Foxborough, MA- Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell appeared as a guest speaker for the Foxborough Council on Aging as part of his ongoing efforts to bring the Registry of Deeds directly to the residents of Norfolk County.
“The presentation was excellent, and I really enjoyed all the useful information,” said Foxborough resident Maureen Serger. “It’s absolutely wonderful that all the registry records are available online; I’m going to hurry home so I can do some research.”
Register O’Donnell gave an overview of the Registry of Deeds, which is the principal office for real property records in Norfolk County, cataloging and housing more than 13.1 million land documents dating back to 1793.
“I welcome any time I can get out into the community and have the opportunity to speak with people about some issues that homeowners might face,” said Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell. “I was impressed by the audience engagement and truly glad to see that so many individuals attended the seminar hosted by the Foxborough Council on Aging.”
Register O’Donnell also reminded attendees about the importance of filing a mortgage discharge after their mortgage has been paid off. A discharge is a document (typically one or two pages) issued by the lender, usually with a title such as “Discharge of Mortgage” or “Satisfaction of Mortgage.” When a mortgage has been paid off, a mortgage discharge document needs to be recorded with the Registry of Deeds to clear a homeowner’s property title relative to that loan.
The Register elaborated on mortgage discharges for the attendees, who seemed particularly interested in the topic.
“In some cases,” noted Register O’Donnell, “discharges are filed directly by banks or settlement closing attorneys with the Registry as part of a property sale or as a result of a refinancing transaction. In other instances, the mortgage discharge is sent to the property owner, who then becomes responsible for making sure the document is recorded. Whether or not a discharge is recorded by the lending institution or the individual property owner, it is important that the property owner makes sure all necessary documents have been recorded at the Registry of Deeds.”
Register O’Donnell also explained how, through the use of cutting-edge technology, the Registry’s modernization initiatives have made land document research easier. Including the ability to look up land documents dating back to the first ones recorded in 1793 without the need to travel to the Registry’s main office in Dedham through the Registry of Deeds’ online internet research system. Assessing departments and the public can access these records through the Registry’s website, www.norfolkdeeds.org.
“Today,” noted O’Donnell, “our customers, whether it is a Norfolk County resident or a municipal agency, are looking to get their information as quickly and as easily as possible on a 24/7 basis. The information could be viewed in a number of ways: by a tablet, by a cell phone or by a work or home computer.”
During the speaking program, Register O’Donnell also discussed the genealogical research capabilities of the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds and the recently unveiled Genealogy Research and Resource Center. This new service, which is free to the public, offers a dedicated bank of computers for genealogical use.
“According to an ABC News report, genealogy is ranked the second most popular hobby in the United States,” stated Register O’Donnell. “Researchers may just find that their hunt for clues leads them right to the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds. Thanks in part to our History Comes Alive program.”
The Register noted that the genealogical workstations at the Registry contain the popular database Ancestry.com, American Ancestors, and the digital records from the Massachusetts Archives.
Concluding his remarks, O’Donnell stated, “I first want to thank those who attended the event. They asked great questions, and their attendance was greatly appreciated. I also want to thank Foxborough Human Services Director Marc Craig and Department Administrator Kristen Pellerin for inviting me to speak and helping coordinate the event.”