Tulsa County Clerks Archive Land, Deed Records

Tulsa County Clerk Michael Willis is working every day on a meticulous task. Willis and his office are going page by page through more than a century of old, land and deed records and moving them into the 21st century.

"We've tried to digitize everything that we can,” said Willis. “We put a ton of those images out on line. Literally hundreds of thousands of them over the last four or five years and it's made it a little bit more convenient for our customers."

Willis said his predecessor started the process and the office is now 80 percent finished. The records dating back to the 1880s show the history and growth of Tulsa County.

Willis said by doing this, some people, like those looking for genealogy records or old deeds, will no longer have to come into the office. "Almost everything we have is online and available to people," said Willis.

Instead of throwing the old books away, Willis has started a new mission. "This is pretty sturdy,” said Willis, pointing at new binders. “This is one of the disaster proof binders."

The county clerk’s office is now taking century old books and refurbishing them. Willis said the goal for all of it is to keep our history alive.

"I'm kind of a nerd and I like history and I think we should preserve as much of that as possible,” said Willis. “We don't make books anymore…I think they're worth saving."

Willis said they're only about 5 to 10 percent done with preserving the books. That process will take longer since they have to work it into their yearly budget.