I believe that it was someone on this list who published information about the Bureau of Land Management's web site with the land patent information. I just wanted to say that I've visited this site and have been able to download five (!) digitalized copies of land patents from the US Government to two of my great-great-grandfathers (one a plantation owner in Mobile Co., the other in Covington Co., MS). I can't believe how easy (and fun) it was to just receive a copy of one of these legal documents from 1840 and 1850, respectively. Each was signed on behalf of the then U.S. Presidents, Martin Van Buren and Zachary Taylor. Even though the surveyor lingo describing the position of the acreage within the government land meant nothing to me, the age of the document and the historical significance is very exciting. BTW-it can also be a good way to "place" your ancestor in a certain location in a given span of years if you are unsure when they arrived there. Bronya Feldmann Berkeley, CA