Hi Everyone, I thought I would share some of the research techniques I have been using on the Internet to locate and isolate individual BLM land ownership in the Monterey County region I am currently researching. STEP 1: To find out whether an individual received a BLM land patent anywhere in California, or the United States, go to: <http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/search.asp> and type in the individual's name. You can do a broad search of all BLM patents nationwide using just a surname, or you can be more specific. There are all sorts of criteria that can be used. In the case of California land patents, a statewide search on a surname will display all patents along with the county. [Make a note of the County and Meridian Name as well as the Township/Range/Section numbers.] Click on a promising name and it will display more detailed information. Select "Legal Land Description." This will display the exact location within a Section that the individual received. NOTE: The Homestead Act only allowed for one 160 acre plot of land per person as a homestead and a Section contains 320 acres, so most often there are more one claimant within a Section. If the same individual is listed more than once, then it is likely one patent is for a homestead and the others were cash sales. If you have trouble figuring out what stuff like "E*E*", "SESW", etc.means under the "Legal Land Description", I can help you decipher the exact location. STEP 2: To find out what type of California land patent was made — homestead, cash sale, military scrip, Spanish/Mexican Land Grants, etc.—go to: <http://www.ca.blm.gov/landpatents/>. Scroll down the page and select the county you are interested in reviewing. Select to either download a PDF of the land patents for the county you are interested in, or the Excel spreadsheet version. Open the County PDF file with Acrobat Reader and scroll through until you locate the Township/Range/Section and then look for the individual's name on the right-hand side. In the middle of the page it will state the land patent type. NOTE: Through cross-referencing with Census Records I have been able to establish that family members — husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters — tended to apply for land within the same general area. Once you find your individual, try scrolling around in the sections immediately preceding and following your individual's section. You may find a relative you didn't know about before. STEP 3: Once you have the Meridian/Township/Range/Section information, a great place to go is: < http://www.esg.montana.edu/gl/trs-data.html>. Remember to use the either "North" or "South" with the Township number and "East" or "West" with the Range number. You must also enter the Section Number. You will then get a page filled with all kinds of information. Select "Switch to TerraServer" and you will get a topographical map of the section. These maps are a lot of fun. You can zoom in or out to get a rather precise feel for the land your individual originally patented. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: You may be surprised at the lateness of the patent date. Do not assume that your individual only moved into the area five years previous to the patent. The individuals I am researching I have been able to document as residents of the area for upwards of twenty years prior to the patent dates. In my area of research, the great flood of patents were finalized in the 1890s, although some of the people had been there since the 1870s. On a more personal level, my paternal great great grandmother applied for a land patent after she had been living on the land for over 15 years, and received the official patent six weeks after she applied. Hope this helps, Anita C. Monterey County