertake the arduous task of finding any truth behind West Virginia's rich, spooky folklore, I draw upon many, many resources.  I'm lucky to have access to quite a few different avenues. I live close to Charleston, so visiting the state archives is no biggie. I live close to Huntington, where the Cabell County Public Library has an AWESOME local history and genealogy room. My background as a paralegal has given me training in navigating county courthouses for vital statistics and title searches. I have an extensive library of West Virginia history books and magazines. And, most of the time, I can afford to access paid newspaper archive services. 

But during the pandemic, I found myself relying a lot more on internet resources. Even before that, though, before I ever left the house in search of information, I'd find out all I could online. There are an innumerable amount of websites and other online resources that have helped me along the way, but I wanted to quickly share just a few that I find myself using over and over again. All of these services are completely FREE, with several focusing on West Virginia. Still, others are a great resource for any state. By no means is this a complete list, so if you have any suggestions to add, please feel free to comment below, or find me over on Theresa's Haunted History Facebook to share what FREE resources you use! 

1. WV History on View: West Virginia History on View is a service of West Virginia University's WV and Regional History Center. It is a collection of over 54,000 easily searchable historic photos from around West Virginia! 

2. The West Virginia State Archives: If you cannot make it to the physical archives in Charleston, the next best thing is to check out the digital collection. West Virginia was one of the first states to start digitizing vital statistic information, and their database of birth, marriage, and death certificates is easy to navigate and a HUGELY informative resource. Another area of the website I frequent is the database of applications for the National Register of Historic Places---if you're investigating a well-known historic building (or even one that may be part of a historic district), these applications provide a wealth of information that is so, so helpful. Browse around the rest of the site as well. There are lots of articles and pictures online, and if you're doing a deep dive into a particular location or subject, you can get a sense of what is available on that topic in the archives, so when you're ready to make the trip, you'll be prepared!

3. Chronicling America: This service, hosted by the Library of Congress, is a database of historic, pre-1963 newspapers. They obviously don't have each and every newspaper ever printed in the United States, but their collection is impressive. Early newspapers are full of articles about monsters, ghosts, and all sorts of other spooky things, as well as 'normal' articles about people, locations, and stories that could be of relevance to the case you're researching.

4. Sanborn Fire Maps: Also provided by the Library of Congress, this collection of old fire maps is a great resource for finding out what may have been built on a location prior to its current construction. It can be a little time-consuming and frustrating finding the exact area you need sometimes, but when you do, the reward is worth it. But don't just stop with the maps---the Library of Congress site in general gives access to tons of books, films, and other documents that may help you in your research. 

5. Find-a-Grave: Find-a-Grave is a user-submitted collection of cemeteries and the burials within. Not only do users submit who is buried in a particular cemetery, but information on where the cemetery is located, photos of the graves, and sometimes, background documents such as death certificates, personal photographs, and newspaper articles. I can't tell you how many times that missing puzzle piece about a person's death is easily solved by finding them on Find-a-Grave. In addition, links to the subjects deceased family member's burials are included.

6. Family Search: This is a FREE genealogy website. Although it isn't always as 'complete' as some of the paid services, it is a great resource. Genealogy research is an important part of the historical profile of a haunted location. Knowing the familial connections and where exactly a person lived, plus other details from their lives makes for some well-researched EVP questions, but also provides a bigger-picture understanding of the case.

7. tDar: The Digital Archaeological Record is a resource I've just recently started using myself, and am taking the time to get familiar with. While I've found that the actual documents usually aren't available for free, the site will let you know if there have been any archaeological digs/discoveries in the area, which you can then further research through other means.

8. County IAS Portals/County Assessor Pages: Each county in WV does things a little differently, but their IAS portals are generally pretty similar. An important aspect of the historical research on a haunted location is the property search, which back when I started, could ONLY be done by going to the county courthouse and sifting through huge, heavy deed/title books, finding out just who owned the property throughout history, and where the property lines actually were. Most of the time, you still have to do that, but IAS portals make it possible to pull up map cards and other relevant information BEFORE you head to the courthouse, giving you in most cases, a pretty complete look at former ownership (with deed book/page info included) and other architectural details. I've included the link for Kanawha County, WV.

9. Google Maps: I love Google Maps. Whenever we have a new case pop up, I search out the address of the location on Google Maps. Street View gives a pretty darn look at the outside of the property and surrounding area, while Google Earth is a great way to see just how close the property is to creeks, rivers, major roadways, railroads, and other significant things. Take a look at the area in regular map settings as well to get a feel for what the streets in the area are called (could a clue to the history be in the name?), and where places like cemeteries, businesses, and historic properties are located. 

10. Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State: I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that this blog itself is a great starting point for historical research! I love sharing my research, complete with as many primary source documents that I can viably put directly in a blog post! If you take a look around, you'll see most posts dotted with old newspaper articles, historic photos, transcriptions from old books and magazines, and lots and lots of links for more information. 

11.MapWV: Looking for maps related to West Virginia? This is your one-stop shop! Find out property information, geological information, and even where you can go fishing nearby! 

Finding the Facts Among the Folklore

Library Research at the
Cabell Co. Main Branch

Nothing in the paranormal research realm frustrates me more than the following scenario: You're researching a haunted location with a complete back story as to who the ghost is and what tragedy occurred that sparked the haunting. Sometimes names of those involved are given. Occasionally, the storyteller may even have rough or specific dates of when the events happened. It's a damn good ghost story, complete with an actual location with alleged activity to investigate. 

As a paranormal investigator who specializes in historic research, I'm always excited when a haunted location comes complete with such an elaborate tale that explains why the location is haunted. But, I would be doing my field a huge disservice if I just took those ghost stories at face value and didn't try to verify and uncover my own documentation. That's where the frustration comes in. More often than not, I WILL FIND NOTHING. 

It's one thing to find historical records that dispute the widely accepted ghost stories and debunk the details behind the haunting. It can be disappointing, proving that the stories behind a haunted location that have been told for YEARS may not have any basis in fact---that Mr. Smith, who was said to have murdered his whole family in the barn before taking his own life, ACTUALLY died of rheumatism at the age of 85, and was outlived by all three of his children and wife. In rare instances, it's possible to find historical documentation that disputes the original story, but offers up details of an even stranger series of events that even more accurately fit the details of the reported paranormal activity. Either way, it's something I can work with. I can show tangible proof of historic details and go from there. And just because the back story to a haunting didn't happen the way folklore insists it did, doesn't mean that the location isn't haunted. As paranormal researchers and investigators, we have a lot more to learn about why some locations attract paranormal activity even without a tragic event tied to it. Further, lots of ghost stories and urban legends have at least a small grain of truth buried deep within, and it's always fun and rewarding to find that grain of truth and figure out how it relates to the story as a whole. 

What's frustrating is the finding of NOTHING---no historical documentation to disprove an event happened, and no documentation to prove it did. As I always tell my clients, just because I personally cannot find confirmation, doesn't mean that confirmation doesn't exist or that the story isn't true. And until I do find confirmation that an event took place or a specific person existed as described, that case is open to me. 

With any of my cases that I investigate, or even simply feature here on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State, nothing is ever closed. As my historical research skills evolve, as my access to research materials increases, and as more resources are in general are being digitized and made available to the public, the more I discover about the many, many haunted places throughout West Virginia and beyond. 

My biggest fear is that with many of these stories, there never will be confirmation (or denial). Historic research can be a bit...muddled. For most of our history, it wasn't required to officially register things such as births and deaths. People signed official documents with their nicknames, not the names given on their birth certificates. Newspapers didn't always get their facts straight, and in some cases, made up stories for readership. Census takers often mis-recorded and misspelled information...and that was if they could even get the accurate information out of the family in the first place. Tombstones become lost or illegible. The digitization of records has opened up a lot of doors in the realm of research, but transcription errors and low-quality or damaged scans are a huge problem and have led to a lot of misinformation.

And unfortunately, some documents have been permanently lost to history. Courthouses burn down, destroying documents. Floods wash away important papers. Newspaper offices go out of business and chuck their archives. Natural and man-made disasters, not to mention just the passage of time, have erased any written documentation of a story, or any proof of the existence of those involved. All that remains is the folklore--the stories passed down orally through the generations. Some of these stories remain largely intact as to the original content, while others grow and change a little with each re-telling and each generation, trying to fill in the gaps and keep the story relevant throughout the years. And as a researcher, it frustrates the hell out of me. I love a good mystery, but I hate the idea of never knowing the truth. Just how accurate ARE those old ghost stories if I can't find any way to prove or disprove them?

It also leaves me conflicted. I want to do my due diligence. I want to bring legitimacy to the field of paranormal research and investigation. That requires finding out the truth, no matter what that truth may be. If I cannot find solid proof for or against, I feel like I've failed. I feel like I've failed my clients, my readers, and myself. More importantly, I feel like I've failed those whose stories are waiting to be told. But what about those stories? What value, if any, can be found in the tales told that cannot be authenticated?

The older I get, the more I appreciate how our West Virginia folklore, in particular our ghost lore IS a part of our history. Ghost stories serve as a reminder that none of us will live forever. They serve as morality tales, reminding us to act a certain way. They serve as a warning---here in Appalachia, it wasn't unheard of for ghost stories to be told as a means of scaring outsiders away from a well-hidden moonshine still, and certainly, throughout history, spooky stories have been told to children to keep them from wandering away and exploring areas where real life dangers abound. Ghost stories are a commentary on the values and beliefs of a group of people, and in some cases, are used to explain that which cannot be explained by normal means. 

Ghost stories also serve simply as a means of entertainment. Before the days of television, many dark nights were spent by the fire, telling and re-telling spooky stories. Most of us still love reading/hearing a good ghost story, or watching a spooky show on television to pass the time. Ghost lore is a part of our collective history, and therefore, despite my dedication to the truth, I strongly believe that our ghost stories and related folklore should be preserved and studied, whether or not they can be verified to be historically accurate. Long-time readers to Theresa's Haunted History might notice that I've always tried to represent both sides. I've always told the popular ghost lore and shared the ghost stories of each haunted location I feature. Then, I share any historical research I've uncovered, whether it backs up the stories or disputes them. I try to do the same for my clients; I will make sure to document the stories that are told, but present historical documentation illustrating my findings. 

This marriage of fact and folklore is the basis for this blog, and as my work as a paranormal investigator. I believe I owe it to this field of study and to my readers/clients to present the facts and documentation. I believe I owe it to our 'ghosts' to tell their stories as truthfully as possible, and ensure they are not forgotten. But, I believe I owe it to our collective history and culture to also document and share the stories that cannot be historically proven, as there is just as much to learn from them as any verifiable source. 

Stay spooky, y'all.