I wasn't there either. However, a lot of larger localities have this data on their websites. I have to use them to find properties all the time. In Virginia, we call them Commissioner of Revenue, and they have a Real Estate Office.
Instead of actually having to go to the Courthouse and file through the gigantic Plat Books, it allows online users to find the information in minutes. Property transfers and taxation have always been publicly recorded, it was just a pain in the neck to find it.