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Tract Books: Difference between revisions
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If you know (or can guess) the state and county where an ancestor started an unfinished, forfeited, rejected, or cancelled federal land claim, you can search page-by-page through each of the tract books for that county looking for the ancestor's name. When you find an ancestor's name, the legal land description and land office listed in the tract book is usually enough to order a copy of the unpatented case file from the National Archives.<ref name="Hone" /> | If you know (or can guess) the state and county where an ancestor started an unfinished, forfeited, rejected, or cancelled federal land claim, you can search page-by-page through each of the tract books for that county looking for the ancestor's name. When you find an ancestor's name, the legal land description and land office listed in the tract book is usually enough to order a copy of the unpatented case file from the National Archives.<ref name="Hone" /> | ||
=== Access === | === Access === | ||
Original federal tract books, Internet digital versions, and microfilms exist: | Original federal tract books, Internet digital versions, and microfilms exist: | ||
:*'''''Originals.''''' The National Archives in Washington, DC has the original federal tract books for 16 western states. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern State Office, 7450 Boston Blvd, Springfield, VA 22153 has custody of the tract books for the 12 eastern federal land states (AL, AR, FL, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MN, MS, OH, and WI).<ref name="Haw5" /> The tract books for Alaska and Missouri are lost.<ref name="Hone" /> | :*'''''Originals.''''' The National Archives in Washington, DC has the original federal tract books for 16 western states. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern State Office, 7450 Boston Blvd, Springfield, VA 22153 has custody of the tract books for the 12 eastern federal land states (AL, AR, FL, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MN, MS, OH, and WI).<ref name="Haw5">Kenneth Hawkins, ''Research in the Land Entry Files of the General Land Office: Record Group 49'', Reference Information Paper, 114 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2007), 5. [http://www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/rip114.pdf Internet version (pdf)] {{WorldCat|146498814|item|disp=At various repositories (WorldCat)}} {{FHL|1440124|item|disp=FHL Ref Book 973 J53hrL}}</ref> The tract books for Alaska and Missouri are lost.<ref name="Hone" /> | ||
:*'''''Internet.''''' Digital copies of each federal-land-state's tract books (''except '' '''''Alaska ''''' and '''''Missouri''''') are available in FamilySearch Historical Records online at [http://familysearch.org/search/collection/2074276 United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908] | :*'''''Internet.''''' Digital copies of each federal-land-state's tract books (''except '' '''''Alaska ''''' and '''''Missouri''''') are available in FamilySearch Historical Records online at [http://familysearch.org/search/collection/2074276 United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908] | ||
:*'''''Microfilms''''' of tract books are also on 1,265 films for each federal-land state (''except '' '''''Alaska''''' and '''''Missouri''''') at the National Archives in Washington, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. | :*'''''Microfilms''''' of tract books are also on 1,265 films for each federal-land state (''except '' '''''Alaska''''' and '''''Missouri''''') at the National Archives in Washington, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. | ||