Cheshire County
Administration Building

33 West St.,
Keene, NH 03431

(603) 352-0403
(603) 352-7678 Fax

Evelyn Hubal

Register of Deeds

Mira Cook
Deputy

 

NOTICE

Purchasing property at foreclosure or through the tax lien procedure in Cheshire County

There is no information in the County Commissioner’s office or the Registry of Deeds regarding the availability of foreclosures for purchase in Cheshire County by the general public. Financial institutions need to be contacted for this information.

In Cheshire County, all towns and the City of Keene have adopted the tax lien procedure and as such only a municipality, county or the state where the property is located may acquire the tax lien against the land and building for unpaid taxes. Sales to private individuals are prohibited. (Refer to NH RSA 80:20-a)
NH Deeds Website

CHESHIRE COUNTY REGISTRY OF DEEDS IMAGES ON THE WEB

In keeping up with the electronic age, Cheshire County was the first Registry of Deeds in the State of New Hampshire to have images on their website. The grantor/grantee indices from 1960 to the last verified day in the Registry is on the site as well as the images which can be viewed free of charge without a password. There is a cost to print and more information can be obtained by calling the office at (603) 352-0403.

The County of Cheshire was one of five counties established in 1769, along with Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough and Grafton.

Major Josiah Willard was appointed the first ARecorder of Deeds and Conveyances of Real Estate@ in March 1771 and had previously served as the first representative to the legislature (1768-1770). Land records were held in Walpole until 1813. County land records were in several locations until the present Court House was built in 1858. Property records remained in that building until 1988 when the Registry outgrew the facilities. In October, 1987, the old Ashuelot National Bank was acquired and land records were moved. Land records for Cheshire County beginning in 1771 to present can now be found in the Administration Building at 33 West St, Keene N.H.

Records prior to 1771 are in the State Archives in Concord, N.H. Land records for Sullivan County from 1771 until 1827 can also be found in the early Cheshire County records.

The Registry of Deeds is the office that processes information as it relates to the selling and buying of property. It is a public office open to the legal profession and general public for researching the records. Besides deeds, mortgages, liens and attachments, there are various other types of documents pertaining to land records filed with the Registry. Plans of properties that have been surveyed and recorded will also be found in the Registry, but not all properties have a survey. The Cheshire Registry is also fortunate to have the collections of the late Samuel Wadsworth, Heman Chase and William House for researching.

The office provides information to the 23 towns in Cheshire County regarding the sale of properties for tax purposes, but does not give this information to any publications or agencies. There is much information in the early volumes and anyone interested in genealogy will probably find it useful to research the records. The occupation, spouse=s name and other pertinent data is often listed within the documents.

Cheshire Registry continues to produce books and also digitizes the documents and plans for ease in locating the information both in-house and on our website. Copies are available immediately if the customer is present. Requests by mail will be honored if the book and page is known and payment is included. Our website www.nhdeeds.com which allows viewing of both the indices and images, but printing is restricted to those who have a subscription to our service.

The Registry staff will help the public begin to locate the necessary information, but WILL NOT do the research, unless the request comes in the mail from a distant location.

Office hours of the Registry are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is (603) 352-0403 and the fax number is (603)352-7678. The office is located at 33 West St. Keene NH 03431. The mailing address is PO Box 584, Keene NH. 03431