Nebraska is a public domain state, in which land is surveyed and transferred to private ownership through federal land offices. (See the United States Research Outline for more information.) Settlers could either purchase the land or, after the passage of the National Homestead Act in 1862, receive homesteads.

The first land office in Nebraska was established at Omaha in 1855. The Family History Library has research handbooks for many counties describing the evolution of the land office districts.

Each local land office kept tract books and township plats. Records of the land offices and microfilm copies of all tracts are at the Nebraska State Historical Society. The society has a card index to the tract books of about ten counties. You can write to the society for a reference leaflet on Nebraska land laws and records.

Homestead applications and other land office records are available from:

Textual Reference Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
7th and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20408
Telephone: 202-501-5395
Fax: 202-219-6273

The United States Research Outline (30972) has instructions for ordering copies.

Patents and copies of tract books and township plats are at the:

Bureau of Land Management
2515 Warren Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82003
Telephone: 307-775-6001
Fax: 307-775-6082

Mailing Address
Box 1828
Cheyenne, WY 82003

legal description of the land

A large section of land was granted to the Union Pacific Railroad, which then sold it to settlers through its own land offices. Many of the records of these transactions were destroyed in a fire. The Burlington Railroad also sold land. Microfilm copies of these records are at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

After land has been transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions are recorded at county offices. The Family History Library does not have copies of the county land records. You can obtain copies of deeds and mortgages from the recorder in each county.

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