United States Land and Property

Introduction

The availability of land attracted many immigrants to America and encouraged westward expansion. Land ownership was generally recorded in an area as soon as settlers began to arrive. These important records sometimes exist when few other records are available.

Land records are primarily used to learn where an individual lived and when he lived there. They often reveal other family information, such as the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or neighbors. You may learn where a person lived previously, his occupation, if he had served in the military, if he was a naturalized citizen, and other clues for further research.

Getting started with United States Land and Property research

• Getting started
• What's the next step?
• Finding your ancestor in the records
• Tips for beginners

Research Tools

Patent search:
www.glorecords.blm.gov
Research strategies:
Family History 101
Search records:
Footnote.com ($)
Ancestry.com ($)

Did you know?

• "Property" refers to more than land. Records of slaves, livestock brands, stray animals, indentures, and loans can be found in records kept by many towns and counties.
• The person who obtains title to land from the government receives a land grant. Subsequent exchanges of land are person-to-person exchanges involving deeds.

The Land Acquisition Process and Types of Land

In the United States, land is acquired in basically one of two ways; from the government or from an individual. The first sale of land from the government to a person is called a grant. Thereafter, the sale of that land from a person is called a deed.

United States

Federal Land States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado District of Columbia 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 Wyoming	Federal land states (blue) & state land states (brown) State Land States Connecticut Delaware Georgia Hawaii Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hamsphire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia West Virginia
United States

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