Related Land
RecordsTract Books:
There are also tract books available relating to the land entry case files. These are arranged by the legal description of the land: by township, range, section, etc. Tract books are divided into two geographical areas, Eastern States and Western States
For the Western States, the tract books are located in the National Archives Building in
Washington, DC. This includes the states of:
Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Mexico,
North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Oregon,
South Dakota, Utah,
Washington, and
Wyoming.
For the Eastern States, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has the tract books and patents. This includes the states of:
Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida,
Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa,
Louisiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
For these Eastern State tract books, contact:
Eastern States Office,
Bureau of Land Management,
Department of the Interior (BLM-ESO)
7450
Boston Boulevard
Springfield, VA 22153
Land Patents:
Land patents are the legal documents that transferred land ownership from the U.S. Government to individuals. Now you can search for land patent records online, for both Eastern and Western states. See the
Bureau of Land Management's Land Patent Search page.
Please note that this includes only patented or completed land entries. Those case files that were cancelled or relinquished will not be there, and may contain just as much useful information for the researcher. For this information, researchers will need to access the tract books.
How Land
Records Can Help You:
Land case entry files can contain a wealth of genealogical and legal information. Depending upon the type and time period of the land entry, the case file may yield only a few facts already known to the researcher or it may present new insights about ancestors, family history, title, and land use issues. For example, the records may attest to the one's age, place of birth, citizenship, military service, literacy, and economic status, and may even include similar information about family members. But even the smallest case files can establish locations of land ownership or settlement and dates essential to utilize other resources at NARA, such as census, court, and military service and pension records. i tried to do search for you but the site was down tonight
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/land/index.htmlhttp://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Default.asp?
also try
http://www.footnote.com/ they dont have land records but you just dont know what your going to find there its a good site , hope this helps you good luck