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Centuries of history beneath a home you love, bound into a single book.

Long before this address existed on any map, someone cleared this soil, built a life on it, and called it home. Then someone else did, and someone after them. Deed & Dwelling finds them.

Deed by deed, we trace who owned a home, from the earliest records to the people living there today, research their lives, and bind their stories into a hardcover, linen-bound book. Order one for your own home, or give one to someone you love. The next time someone walks through that front door, they'll know whose footsteps they're following.

Order a house history
A hardcover Deed & Dwelling house history book, titled 'A House History,' standing on a table
$200 per history, shipping included Delivered in about 4 weeks Serving Prince George's & Montgomery County, MD Refund guarantee if we can't trace it

See the plot unfold

Explore examples of the stories behind the plots.

A Deed & Dwelling house history book lying open to a chapter titled 'The House Goes Up,' resting on an outdoor chair

For the person who has everything but this.

It's the best gift they didn't know to want: the story of the place they call home.

We trace a single property back through the centuries it has quietly kept to itself — the deeds, the historical maps and records, the colonial grant it once belonged to, the people who called it home before them. We then pull together the images and stories into a beautifully bound, visually engaging book, deeply researched for exactly one home: theirs.

Perfect for a housewarming gift, a milestone year of living in the home, a birthday, or any other occasion, this is the kind of gift that stays out where people can see it, long after the wrapping paper's gone.

Or maybe it's for you.

Whether you've just moved in or you've always been curious, it's time to read the chapters that came before yours.

Order a house history
A proportional timeline spread from a finished book, charting a property's history from 1926 to the present

What's inside

  • The chain of title, deed by deed, back to the original land patent
  • High-resolution scans of the actual deeds, patents, and plats
  • Images of artifacts tied to the property, such as census records, historical maps, or newspaper clippings
  • A narrative vignette for each meaningful era of ownership
  • A proportional timeline spanning the property's history

How it works

  1. You order

    Give us the address and pay online. We'll confirm by email within two business days.

  2. We trace

    We follow the deeds back to the colonial patent and research the people who lived there. You'll hear from us with a progress update within one working week.

  3. It arrives

    Your hardcover book is shipped to you, or straight to the person you're giving it to, about four weeks after you order.

About us

This project began with curiosity about our own home in Hyattsville: who lived here before us, what this address looked like a hundred years ago, whether the ground itself had a name before it had a street number. One deed led to another, then to a colonial land patent, then to old maps and newspaper clippings, until an ordinary address turned into a genuine story.

Something shifts once you know a home's real history. It stops feeling like just the place you happen to live and starts feeling like what it always was: a truly historic home, with three centuries of its own story behind it.

We started looking into friends' homes, and binding these histories into keepsake gifts. The reaction was always the same: disbelief, then delight, then a request to do it for somebody else's house too. That's how it became something we wanted to share more widely, not just as personal gifts but with anyone curious about the ground under their own front door.

Our books start the same way: land office ledgers, court records, colonial patents, and historical maps, followed one deed at a time from a property's first name to its newest owner. What comes back is more than information. It's the kind of grounding that makes a house feel, finally, like home.

I'm Brian, and I'd love to share with you the story of your plot.

Deed & Dwelling is based in Hyattsville, Maryland
Order a house history
A book spread titled 'The Farrells, Twice,' pairing a narrative vignette with a scanned 1920 federal census record

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost, and what's included?

The book is $200, shipping included. That covers the research and one hardcover, linen-bound book of roughly 20 to 30 pages, delivered in about four weeks.

What if you can't trace the home back to the colonial era?

Maryland's land records are unusually well preserved compared to many states, so this is rare. If we can't get a robust chain of title back to the colonial patent, we'll tell you before the book is finished, and you choose a discount or a full refund. And if you change your mind within 48 hours of ordering, before research begins, we'll refund you in full.

Do you need anything from the homeowner?

No. The research draws on public records and archives: land records, census rolls, maps, and newspapers. The homeowner doesn't need to provide documents, grant access, or even know, which keeps a gift a true surprise.

Can I give this as a gift?

Yes, it's what the book was made for. Enter the recipient's property as the address to research, then add their shipping address and any title page wording on the order form, and we'll ship the book straight to them.

What if the house was built recently?

The book traces the ground, not just the structure standing on it. Even a house built last year sits on land with its own chain of title, often stretching back through farmland, subdivision, and a colonial land patent centuries before the first foundation was poured. How old the house is has little to do with how far back the story goes.

What geographic areas do you cover?

Right now we focus on Prince George's and Montgomery County, Maryland, where the land records and colonial patents are well preserved and well understood. If the home you have in mind is elsewhere, reach out with the address — we'll let you know honestly whether we can trace it.

Is payment secure?

Payments are handled by Stripe, so we never see or store your card number. You'll get a receipt by email as soon as your payment goes through.

Begin tracing a home you love.

Tell us about the property below, then pay securely online. Still deciding? Send a question instead, and we'll reply personally.

The no-trace guarantee

If we can't build a solid chain of title back to the colonial patent, we'll tell you before the book is finished, and you choose a discount or a full refund. Change your mind within 48 hours of ordering, before research begins? That's a full refund too.

Order a house history

$200 · hardcover, linen-bound · shipping included · about 4 weeks

You'll pay securely through Stripe on the next page. If we can't build a solid chain of title back to the colonial patent, you choose a discount or a full refund.

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