Many people are curious about the history of ownership of their property, or wonder if they have a claim to property occupied by another. Others are curious as to whether their family ever owned land in Hawaii. These people may be reluctant to undertake the expense of hiring someone to do a title search for them and would be willing to do the work themselves, if they had some guidance on how to proceed. This guide is designed to assist the layperson in tracing property and / or discovering ownership. It is not meant to be a study guide to title researchers'exams and does not necessarily represent the method that may be employed by any particular title searcher. What it does offer, though, is a systematic approach to tracing title or discovering ownership that will familiarize the layperson with the resources available and provide a structure within which to conduct research....

Most people who are interested in conducting a title search have a specific parcel of property in mind when they start. This type of search follows a specific pattern and the searcher must take care that no steps are omitted or there will be much duplication of effort. The procedure requires identifying the present owner and then tracing ownership backwards in time to the Great Mahele. The first step to be taken involves the proper identification of the property in question....