Grants from the Federal Government (Public Domain)

United States Land and Property

The Public Domain - Federal Land States
The public domain included most of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains that was obtained by the federal government. After the United States was established, some lands that had been claimed by the colonies were ceded to the federal government. The federal government also obtained land as a result of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the War with Mexico (1846-48), and other means. The states which possess this land are commonly known as Federal land states.

Over the years, more than one billion acres of the public domain have been transferred to private or state ownership through the types of grants described below. Approximately 25 million surveyed lots were eventually described in tract books. An estimated 6 1/2 to 7 million land titles were granted to individuals and states.

To accomplish this massive distribution of land, the government needed to resolve Indian claims to the land and private claims by settlers already on the land (including those who had received grants from Spain, Mexico, or France). They also needed to encourage settlement of the open lands, reserve lands for military bounty, survey the land to provide a legal description, and establish a record-keeping system.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1785 was the first of over 300 laws to help accomplish these tasks. It established the rectangular survey system that divided most of the land in the public domain into townships and sections. Later laws established local land offices to distribute the land. These were under the direction of the General Land Office (GLO) in Washington, D.C. (now known as the Bureau of Land Management).

Types of Grants
The GLO distributed over 1,031,000,000 acres of the public domain lands as follows:

Donation lands and cash or credit sales. To encourage settlement of open lands, approximately 29 percent were sold very inexpensively for cash or credit (1785 to 1908) or donated to encourage settlement (1840s to 1903 in Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington). '''Homestead grants. '''Another 28 percent of the land was distributed after 1862 to homesteaders who could receive title to the land by residing on it and making improvements for five years (various laws modified these requirements). About 60 percent of those who applied for homestead land never completed the requirements to receive a patent to the land. However, their applications have generally been preserved in their case files, and these may contain helpful family information. Grants to states. Approximately 22 percent of the land was granted to the states, who, in turn, may have sold or leased it to individuals. Grants to railroads and others. Twelve percent was granted to railroad companies and others who also may have sold or leased it. Military bounty lands. Seven percent was distributed as military bounty land. Private land claims. Two percent of the land was granted to individuals who could establish prior ownership or had titles previously granted by Spain, Mexico, or France. When new areas were acquired by the United States, special commissions or courts were appointed by the U.S. Congress to resolve these claims and report to Congress. Many claims were presented directly to Congress.

Finding the Land and it's Associated Records
Finding the land where an ancestor lived has always been a fascination for a researcher. Beyond the finding of the land are the associated records which may attend an acquisition. For federal land states, most of the initial land purchases came from the government and while cash sale purchases may have minimal paperwork, homestead claims, mining claims or military bounty warrants may have accrued paperwork containing valuable information including immigration records and details involving a person’s life. The accumulation of this paperwork has been placed in a Case file which is held at the www.archives.gov National Archives. The first step will always be to locate the land patent or final certificate which is the document stating the requirements have been completed for obtaining a parcel of land. The patent will include the date, legal description of the land, patent number and the office that issued the patent. For some, the next step will be to obtain the case file containing the documents relating to the land acquisition.

Land Patent Search
The Bureau of Land Management and General Land Office (BLM-GLO) has an on line Land Patent Search which is an index to millions of ancestors named in federal land patents and warrants from 1788 to the 1960’s located at the National Archives. This is the best place to begin when searching for a land patent because of the ease of navigation when searching for an ancestor. This internet web site also provides many images of patents. To learn more about land patents see the wiki page entitled Land Patent Search under United States Land and Property.

Obtaining the Case File
Because some case files contain valuable biographical and even immigration information, this can be an important document to obtain; especially in the event of a homestead or mining claim. The case file is located in the National Archives which may be viewed in person or you may obtain photocopies through correspondence. Most of the case files have not been microfilmed, except for the Oregon and Washington donation lands and some of the private claims files. The Family History Library has copies of most of the records that are on microfilm. To learn how to obtain copies, visit the National Archives website for more detailed information at www.archives.gov/genealogy/land In order to obtain copies you will need the following information which may be found in the land patent records indexed at the BLM-GLO web site:
 * Name of the purchaser
 * State where the land was purchased. It is also helpful to know the present day county.
 * Name of the land office. This is give on the land patent, but if there is a question, a good source for finding the land office is the book entitled Land and Property Research in the United States which includes a section in Appendix B giving the boundary maps for all federal land states including the name of the land office.
 * Type of certificate (homestead, cash, bounty-land warrant, mining, timberland etc.)
 * Certificate number or patent number

National Archives Address
Textual Reference Branch National Archives and Records Administration 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20408 Telephone: 202-501-5395 Fax: 202-219-6273 Internet: http://www.archives.gov/

Legal Description of the Land
The legal description of a parcel of land includes the township, range and section of the property. If you can also provide the number and date of the patent or final certificate and name of the land office that granted the land, the files can be found more quickly.

For Federal Land states, obtaining a legal description of the land has become very simple. By accessing the [http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp? BLM-GLO] web site, you may search for a land patent or warrant by name of the patentee or warrantee.

You may also be able to get the legal description from one of the following:

A deed is the written legal document transferring ownership of property. These are usually found at the county level. The Family History Library has a large collection of deed records including most counties and towns. To access these records go to the Family History Library catalog (www.familysearch.org) Place Search &gt; County or Town &gt; Land

Tract books. If you know the general location of the land, you can search the tract books to obtain the legal description. These are arranged by the legal description of the land. The tract books are divided into two geographical areas; Eastern States and Western States.


 * The Western States tract books are located in the National Archives Building in Washington D.C. and include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.The address for the National Archives is:
 * National Archives and Records Administration
 * 700 Pennsylvania Avenue
 * Washington D.C. 20408-0001


 * The Eastern States tract books are held at the Bureau of Land Management and include the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illnois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. The address for the Eastern States office is: ::Eastern States Office, Bureau of Land Management
 * Department of the Interior (BLM-ESO)
 * 7450 Boston Boulevard
 * Springfield, Virginia 22153
 * Phone: 703-440-1523


 * The original tract books for many states may be found at the National Archives branch that serves the state, and copies are at the BLM offices in Anchorage, Phoenix, Sacramento, Denver, Boise, Billings, Reno, Santa Fe, Portland (Oregon), Salt Lake City, and Cheyenne. You can search these records yourself, or the staff at the BLM offices will search the tract books for you for a fee.


 * Tract books may also be found at the Family History Library.
 * United States. Bureau of Land Management. Tract Books. Washington, D.C.: Records Improvement, Bureau of Land Management, 1957. (On 1,265 FHL films starting with 1445277.) The tract books for Alaska and Missouri are missing. Most state archives also have copies for their states.

Plat maps represent a piece of land which has been subdivided,showing boundaries of the individual lots. In some cases a plat map may give reference to the original patent or tract. These may be found at the Family History Library. To learn whether they are available at the library go to the Family History Library catalog Place Search &gt; County or town &gt; Land or Maps. Individual state archives may also contain these records.

Federal platsare another source for finding the legal description. They are often referred to as the “township plats.” Most of these are available at the BLM officesmentioned above or at the National Archives—Cartographic Branch. Each state archive may also have microfilm copies for the state.

Land Patent Search
Land patents from 1788 to the 1960s show information about people who obtained the title to their land directly from the government (rather than from another individual). This includes land obtained through military bounty land warrants, land grants, cash entry sales, credit entries, homesteads, mineral or mining, and timberland claims.

For Federal Land States, the easiest place to search for a patent is at the [http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp? BLM-GLO] website where you may search for a land patent or warrant by the name of the patentee or warrantee.

You may also be able to locate land patents from one of the following:


 * The BLM Eastern States Office (see address above under tract books) has an index to all patents issued after 30 June 1908.


 * The Family History Library and the Eastern States Office have an incomplete card file that indexes pre-1908 patents issued in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin. These are on 160 microfilms.


 * United States. Bureau of Land Management. Card Files. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Land Management, [19--]. (FHL films 1501522-681.)


 * The pre-1908 land patents are also being indexed and placed on compact discs for computers. The Family History Library and other repositories have copies for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. They are found in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE] - LAND AND PROPERTY.


 * Indexes for the same states along with Missouri are available on the Internet. For an information packet, telephone the Bureau of Land Management at 703-440-1564.

Private Land Claims
The original 1789 to 1908 case files of private land claims in parts of 15 states are at the Textual Reference Branch (see address above). The files of some states have been microfilmed and are available at state archives and at the Family History Library.

Many of the applications, petitions, and memorials presented to Congress from 1789 to 1837 have been published and indexed in:

United States Congress. American State Papers, Class 8: Public Lands; Class 9: Claims. Nine Volumes. 1832-1861. Reprint, Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1994. (FHL book 973 R2ag 1994; 1832-1861 edition on films 899878-85.) A combined index to the 1832-1861 edition is: McMullin, Phillip W., editor. Grassroots of America. Salt Lake City, Utah: Gendex Corporation, 1972. (FHL book 973 R2ag index; fiche 6051323.) Indexes to land, pension, bounty land, and other claims presented to Congress from 1789 to 1909 are found in published summaries or digests (tables) at the National Archives and federal repository libraries (at major university libraries). The Family History Library has the alphabetical digests for 1789 to 1871:

United States Congress. House. Digested Summary and Alphabetical List of Private Claims Which Have Been Presented to the House of Representatives. Washington, DC Library of Congress, [19--]. (FHL films 899874-77.)

Graphing Federal Lands on Maps
Public Land Survey System also called the Rectangular Survey System

A. Go to www.glorecords.blm.gov


 * 1. Click the tab, Search Land Patents.
 * 2. If know the state, use Basic.
 * 3. If don’t know the state or want to search all states, use Standard.
 * 4. Choose a state (or all).
 * 5. Type at least a surname.
 * 6. On the Results List, click a name.
 * 7. On the Patent Description, note the Issue Date and the Acres.
 * 8. On the Legal Land Description, note the:
 * a. Aliquot Parts
 * b. Sec./Block
 * c. Township
 * d. Range
 * e. Meridian
 * f. State
 * g. Counties

B. Go to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Geocommunicator


 * 1. Click Township icon.
 * 2. Put in:
 * a. State
 * b. Meridian
 * c. Township
 * d. Range
 * 3. Don’t type Fraction or Direction.
 * 4. Click Search.
 * 5. It will say “No Records Found”.
 * 6. Close the window.
 * 7. Click the County tab.
 * 8. Choose a state and county.
 * 9. Use Pan (the hand) to move the map around.
 * 10.Position the cursor near the appropriate Township and Range.
 * 11.Zoom In twice.
 * 12.Find the appropriate Section within the Township and Range.

Published Sources
Some societies, archives, and individuals have transcribed, indexed, and published portions of the federal land records, usually for a state or county. Those at the Library are usually listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under the [STATE] - LAND AND PROPERTY, or [STATE], [COUNTY] - LAND AND PROPERTY.