Other states have incomplete records before 1900. Errors occurred in these records and, since there wasn't an uniform reporting system, some events were never recorded. However, early Americans were religious people and kept good church records. Sometimes this information can be found in church records. A very important approach to learning family history is through land records.
Land records relating to the buying and selling of land can yield family and local history facts.
Land records include deeds, mortgages, leases, liens, contracts, powers of attorney, releases, notices of action, judgments, and decrees. Considerable family history can be gleaned through a careful search of deeds. This is especially true in the case of an estate of a person who died without leaving a will. Such a file will often give the names and residences of living children, as well as any children who may be deceased and the children of the deceased children. A deed often mentions relationships between the grantee and the grantor.