Nebraska, Broken Bow Homestead Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
Records from this collection encompass the years 1890-1908.

Record Description
This collection includes homestead entry case files and land entry case files. The files were arranged chronologically and assigned a final certificate number. The files are from the Bureau of Land Management and include documents required to qualify for a homestead, such as:


 * Final certificates
 * Applications with land descriptions
 * Affidavits showing proof of citizenship
 * Register and Receiver receipts, notices, and final proofs
 * Testimonies of witnesses

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in most final certificates and homestead patents include:


 * Date
 * Application and final certificate numbers
 * Name of applicant
 * Description and location of land

How to Use the Record
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the name, location, and date to find the family in census records.
 * Use the description and location of land to find the family in land records.
 * Use the description and location of land to find the family in probate records.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, check for nearby land owners with similar or variant spellings of the surnames.

Record History
The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law after the secession of many Southern states from the Union.

Why the Record Was Created
The Homestead Act allowed for settlement of land in unpopulated areas. It established a land acquisition process that required filing an application, improving the land, and filing for the deed of title. Any citizen or intended citizen could file an application for 160 acres of land, as long as they had never fought against the U.S. Government. Homesteaders had 5 years to build on, farm, and improve the land. After five years, a homeowner could file for a land patent or deed at a local land office. The local land offices forwarded the documentation to the General Land Office in Washington D.C. with a final certificate of eligibility.

Claimants paid $1.25 an acre. Service in the Union Army was counted towards the residency requirement after the Civil War. Not all homesteaders were able to qualify for ownership of the land due to harsh soil and weather conditions. Once the railroads were in place, homesteading increased due to the ease of travel.

Record Reliability
Information in these records is usually reliable but depends upon the reliability of the informant.

Related Websites
Nebraska Land Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Nebraska
 * Nebraska Land and Property
 * Nebraska, Homestead Records from Nebraska City and Lincoln Land Offices (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and image published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, or archive for the original recotds.

Nebraska. Broken Bow Homestead Records, 1890-1908. NARA M1915. National Archives and Records Administration, Bureau of Land Management General Land Office, Washington DC.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article: [

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Nebraska, Broken Bow Homestead Records, 1890-1908." database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/: accessed 4 April 2012). William Brown, township 19 North, range 17 West, section 28; citing Homestead Records; Bureau of Land Management General Land Office, Washington DC.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.