Accessing Land Entry Records

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Surrendered Bounty Land Warrant for Alexander Blair

National Archives Identifier 300281

Prior to 1862, Congress passed a series of acts that either incentivized individuals to enlist in Federal military units or compensated them for past service.

Under these acts, veterans could apply for and receive a warrant granting them a certain amount of public land (typically in 40-acre increments) in exchange for their service.

Veterans whose applications were approved could surrender their warrant to the local land office to claim the land, although many who did not wish to move chose to sell their warrants to others.

The following information is needed to request a surrendered military bounty land warrant file on site at Archives 1:

• Act under which the land was granted*
• Acreage granted

• Warrant number

*In the GLO Records database, this information is generally listed in the "Authority" field.

Surrendered warrants can also be ordered remotely by using NATF Form 84 or placing an order online.

For bounty land warrant applications, see Pre-World War I U.S. Army Pension and Bounty Land Applications.

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Cash Land File of Benjamin Wingo

National Archives Identifier 300283

The broadest range of land entry files at Archives 1 record the day-to-day business of the GLO field branches to approximately 1908.

These records include credit files (up to about 1820), cash files (from 1820 on), homestead files (from 1862 on), and related records for both patented and cancelled land entries.

The following information is needed to request pre-1908 land entry records on site at Archives 1:

• State
• Land office
• Type of patent under law*

• Patent number**

*In the GLO Records database, the type of patent is generally listed in the "Authority" field.

**In the GLO Records database, the patent number is generally listed in the "Document Nr." field.

Pre-1908 land entry files can also be ordered remotely by using NATF Form 84 or placing an order online.

Select homestead records have been digitized and made available online through Ancestry.com (database title: "U.S., Homestead Records, 1863–1908"), Fold3.com (database title: "Homestead Records (NE)"), and FamilySearch.org (database title: "U.S., Homestead Final Certificates, 1863–1909").

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Serial Land Patent File for Buffalo Bill

National Archives Identifier 300285

Beginning in July 1908, the GLO revised its system of issuing patents, assigning each consecutive patent issued a unique number instead of assigning numbers by state and land office.

To request a serial land patent file on site at Archives 1, researchers only need the serial patent number. Serial patents at Archives 1 range from approximately 167 to 1,242,597.

In the GLO Records database, the serial patent number is generally listed in the "Accession Nr." field. The "Issue Date" will be July 1908 or later.

Serial land patent files can also be ordered remotely by using NATF Form 84 or placing an order online.

Note: While the serial land patent files at Archives 1 can include documents dating as late as the early 1970s, files dating from the early 1960s on are often housed at the appropriate NARA regional facility.