Homesteaders

Profile managers: Westward Ho Project WikiTree [send private message] and Alison Andrus [send private message]

This project page is to provide information for the Homesteaders who applied for free land under the Homestead Act of 1862.

The Homestead Act was signed by Pres. Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862 and would remain in effect for more than 100 years. It's purpose was to offer public land grants to small farmers in order to settle the western United States.

Any adult American citizen including freed slaves, or immigrants who have filed a Declaration of Intention for citizenship could file a claim for up to 160 acres of free federal land.

Qualifications for a Land Grant:

1. Citizen of the United States or proof of a filed Declaration of Intention for immigrants
2. Has never taken up arms against the United States government
3. Over 21 years of age or the Head of a family
4. Live on the land continuously for 5 years, having built a home and made improvements
5. Pay Filing Fee of $18 or $10 for temporary claim hold

Settlers also had the option of obtaining the land only after a 6 month residence if they purchased the property outright for $1.25 an acre.

Between 1862 and 1986, about 10% of all land in the United States amounting to 420,000 square miles, was transferred to private land owners. It is estimated that 1.6 million homesteads were granted. Only about 40% of the applicants were able to settle up on their claim and obtain title to their land.

Homestead Application Papers can be a wealth of genealogical information. In order to prove up on their claim, citizenship papers, marriage or death certificates, newspaper articles, family Bible pages and affidavits may have been included, especially if the original claimant died and the family is trying to complete the process. The application often mentions the names of other family members, neighbors and previous residences. They also describe any improvements that were made to the property. See the full list of 44 Questions.

To Order Homestead Application Papers

You can order copies of the applications and related papers through the National Archives by submitting the NATF Form 84 (request forms from inquire@arch2.nara.gov or order online.) There is no general name index for these files and they have not been microfilmed. Allow several months to receive your order.

Pre-1908 homestead claims for Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada and Utah have Name Indexes. For ordering, you need to provide name, state and approximate date of entry.

Pre-1908 homestead claims for California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming have no Name Index. For ordering, you need to provide name, state, approximate date of entry and a legal land description or the name of the land office and the land entry file number.

Except for Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, which do not have an electronic index, you can search BLM-GLO for a legal description of the land for those 40% who were granted a land patent. Keep in mind that this index is for land patents, not land entries, although the unsuccessful attempts at homesteading are also available at the General Land Office.

Post-1908 homestead records are arranged numerically by patent number and name indexes exist for all public domain states. To order a case file for a Post-1908 homestead claim, you need name, state and approximate date of entry.

Post-1908 homesteads in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming can all be obtained from the General Land Office records posted at BLM-GLO. Other public domain dates are in the process of being added.

To Search Homestead Certificates of Land Patents

BLM-GLO Search link

Resources

• National Archives Resources for Genealogists
• Land Records at the National Archives
• National Archives Order Forms
• Bureau of Land Management-General Land Office.
• National Archives Research Room
• State Archives Listing
• Homestead Act