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Tract Books: Difference between revisions
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Because of homestead laws, a higher percentage of the land owning population in the Great Plains states after 1862 are likely to be in tract books than in other western states. On the other hand, it is likely mining and mineral rights claims in tract books would be more common in the Mountain West states. | Because of homestead laws, a higher percentage of the land owning population in the Great Plains states after 1862 are likely to be in tract books than in other western states. On the other hand, it is likely mining and mineral rights claims in tract books would be more common in the Mountain West states. | ||
There are over ten million land entry case files (applications) in the National Archives most of which would have a corresponding entry in a tract book. About eight million land patents have been indexed in the BLM [[Land Patent Search]] for successfully completed federal land applications. This suggests about two million applications were left unfinished or were rejected—the best remaining access point to such unpatented case files is through page-by-page tract book searches. | There are over ten million land entry case files (applications) in the National Archives most of which would have a corresponding entry in a tract book. About eight million land patents have been indexed in the BLM [[Land Patent Search]] for successfully completed federal land applications. This suggests about two million applications were left unfinished or were rejected—the best remaining access point to such unpatented case files is through page-by-page tract book searches. | ||
=== Arrangement === | |||
Tract book volumes are organized by state, in some states by land offices, and then by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Townships_and_Ranges|township number and range number]]. Within each tract book volume, the land entries are in order by their legal land description<ref name="Hone" /><ref>Hawkins, front inside cover, and page 6.</ref> (section, township, and range); terms from the [[Rectangular surveys|rectangular surveys]] used in the Public Land Survey System used for most parts of [[United States Land and Property#United_States|30 federal land states]]. Typical tract books list the land entries for anywhere from one to 30 townships; about five townships per tract book seems to be the most common. Within most townships the order is usually by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Sections|section number]]. | |||
Each land entry in a tract book was recorded across two pages.<ref>Hawkins, 6.</ref> Each page set covers part or all of one township; tract books rarely have two different townships listed on the same page. The townships usually only change one range number or one township number at a time after several pages within a tract book volume listing several townships.<br> | |||
:*For a list of the '''townships''' (described with both a township number and a range number) and '''land offices''' included in this collection, see the [[United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)|Tract Books Coverage Table]]. ''For example:'' [[Image:Tract books coverage table example.png|right|600px|Tract books coverage table example.png]] | |||
:*For a detailed list of this collection's '''contents by film number''', see the FamilySearch Catalog entry: | |||
::*United States, Bureau of Land Management, ''{{FHL|607931|item|disp=Tract Books}}'' (Washington, D.C. : Records Improvement, Bureau of Land Management, 1957). {{WorldCat|866217989|item|disp=At various repositories (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|607931|item|disp=On 1,265 FHL Films starting with 1445277}}. | |||
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|title=United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908 | |||
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'''Storage of the original tract books.''' The [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives in Washington, DC]] has the original 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>Hawkins, 4-5.</ref> | |||
=== How to use tract books === | === How to use tract books === | ||