To inform yourself about the Homestead Act, try these sites. http://www.ultranet.com/~deeds/homestead.htm http://www.beatricene.com/homestead/history.html http://www.nps.gov/home/home.htm http://www.time-passages.com/homestead-act.html http://www.nathankramer.com/settle/article/homestead.htm (has a copy of the original act) To see if an ancestor received a patent (deed) to public land through homestead or other means, search the online government records at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ First click on the phrase "Search Land Records" on the green line at the top. They will ask you to enter your ZIP code to measure service to various areas I suppose, and then you are free to search. You can view the copy of the patent online in many cases, and there is a way to get a form to send to the National Archives for the application. If a copy of the patent is not available online, the site tells you how to obtain one. I have found this site productive beyond my imagination. The patents before Pres. Wilson were signed by the president himself. The applications contain the ancestor's actual signature and much information. The fees are quite nominal. Jerry in Boise