Where can I find the legal description of my homestead?
Obtaining the Legal Land Description of Completed Homesteads: The BLM-GLO Land Patent Search index only lists people who were actually granted a federal land patent (homestead or other government-to-individual land transfer). If you find an ancestor in this index, it will provide the legal description of his or her land.
How did people get land for their homesteads?
To obtain the land a settler had to: file for a deed of title. Between 1862 and 1986 about 10 percent of all land in the United States, 270,000,000 acres (420,000 sq mi), were transferred from federal to private control through 1.6 million granted homesteads.
What was the purpose of the homestead law?
In 1862 the United States enacted a homestead law to encourage development of mostly-empty western federal lands and promote the yeoman farmer ideal. The original homestead law gave an applicant up to 160 acres (1/4 of a section) of undeveloped land in any federal-land state or territory.
What kind of papers do you need for a homestead?
Application papers often mention family members or neighbors, and previous residence as shown in dozens of papers which may include land application forms, citizenship applications, family Bible pages, marriage or death certificates, newspaper clippings, and affidavits.
Obtaining the Legal Land Description of Completed Homesteads: The BLM-GLO Land Patent Search index only lists people who were actually granted a federal land patent (homestead or other government-to-individual land transfer). If you find an ancestor in this index, it will provide the legal description of his or her land.
To obtain the land a settler had to: file for a deed of title. Between 1862 and 1986 about 10 percent of all land in the United States, 270,000,000 acres (420,000 sq mi), were transferred from federal to private control through 1.6 million granted homesteads.
In 1862 the United States enacted a homestead law to encourage development of mostly-empty western federal lands and promote the yeoman farmer ideal. The original homestead law gave an applicant up to 160 acres (1/4 of a section) of undeveloped land in any federal-land state or territory.
Application papers often mention family members or neighbors, and previous residence as shown in dozens of papers which may include land application forms, citizenship applications, family Bible pages, marriage or death certificates, newspaper clippings, and affidavits.
