Subj: Federal Land Records EXPERT GENEALOGY Editor: Jeannette Holland Austin Series: Land Records Subject: Federal Land Records Date: July 26, 1999 For those of us who are tracing our ancestors across the map into the Old Northwest Territory, we have to resort to various US documents, such as the Federal Land Records. Ideally, had they remained, we could use the traditional records...ie., deeds, tax digests, etc. in the county where they resided. However, we have to be the real detective here, searching various Federal land claims and documents. Those who left from Kentucky and Virginia, crossed into Ohio Territory, Illinois and Indiana and families from Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and the Mississippi Territory are part of the migration which started about 1788. By 1835, a steady stream of settlers had already crossed the plains. The Federal Land Series, a set of 4 volumes, listed below, includes helpful information in the westward movement. Here are two sources for on-line Federal Land Records: California Federal Land Records, by county, Database http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/ca-land.htm Randolph Co., Arkansas Federal Land Records: This extract is from a file compiled from the Bureau of Land Management Land Records and includes homestead and cash entry patents before 1908 for what is now Randolph Co., Arkansas. http://www.digiserve.co.uk/kirk/rcflandr.htm