Land Grants: Public Domain States

The land is what drew our families to new places so it is important to understand how the land systems worked.

Public Doman States shown in blue [map from the National Atlas of the United States]

All Public Domain Lands were surveyed by Township and Range - in some areas deeds reflect a combination of township & range as well as metes and bounds (describing landmarks, waterways etc.) but original warrants and patents were strictly township range.

The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office Records ( BLM GLO) is the best starting point in discovering if your family had an original patent from the Federal Lands.

After America won its independence it had a government with no money. They hoped to expand their lands westward so that they could claim all of North America that did not belong to Canada AND to make money selling off those lands. These were known as the Public Domain Lands. Ohio was the first frontier for the Public Domain but the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 opened up the rest of the frontier borders.

Before the Civil War, unless you received lands in the Public Domain from military service, you purchased the land for a given price like $1.50 per acre. After the war The Homestead Act allowed most families to qualify if they would commit to working the land for several years.

In many cases patents lagged later than settlement. The government was slow getting things set up and there was a large backlog. Many families found lands they wanted and squatted knowing that if they improved the land they would have pre-emptive rights (which is sometimes noted on the patent as a preemption).

How do I find out if my family got a patent in a Public Domain State?

Make certain you have done your census work to know where the family is over the course of the migration period and that you have it organized.

Most Public Domain patents don't tell anything aside from the legal description of the land but there are added clues if you take full advantage of the records.

SEARCHING BLM GLO Records

If your name is uncommon simply put in the last name and choose your state. This will let you see the dispersal of earliest families with your name in the state and you might find a brother or an uncle also got a claim in the next county.

If your name is more common put your surname in with the state and county.

Patents come up showing the PRESENT DAY county the land resides.

Plat maps are invaluable help - even if the only one you can find was made when your family no longer lived there the detailed plats help you figure out exactly where the land was when you have a township & range. Large atlases have been included below but it is always good to do a search through Google with terms like

atlas "Clark County" Wisconsin

plat "Clark County" Wisconsin

In some states even though the lands were dispersed by the government the state land office also has other versions of the records or supplemental resources and guides: