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Tract Books: Difference between revisions
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*Name of purchaser | *Name of purchaser | ||
*Description of the land | *Description of the land (numbered section, township and range) | ||
*Date of transaction | *Date of transaction (cash, credit, homestead, bounty land, etc.) | ||
*By whom patented | *By whom patented | ||
*Date of patent | *Date of patent | ||
Additional items of information included in the tract books are as follows: number of acres, date of sale, purchase price, land office, entry number, final Certificate of Purchase number, and notes on relinquishments and conversions. | Additional items of information included in the tract books are as follows: number of acres, date of sale, purchase price, land office, entry number, final Certificate of Purchase number, and notes on relinquishments and conversions. Such remarks added near an entry sometimes provide clues to find additional records. | ||
<div style="float: left; width: 147%"> | <div style="float: left; width: 147%"> | ||
[[Image:{{tractbks}}]] | [[Image:{{tractbks}}]] | ||
'''Reliability.''' Tract book entries were almost always recorded close to the time of land transactions. They are part of the formal record and are accurate and reliable. | |||
''Associated records''. Two types of records are closely associated with tract books: patents and case files. Patents are very reliable and represent the formal transfer of land from federal to private ownership. Case files can include a variety of records such as applications, reports, affidavits, genealogical pages from family Bibles, letters from attorneys, or surveys which must be evaluated individually to assess their reliability. | |||
'''Coverage.''' These tract books document nearly 100 percent of the land transactions in 28 of 30 federal land states between 1820 and 1908. Every ancestor who applied to the federal government in to obtain federal land (except in Alaska or Missouri) should be entered in one of these tract books whether the application was approved (patented), or not. | |||
These tract books document nearly 100 percent of the land transactions in 28 of 30 federal land states between 1820 and 1908. Every ancestor who applied to the federal government in to obtain federal land (except in Alaska or Missouri) should be entered in one of these tract books whether the application was approved (patented), or not. | |||
The availability of inexpensive land was one of the primary attractions for immigrants to America. As high as 80 percent of the population have owned property at some point in their life. However, only a small part of population obtained that land '''directly''' from the federal government. Therefore, only a small percentage of the land-owning population would be listed in federal tract books. Nevertheless, the remaining landowners would definitely be mentioned in county land and property records such as deeds. | The availability of inexpensive land was one of the primary attractions for immigrants to America. As high as 80 percent of the population have owned property at some point in their life. However, only a small part of population obtained that land '''directly''' from the federal government. Therefore, only a small percentage of the land-owning population would be listed in federal tract books. Nevertheless, the remaining landowners would definitely be mentioned in county land and property records such as deeds. | ||
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. | '''Regional differences.''' 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. | ||
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=== Arrangement === | === Arrangement === | ||