| Q. |
What's a land patent? |
| A. |
Land patents document the transfer of land ownership from the federal government to
individuals. Our land patent records include the information recorded when ownership
was transferred.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What are public lands? |
| A. |
The term public land means any lands and interest which title is still vested in
the Federal Government. The Secretary of the Interior through the BLM administers
those lands within the several states.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Where are the Public Land States? |
| A. |
Those states created out of the public domain are the lands now embraced in the States of
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What are vacant public lands? |
| A. |
These are public domain lands that have never left Federal ownership and have not been reserved,
withdrawn, dedicated or set aside for a certain purpose. These lands are mostly in the 11
Western states (LINK FOR STATE OFFICE PAGE) although there are scattered parcels throughout
each of the eastern public lands States. The Eastern States field offices in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin and
Jackson, Mississippi have information about lands
that may be available for sale.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Why are there no public lands in the thirteen colonies and other states in the east? |
| A. |
In the very early years of the United States, the Congress of the Confederation
declared it would sell or grant the unclaimed lands in "the West" (given up by
the States to the United States) for the common benefit of the United States. The States
gave up their claims to what is now Alabama, Michigan, part of Minnesota, Mississippi,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The United States could then sell this unclaimed
land to raise money for the Treasury. In turn, the United States gave up its claims to any
land within the boundaries of the Colonies.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
How was the land sold or disposed of? |
| A. |
The land was disposed of by the authority of many acts of Congress - sale, homesteads,
military warrants for military service, timber culture, mining, etc. One of the primary
purposes of these public land laws was to encourage people from the East to move West. In
the early 1800's people could buy public land for $1.25 an acre. For a time, they could
buy up to 640 acres under this law. The sale of public land under the "Cash Act"
is no longer in effect.
Several Military Warrant Acts granted public land to soldiers instead of pay. These
acts have been repealed.
The Homestead Act of 1862, allowed people to settle up to 160 acres of public land if
they lived on it for five years and grew crops or made improvements. This land did not
cost anything per acre, but the settler did pay a filing fee. This act is no longer in
effect.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What other land records does BLM maintain? |
| A. |
This office maintains the original survey plats and field notes for eight of
the Eastern public land states (AL, AR, FL, LA, MI, MN, MS, WI). The duplicate
original survey plats and field notes are also housed in this office for sixteen
of the Western public land states (AZ, AK, CA, CO, ND, SD, ID, MT, NE, NV, NM, OK,
OR, UT, WA, WY). NOTE: Oklahoma survey plats and field notes are Originals.
For information please see the specific BLM State Office
website and link to their Cadastral Survey
web page. The National Archives and Records Administration maintains the original survey
plats and field notes for IL, IN, IA, KS, MO and OH. If you are searching for a Western
land patent issued prior to July 1, 1908, please contact the specific BLM State office
for information.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
How can I get Land Entry file information for patents? |
| A. |
Land Entry files were created when a person claimed land under an act of
Congress. They first had to fill out an application, and sometimes provide
other information(marriage or immigration documents), at the local General Land
Office. Other documents were also created under that application, like receipts
for any payments, or affidavits of occupation, immigration, marriage, and
homestead application. Eastern States did not keep these
files. They are now the responsibility of the National Archives and Records
Administration in Washington, D.C.
The land entry file information can be obtained from the National Archives.
Click here for more information.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Why is there sometimes a long time period between purchase date and signature date? |
| A. |
Due to the tremendous amount of land sold in the 1800's, the General
Land Office experienced quite a backlog in the middle part of the 19th century.
It was not unusual for several years to pass between the time an
individual purchased land from the local land office and the time a patent for
that tract was finally signed by the GLO in Washington, D.C.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What is pre-emption? |
| A. |
Some patents have the word "Pre-emption"in the upper left-hand corner.
"Pre-emption" was a tactful way of saying "squatter". In other words,
the settler was physically on the property before the GLO officially sold or even surveyed the
tract, and he was thus given a pre-emptive right to acquire the land from the United States.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What is the Mississippi/Alabama and Florida/Alabama "Crossover"? |
| A. |
The St. Stephens Meridian and Huntsville Meridian surveys cross into both Mississippi
and Alabama, creating situations where the land offices in St. Stephens and
Huntsville, Alabama and in Columbus, Mississippi sold lands in both
states. We suggest that anyone
researching that area take a look at the databases for both states.
The original state line between Alabama and Florida
did not close against the Tallahassee Meridian survey (which covered all of
Florida), but rather against the earlier St. Stephens Meridian survey in south
Alabama. The state line was later resurveyed, creating a situation where some
Tallahassee Meridian lands fell across the border into Alabama. We
suggest that anyone researching that area take a look at the databases for both
states.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What about revolutionary war military bounty warrants? |
| A. |
The only state we have Revolutionary War-era military bounty warrants
for is Ohio (mostly in the Virginia Military District), and even those
records for the most part have only a survey number and warrant number
on them. A few were issued for rectangularly surveyed sections of land,
but most were for metes and bounds surveys in the Virginia Military
District.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Why do some Indiana land records say the land is in Ohio? |
| A. |
The Cincinnati land office issued several thousand patents for lands
in southeastern Indiana within what was called "the Gore" - a
roughly triangular-shaped area bounded by the Ohio-Indiana border, the
Greenville Treaty line and the Ohio River. These Indiana records
have been scanned and indexed as Ohio records.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What about the Connecticut Western Reserve Lands? |
| A. |
All of northeastern Ohio was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, which was set
aside to satisfy military bounty warrants for Revolutionary War veterans from
that state. The General Land Office didn't have anything to do with land records for
that area of Ohio. The following addresses may be of help to you for information on the
Connecticut Western Reserve:
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Street
Hartford, CT 06115
Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Boulevard, University Circle
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 721-5722
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What are Credit Patents? |
| A. |
Credit patents are similar to Cash; lands could be purchased under the Land Law of 1800
from the General Land Office. This credit system allowed purchasers to pay in installments
over a four-year period. A delinquent payment or non-payment of the full balance resulted
in forfeiture to the U.S. Because of the economic hardship Congress quickly abandoned the
credit system and through the Act of April 24, 1820 required full payment for land to be made
at the time of purchase. These cash patents were bound in volumes specific to a particular
state - credit patents were not, and those credit volumes will be scanned and indexed into
our system at a later date.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Why do some Ohio warrants have no legal land descriptions? |
| A. |
In the late 1790's and early 1800's, several dozen volumes of Ohio military bounty warrants were issued
to Virginia veterans of the Revolutionary War. The lands were in the Virginia Military District in
central Ohio (between the Scioto River and Little Miami River), which was set aside
to fulfill the land requirements of these warrants. The land descriptions on these warrants
consisted of little more than a metes and bounds survey, which was usually tied to other metes and
bounds surveys in that area for previously issued warrants.
Just about the only data our project team was able to capture from these warrants was the soldier's
name, warrant number, survey date, signature date and acreage. Due to the lack of precise
information on where the land was located, it was not possible to tie these records to a specific
land description or to a county within the Virginia Military District.
We recommend you contact the
Ohio Historical Society State Archives once you have a specific warrant number. They may be
able to help you obtain a more precise location of the land.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What is a Certified Copy? |
| A. |
A certified copy is a copy of the document we maintain at Eastern States for the
Secretary of the Interior. The original document prepared by the Scribe looks exactly like
the copy of the patent given to the landowner, except it is signed by the Scribe for the
signing official. Please note that discrepancies can occur between the original patent and
the Secretary's copy.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
How do I order a certified copy of a patent? |
| A. |
Certified copies may also be ordered online from this web site. The online ordering feature
operates in a secured socket layer, where your personal information, including credit card data,
is encoded for your protection. As orders are received in our office, the electronic files are
removed from our web server. Credit card information is stored in a locked safe. Your personal
information is considered a "Confidential Record". Any information provided to us will
be protected. Accounting and credit card information is protected by the Privacy Act and will
not be disclosed. Other information listed on the order form will be handled in accordance with
the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act to ensure the greatest
protection of personal privacy. This information will not be made publicly
available for viewing or distribution. Please allow a week to 10 days to receive your document
depending upon the number of requests received in our office.
This web site provides a printable Certified Document Order Form
for individuals who do not wish to use the online ordering capabilities of this web site.
To use this form, add the land patents that you wish to order to your shopping cart, and then
select the mail-in option on the Check Out page.
Fill in the necessary information, include your payment or credit card information and mail
the form to us.
You will receive a certified copy of the document we maintain at Eastern States for the
Secretary of the Interior. The original document prepared by the Scribe looks exactly like
the copy of the patent given to the landowner, except it is signed by the Scribe for the
signing official.
The certified copy of the patent you receive will not be full sized. It will be printed on
a letter-sized sheet of paper (8.5 X 11 inches). Also specify your paper preference (plain
bond or parchment paper).
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
When I order my patent, what will I receive? |
| A. |
You will receive a certified copy of the document we maintain at Eastern States for the
Secretary of the Interior. The certified copy of the patent you receive will not be full
sized. It will be printed on a letter-sized sheet of paper (8.5 X 11 inches) of your
preference (plain bond or parchment paper).
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Where can I obtain records for the Western States? |
| A. |
The Eastern States Office maintains the Serial Patents for Western Public Land
States, issued between July 1, 1908 and the early 1960s. These records are indexed and retrievable
by patentee name and/or legal land description, with the exception of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
If you would like a copy of a Western State Serial Patent, please submit your email request to
records@es.blm.gov.
If you are searching for a Western land patent issued prior to July 1, 1908 please contact
the specific BLM State Office for
information.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
Why do you want my zip code? |
| A. |
The zip codes we collect from our users are used only for aggregate
demographic information purposes. We do not record any information other
than the fact that someone from your zip code logged on at a
particular time and date.
We summarize this information into regional tables that show
how many logons were from a particular region over a particular period
of time. These tables are used to help us design the content of this site
by understanding how our users are distributed across the country.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
What are wildcards and how can they help me search? |
| A. |
In some card games, certain cards in the deck are wild
cards. These special cards can assume any value you need.
Similarly, in our land patent search engine, you can use the
percent sign "%" and the underscore "_" as wild
cards for characters when you search the land patent database.
Using the "%" Wild Card
The percent sign will match any sequence of zero, one, or
more characters in the search field. For instance, if you enter "EDWARD%" in
the patentee last name field, the search engine will find any patentee last
name that begins the letters E D W A R D and has any characters (or none) after it,
such as EDWARD, EDWARDS, and EDWARDSLY.
Using the "_" Wild Card
The underscore works a lot like the percent sign, but it
matches any one single character in the search field. For instance,
if you enter _ _ R O N in the patentee last name field, the search engine will find all five-character
patentee last names that end in RON, such as AARON and ELRON, but not MIYRON.
General Uses For Wild Cards
You would typically use wildcards when you are unsure of the
exact spelling of a name. If you know the characters at the beginning or the
end of the name you are looking for, use the percent sign to fill in for the
characters you don't know.
Another use would be to work around the limits we impose on the
number of patents our search engine will return in the search results list.
Suppose you are searching for a common last name like SMITH. You will probably receive a
message about an "administrative limit" on the number of hits because there are so many Smiths.
If you put SMITH in the last name field and A% in the first name field you will get hits
for the last name SMITH and any first name beginning with A. By trying B, and C, and so on,
you will eventually be able to retrieve all the SMITH land patents.
Not all search fields allow wildcards. Check the Quick
Help for the search fields to see which fields allow wildcards and which don't.
(back to top)
|
| Q. |
How does your web site use cookies, and why does it need them? |
| A. |
Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your computer by our web
site. Our cookies come in two varieties: "temporary" cookies and
"file" cookies. Our temporary cookies (sometimes called
"cache", "memory", or "per-session" cookies)
are stored in your browser's memory, and go away as soon as you quit your
browser. In other words, temporary cookies NEVER go on your hard disk. Our
file cookies are kept on your hard disk for one year. Neither our temporary
cookies nor our file cookies ever contain personal information, nor can
any other web server but this one access them.
To use our land patent search system, our site requires that your
browser accept our temporary cookie. If your browser does not accept
our temporary cookie, you will still be able to view the static pages on
our site (such as the information in the
Visitor's Center).
What's the temporary cookie needed for? We use a temporary
cookie to store the encrypted randomized number (called a temporary
session ID) that is assigned to each browser session so our computer can
precisely, securely, and safely distinguish each user
from among the hundreds of other users all accessing our web site at the
same time. It does not contain any personal identifiers and it
never touches your hard drive. Furthermore, your temporary cookie
will be destroyed by your browser when you close it.
But other web sites do not require temporary cookies, so why does
yours? We use a temporary cookie because it is a safe and secure way
to help us keep this web site cost-effective. Many other web sites do not
need to keep temporary session IDs for users. For sites like ours that do
require temporary session IDs, the most cost-effective design uses a
temporary cookie to store the temporary session ID. Using alternative
technologies would have required the addition of substantial resources to
the development and maintenance cost of this site.
What do you use the file cookie for? We use a file cookie
to store two pieces of information: 1) the zip code you enter when you
first go to the land patent search page, and 2) the US state you select when we
perform a land patent search. By retaining the zip code and search state
in your file cookie, we don't have to ask you for it again when you revisit
our site.
Still have questions about cookies?
See what the World Wide Web
Consortium has to say about cookies, or
check here for
another source of information.
(back to top)
|
