Georgia, Headright and Bounty Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Georgia

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of individual documents from Georgia’s original land grant system, the headright and bounty land system for the years 1783 to 1909. The files, filmed at the Georgia State Archives, contain the following types of records relating to the acquisition of a piece of land:


 * Headrights which provided the head of a family with a grant of land.
 * Bounty land grants which were awarded by the government as a reward to citizens for the risks and hardships they endured in the service of their country, usually in a military related capacity.
 * Warrant files which may include land plats, although not all transactions included surveys.
 * Vouchers listing the applicant’s status during the Revolutionary War
 * Certificates of eligibility for a land grant
 * Powers of attorney
 * Petitions

The files are generally organized by county and then by record type. The original grant files are arranged alphabetically by name of applicant. Each grant book has an index which usually appears at the beginning of the digital files.

This collection is being published as images become available.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Information found in the collection is listed below:


 * Name of grantee
 * Date of land grant
 * Legal description of land
 * Location of the land
 * Number of acres

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The location of the land.
 * The date of the grant.

Compare the information on the image to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if it is the correct family or person. You may need to compare several images before you find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page then select the appropriate "Record Type, Date Range and Volume".

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Georgia, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Georgia Archives and Libraries.

General Information About These Records
Georgia was a state-land state. The land was distributed by the provincial and later, state governors of the Colony and later the State of Georgia. After the Revolutionary War, a land act was passed which allowed a man to receive from 200 or more acres of land. Georgia also issued lands to its civilian population who had remained loyal, or at the very least neutral, to the Revolutionary cause after the British restored royal control. Settlers in good standing who owned land at the time of the establishment of the land offices received grants for their land.

Applicants for grants would swear to oaths regarding the size of their families to determine the number of acres granted. A warrant of survey would generally be issued, and the county surveyor would lay out the land. Copies of the survey plats were kept by the county surveyor and Surveyor General. Settlers were required to live on their land for a year and cultivate at least 3 percent of the land. After that time the applicant could apply for a grant.

These records were created to document the processes of receiving land grants from the State of Georgia, including headright land grants and bounties. They generally contain reliable information regarding the location and disposition of land, as well as military service information. Most of the headright and bounty grants issued were for land located east of the Oconee River.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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