If you get the newsletter from Ancestry.com you won't need to read further. If not, here is some useful information on available land records. >From Ancestry Daily News for September 17, 1998: ======================================================= GUIDE TO U.S. FEDERAL RECORD REQUESTS - PART 4 <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> ======================================================= LAND ENTRY FILES - NATF FORM 84 ================================ Information Contained: (Extracted from "The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy," Revised, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking) Homestead case files are richer in genealogical information than the cash, credit, and bounty-warrant files. A homestead final certificate file usually includes: ~ The homestead application ~ Certificate of publication of intention to complete the claim ~ Final proof of homesteading (testimony from the claimant and his or her witnesses) ~ Final document authorizing issuance of a patent. ~ A certified copy of the naturalization papers, if needed for the application, may be present. The final proof documents give: ~ The claimant's name ~ Age ~ Post office address ~ Describe the tract and the house ~ Date the establishment of residence ~ Give the number and relationship of the members of the family, and note citizenship ~ Crops ~ Acres under cultivation ~ Testimony of witnesses. The granting of military bounty land in the United States to encourage enlistments or reward previous service began in colonial times, but its legislative heyday was from 1788 to 1855, though claims were still being received by the federal government in the 1960s. Genealogists find bounty-land records especially attractive because they serve the dual role of locating persons in time and place and of proving military service. Applications sometimes contain a wealth of information, especially when heirs claimed lands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Request NATF Form 84 To request Form 84 (limit 6 per order), write to: National Archives and Records Administration Attn: NWCTB 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20408-0001 Or Email: inquire@nara.gov ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information required to request General Land Entry Files: For the following states, indexes exist: Alabama Alaska Arizona Florida Louisiana Nevada Utah (before 1908) Information required: ~ Name of land entryman (settler, patentee, etc.) ~ State in which the land was located ~ Approximate date of entry Additional information may be helpful, particularly with common names. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the following states, there are no indexes available: California Colorado Idaho Iowa Kansas Montana Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota Washington Wyoming (before 1908) Information required: ~ Name of land entryman (settler, patentee, etc.) ~ State in which the land was located ~ Approximate date of entry ~ Legal description of the land OR the type of file, the name of the land office that issued the file, and the land entry file number. This information can usually be obtained from the county recorder of deeds where the land was located. Ancestry.com subscribers can search Denver Land Office Records, 1862-1908: http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/search/3313.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- Name indexes also do not exist for the following states: Arkansas Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Ohio Wisconsin (before 1908) Information required: ~ Name of land entryman (settler, patentee, etc.) ~ State in which the land was located ~ Approximate date of entry ~ Legal description of the land OR the type of file, the name of the land office that issued the file, and the land entry file number. For these states, this information can be obtained from: GLO Records Access Staff Bureau of Land Management Eastern States 7450 Boston Boulevard Springfield, Virginia 22153-3121 Tel: 703-440-1600 Fax: 703-440-1609 Email: records@es.blm.gov http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ (At this web site, you can search and view original documents for the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, that will provide the additional information that is needed to complete NATF Form 84. pre-1908 records for Illinois, are scheduled for release in December 1998 and Iowa is scheduled for early 2003. Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales are searchable online at the Illinois State Archives web site at: http://www.sos.state.il.us/depts/archives/data_lan.html ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information required for Military Bounty Land Warrants: These files are arranged by the year of the Act of Congress which authorized the warrants, certificate number, and for warrants under the acts of 1847-1855 , by the number of acres granted. If you have this information, enter it in blocks 11-13. There are name indexes for the Revolutionary War and most of the War of 1812 warrants, but not for the warrants under the acts of 1847-1855. For those files you must obtain the file citation from the pension and bounty land warrant application files, by using NATF Form 80. (For more information on Form 80, see the September 15 Daily News' Research Guide to Military records at: http://www.ancestry.com/research/military80.htm Send completed NATF Form 84 to: Textual Reference Branch-Land (NWDT1) National Archives and Records Administration 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20408 (Do not include payment with the form, you will be billed for the copies. Credit card orders will mailed immediately. Credit cards accepted include MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and NOVUS cards -Discover, Bravo, Private Issue.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This page will be available online at: http://www.ancestry.com/research/land84.htm Cheryl Rothwell clrothwell@mindspring.com Logan County, ILGenWeb, coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~illogan/loindex.htm Logan County mailing list> LOGAN-L@rootsweb.com Downing mailing list> DOWNING-L@rootsweb.com