U.S. Bureau of Land Management

General Land Office Records for Grimshaws Who Received Federal Land

From the earliest years of its history, the United States has had programs for making land available to its citizens at no cost or a very low price. For example, many veterans of the Revolutionary War received free land as reward or payment for their service to their country.

Many of the records of the conveyance of Federal government land to private citizens under a number of programs (such as the Homestead Act) have been maintained by the General Land Office (GLO) of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The GLO has recently posted these records on a website along with a search function for the records. A search of the GLO website for the Grimshaws who received Federal land found 41 recipients of Federal land in 17 states.

Contents

Tabulation of Grimshaws Who Received Federal Land

Additional Information on the General Land Office Website

More Detail on the Records for Grimshaws Who Got Federal Land

Frequently Asked Questions on the GLO Webpage

Tabulation of Grimshaws Who Received Federal Land
The GLO website for conducting searches is at www.glorecords.blm.gov. The results of the search for Grimshaws are shown in Table 1, which has 63 entries (a separate search for “Grinshaw” found no entries). A total of 41 Grimshaws (some of them received more than one grant) received land in 17 states:

Arkansas

Mississippi

Ohio

California

Missouri

Oregon

Idaho

Montana

South Dakota

Illinois

Nebraska

Utah

Louisiana

New Mexico

Wisconsin

Minnesota

North Dakota

 

Most of the grants were in sections (160 acres) or half or quarter sections (80 or 40 acres). Additional information on these grants is provided further down on this webpage. Many of the Grimshaws who received land are described on other webpages on this website. Links to these webpages will be provided in the future.

Table 1. List of Grimshaws who received land from the U.S. Government, as indicated by a search of the GLO website. Note that George and Jonathan Grimshaw received multiple grants in Mississippi and Missouri.

No 

Last 

First 

ST 

County 

Acres 

 

Issue Date 

Land Office 

1

Grimshaw 

George 

AR 

Drew 

1920

 

7/28/1838 

Helena 

2

Grimshaw 

Benjamin 

CA 

Merced 

159.62

 

7/1/1861 

** 

3

Grimshaw 

Jonathan W 

CA 

Solano 

160

 

2/1/1868 

** 

4

Grimshaw 

George H 

ID 

Washington 

80

 

3/30/1908

Idaho 

5

Grimshaw 

John N 

IL 

Pike 

40

 

11/3/1840 

Quincy 

6

Grimshaw 

John W 

IL 

Pike 

80

 

8/6/1838 

Quincy 

7

Grimshaw 

Gideon F 

LA 

Caldwell 

79.83

 

7/1/1859 

Monroe 

8

Grimshaw 

Walter E 

LA 

La Salle 

120.21

 

10/20/1902

New
Orleans 

9

Grimshaw 

Benjamin 

MN 

Steele 

40

 

6/1/1859 

Winona 

10

Grimshaw 

George W 

MN 

Wadena 

40

 

6/1/1859 

Winona 

11

Grimshaw 

Henry 

MN 

Polk 

80

 

5/4/1885 

St. Cloud 

12

Grimshaw 

John N 

MN 

St. Louis 

40

 

2/25/1896 

Crookston 

13

Grimshaw 

Samuel 

MN 

Hinds 

80

 

4/15/1875 

Duluth 

14

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

42.28

 

9/25/1835 

Mt. Salus 

15

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

80.03

 

9/25/1835 

Mt. Salus 

16

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

40.01

 

9/25/1835 

Mt. Salus 

17

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.56

 

9/25/1835 

Mt. Salus 

18

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.59

 

10/20/1835 

Mt. Salus 

19

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.56

 

10/20/1835 

Mt. Salus 

20

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

80.03

 

2/20/1837 

Mt. Salus 

21

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.56

 

2/10/1840 

Mt. Salus 

22

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

80.03

 

2/10/1840 

Mt. Salus 

23

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.59

 

2/10/1840 

Mt. Salus 

24

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

81.62

 

7/20/1826 

Jackson 

25

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

79.87

 

11/1/1836 

Jackson 

26

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

84.56

 

4/1/1831 

Mt. Salus 

27

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

80.06

 

4/1/1831 

Mt. Salus 

28

Grimshaw 

George 

MI 

Hinds 

80.03

 

1/10/1832 

Mt. Salus 

29

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40.695

 

7/5/1866 

Booneville 

30

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates, Vernon 

40.4

 

7/5/1866 

Booneville 

31

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40

 

7/5/1866 

Booneville 

32

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40

 

7/5/1866 

Booneville 

33

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40

 

10/10/1866 

Booneville 

34

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40

 

10/10/1866 

Booneville 

35

Grimshaw 

Jonathan 

MO 

Bates 

40

 

10/10/1866 

Booneville 

36

Grimshaw 

Jesse W 

MT 

Carbon 

320

 

4/5/1920

Billings 

37

Grimshaw 

Edward S 

NE 

Arthur 

477.76

 

6/27/1913

North Platte 

38

Grimshaw 

Fitzhugh L 

NM 

Lincoln 

640

 

5/21/1938

Las Cruces 

39

Grimshaw 

James Henry 

ND 

Williams 

160

 

6/26/1911

Williston 

40

Grimshaw 

Michael H 

ND 

Divide 

160

 

6/25/1913

Williston 

41

Grimshaw 

Ragnhild 

ND 

Divide 

316.02

 

8/1/1918

Williston 

42

Grimshaw 

William C 

ND 

Divide 

160

 

6/5/1911

Williston 

43

Grimshaw 

Richard 

OH 

Scioto 

38.68

 

2/1/1851 

Chillicothe 

44

Grimshaw 

John W 

OR 

Lane 

160

 

4/12/1921

Roseburg 

45

Grimshaw 

Leonard H 

OR 

Lane 

156.8

 

1/30/1923

Roseburg 

46

Grimshaw 

Lloyd M 

OR 

Linn 

160

 

4/17/1907

Roseburg 

47

Grimshaw 

Edward S 

SD 

McCook 

160

 

4/2/1901

Mont.State Off. 

48

Grimshaw 

George T 

SD 

Lyman 

160

 

10/12/1908

Chamberlain 

49

Grimshaw 

Kate E 

SD 

Pennington 

160

 

9/19/1889 

Mont.State Off. 

50

Grimshaw 

Mae 

SD 

Clark 

160

 

1/18/1896 

Mont.State Off. 

51

Grimshaw 

Winton 

SD 

Corson 

160

 

1/18/1919

Lemmon 

52

Grimshaw 

Arnold 

UT 

Iron 

320

 

10/13/1924

Salt Lake City 

53

Grimshaw 

Clarence 

UT 

Beaver 

160

 

1/13/1922

Salt Lake City 

54

Grimshaw 

Estella Jones 

UT 

Iron 

320.8

 

5/12/1931

Salt Lake City 

55

Grimshaw 

George W 

UT 

Iron 

240

 

7/6/1927

Salt Lake City 

56

Grimshaw 

L W 

UT 

Iron 

158.56

 

5/9/1929

Salt Lake City 

57

Grimshaw 

Randolph 

UT 

Iron 

280

 

7/21/1922

Salt Lake City 

58

Grimshaw 

Ray 

UT 

Iron 

160

 

12/26/1913

Salt Lake City 

59

Grimshaw 

William H 

UT 

Iron 

160

 

9/14/1911

Salt Lake City 

60

Grimshaw 

Andrew B 

WI 

Juneau 

40

 

10/15/1908

Wausau 

61

Grimshaw 

Eli 

WI 

Monroe 

80

 

11/25/1879 

La Crosse 

62

Grimshaw 

Henry 

WI 

Waukesha 

40

 

9/10/1844 

Milwaukee 

63

Grimshaw 

Robert 

WI 

Clark 

80

 

9/5/1866 

La Crosse 

**Assigned for Automation

Additional Information on the General Land Office Website

The GLO website provides the following information in the introduction.

The Official Federal Land Patent Records Site

Welcome to the new Bureau of Land Management (http://www.blm.gov), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation web site. We provide live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States. We also provide image access to more than two million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908. Images of Serial patents (land titles issued between 1908 and the mid-1960’s) are currently being added to this web site. Due to organization of documents in the GLO collection, this site does not currently contain every Federal title record issued for the Public Land States.

Search Federal Land Patents Databases

This site offers researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee, Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time (Issue Date).

Obtain Certified Copies of Land Patents

With our on-line shopping cart, users may request certified copies of land patents electronically or through the mail. To search for land patents, click on Search Land Patents on the menu near the top of the page. A series of pages will guide you through viewing and ordering land patents.

More Detail on the Records for Grimshaws Who Got Federal Land

Table 2 contains additional information, including General Land Office document references, on the 63 entries presented in Table 1.

Table 2. Tabulation of 63 entries showing reserves, authority for granting the land, and document reference numbers at the GLO.

No

 

Last

 

First

 

ST

 

U.S. Reserv.

 

 

Mineral Reserv.

 

Authority

 

Document No.

 

Accession/ Serial No

 

BLM Serial No

 

1

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

AR

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

3218

 

AR1680_.126

 

AR NO S/N

 

2

 

Grimshaw

 

Benjamin

 

CA

 

No

 

No

 

(2)

 

76214

 

CACAAA 108272

 

CACAAA 108272

 

3

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan W

 

CA

 

No

 

No

 

(2)

 

104358

 

CACAAA 034396

 

CACAAA 034396

 

4

 

Grimshaw

 

George H

 

ID

 

Yes

 

No

 

(1)

 

3973

 

IDIDAA 016062

 

IDIDAA 016063

 

5

 

Grimshaw

 

John N

 

IL

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

6446

 

IL3980_.311

 

IL NO S/N

 

6

 

Grimshaw

 

John W

 

IL

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

832

 

IL3980_.411

 

IL NO S/N

 

7

 

Grimshaw

 

Gideon F

 

LA

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

18813

 

LA1180_.267

 

LA NO S/N

 

8

 

Grimshaw

 

Walter E

 

LA

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

10442

 

LA1510_.149

 

LA NO S/N

 

9

 

Grimshaw

 

Benjamin

 

MN

 

 __

 

No

 

(1)

 

3473

 

MN1200_.203

 

MN NO S/N

 

10

 

Grimshaw

 

George W

 

MN

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

3598

 

MN1200_.283

 

MN NO S/N

 

11

 

Grimshaw

 

Henry

 

MN

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

5481

 

MN2010_.045

 

MN NO S/N

 

12

 

Grimshaw

 

John N

 

MN

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

8633

 

MN0570_.149

 

MN NO S/N

 

13

 

Grimshaw

 

Samuel

 

MN

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

267

 

MN0850_.250

 

MN NO S/N

 

14

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

10439

 

MS0270_.250

 

MS NO S/N

 

15

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

10440

 

MS0270_.251

 

MS NO S/N

 

16

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

10469

 

MS0300_.204

 

MS NO S/N

 

17

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

11470

 

MS0300_.205

 

MS NO S/N

 

18

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

14018

 

MS0350_.079

 

MS NO S/N

 

19

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

14019

 

MS0350_.080

 

MS NO S/N

 

20

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

14020

 

MS0370_.021

 

MS NO S/N

 

21

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

15571

 

MS0390_.186

 

MS NO S/N

 

22

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

15572

 

MS0390_.187

 

MS NO S/N

 

23

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

16984

 

MS1880_.069

 

MS NO S/N

 

24

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

1971

 

MS-110_.487

 

MS NO S/N

 

25

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

2294

 

MS0121_.397

 

MS NO S/N

 

26

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

4284

 

MS0171_.049

 

MS NO S/N

 

27

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

4285

 

MS0170_.050

 

MS NO S/N

 

28

 

Grimshaw

 

George

 

MI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

5013

 

MS0180_.335

 

MS NO S/N

 

29

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39043

 

MO3240_.211

 

MO SO S/N

 

30

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39044

 

MO3240_.212

 

MO SO S/N

 

31

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39045

 

MO3240_.213

 

MO SO S/N

 

32

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39050

 

MO3240_.218

 

MO SO S/N

 

33

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39161

 

MO3240_.295

 

MO SO S/N

 

34

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39162

 

MO3240_.296

 

MO SO S/N

 

35

 

Grimshaw

 

Jonathan

 

MO

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

39163

 

MO3240_.297

 

MO SO S/N

 

36

 

Grimshaw

 

Jesse W

 

MT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

12347

 

743257

 

MTBIL 0012347

 

37

 

Grimshaw

 

Edward S

 

NE

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

2564

 

280490

 

NENP 0002564

 

38

 

Grimshaw

 

Fitzhugh L

 

NM

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

(4)

 

 —

 

NMLC 00048262

 

NMLC 00048263

 

39

 

Grimshaw

 

James Henry

 

ND

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

(1)

 

9272

 

211466

 

NDWLN 0009272

 

40

 

Grimshaw

 

Michael H

 

ND

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

(3)

 

9493

 

343940

 

NDWLN 0009493

 

41

 

Grimshaw

 

Ragnhild

 

ND

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

(3)

 

20744

 

642755

 

NDWLN 0020744

 

42

 

Grimshaw

 

William C

 

ND

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

(3)

 

9492

 

203578

 

NDWLN 0007492

 

43

 

Grimshaw

 

Richard

 

OH

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

17217

 

OPH1420_.111

 

OH NO S/N

 

44

 

Grimshaw

 

John W

 

OR

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

10965

 

806118

 

ORR 0010965

 

45

 

Grimshaw

 

Leonard H

 

OR

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

894301

 

ORR 0011972

 

46

 

Grimshaw

 

Lloyd M

 

OR

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

5954

 

ORRAA 041626

 

ORRAA 041626

 

47

 

Grimshaw

 

Edward S

 

SD

 

No

 

No

 

(3)

 

12125

 

SDMTAA 104548

 

SDMTAA 104548

 

48

 

Grimshaw

 

George T

 

SD

 

No

 

No

 

(3)

 

771

 

21342

 

SDMTAA 046866

 

49

 

Grimshaw

 

Kate E

 

SD

 

No

 

No

 

(1)

 

1662

 

SDMTAA 005296

 

SDMTAA 005296

 

50

 

Grimshaw

 

Mae

 

SD

 

No

 

No

 

(2)

 

1748

 

SDMTAA 115195

 

SDMTAA 115195

 

51

 

Grimshaw

 

Winton

 

SD

 

Yes

 

No

 

(1)

 

25830

 

660370

 

SDLEM 0025830

 

52

 

Grimshaw

 

Arnold

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

946195

 

UTSL 0018485

 

53

 

Grimshaw

 

Clarence

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

842758

 

UTSL 0017586

 

54

 

Grimshaw

 

Estella Jones

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

1046390

 

UTSL 0026406

 

55

 

Grimshaw

 

George W

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

1004872

 

UTSL 0031538

 

56

 

Grimshaw

 

L W

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

UTSL 0036489

 

UTSL 0036489

 

57

 

Grimshaw

 

Randolph

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

 —

 

873367

 

UTSL 0015989

 

58

 

Grimshaw

 

Ray

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

3818

 

374252

 

UTSL 0003818

 

59

 

Grimshaw

 

William H

 

UT

 

Yes

 

No

 

(3)

 

2073

 

224793

 

UTSL 0002073

 

60

 

Grimshaw

 

Andrew B

 

WI

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

6541

 

22364

 

WI NO S/N

 

61

 

Grimshaw

 

Eli

 

WI

 

 —

 

No

 

(3)

 

3983

 

WI1080_.476

 

WI NO S/N

 

62

 

Grimshaw

 

Henry

 

WI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

11783

 

WI2700_.229

 

WI NO S/N

 

63

 

Grimshaw

 

Robert

 

WI

 

 —

 

No

 

(1)

 

16888

 

WI0940_.118

 

WI NO S/N

 

(1) April 24, 1820: Sale – Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)

(2) March 17, 1842: Scrip or Nature of Scrip (5 Stat. 60-7)

(3) May 20, 1862: Homestead Entry Original (12 Stat. 392)

(4) December 29, 1916: Homestead Entry – Stock Raising (39 Stat. 862)

Frequently Asked Questions

The following detail is provided on the GLO website — in the “Frequently Asked Questions” webpage. (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/FAQ.asp#26)

What’s a land patent?

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.

What are public lands?

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.

Where are the Public Land States?

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.

What are vacant public lands?

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.

Why are there no public lands in the thirteen colonies and other states in the east?

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.

How was the land sold or disposed of?

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.

What other land records does BLM maintain?

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.

How can I get Land Entry file information for patents?

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.

Why is there sometimes a long time period between purchase date and signature date?

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.

What is pre-emption?

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.

What is the Mississippi/Alabama and Florida/Alabama “Crossover”?

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.

What about revolutionary war military bounty warrants?

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.

Why do some Indiana land records say the land is in Ohio?

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.

What about the Connecticut Western Reserve Lands?

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 BoulevardUniversity Circle


Cleveland, OH 44106

(216) 721-5722

What are Credit Patents?

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.

Why do some Ohio warrants have no legal land descriptions?

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.

What is a Certified Copy?

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.

How do I order a certified copy of a patent?

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).

When I order my patent, what will I receive?

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).

Where can I obtain records for the Western States?

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.

Webpage History

Webpage posted May 2003