I've also been able to locate the information the National Archives requires by writing to the courthouse in the county where the land was. Explain why you need the information, then ask for a search for a patent by your ancestor during such and such a time frame. The patent will have all the information you need, and can lead to some great information about your ancestor's life, neighbors, etc. Jamie At 06:36 PM 9/18/98 -0400, you wrote: >Thanks to all you kind people you send me messages as to how to get the >land patent records. I can see that I have a great deal of work to do >before I can locate the exact area. Thanks again. >Elaine Kirkham > >