Nebraska, Homestead Records from Nebraska City and Lincoln Land Offices - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

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*Affidavits
*Affidavits


Many immigrants also included their naturalization certificates with their application.  
Many immigrants also included their naturalization certificates with their application. The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law after the secession of many Southern states from the Union.
 
The Homestead Act allowed for settlement of land in non-populated 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.
 
===To Browse This Collection===
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== Collection Content ==
== Collection Content ==
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The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law after the secession of many Southern states from the Union.
== What Can these Records Tell Me? ==
 
The Homestead Act allowed for settlement of land in non-populated 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.
 
== What Can this Collection Tell Me? ==


Key genealogical facts found in most final certificates and homestead patents include:  
Key genealogical facts found in most final certificates and homestead patents include:  
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*The description of the land
*The description of the land


'''Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page:'''<br>Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information in the list to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if it is the correct person. You may need to compare several persons in the list before you find your ancestor
 
'''Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page:'''<br>
 
For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [[FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks]].


== What Do I Do Next? ==
== What Do I Do Next? ==
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members. 


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 and lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.  
=== I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now? ===
*Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, land and death records.  
*Use the information to find additional family members.  
*Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
*[[Nebraska Church Records| Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.


=== I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now? ===
=== I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now? ===
*Use the name, location and date to find the family in census records.
*Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc.  Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
*Use the description and location of land to find the family in land records.  
*Collect entries for every person who has the same surname.  This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
*Use the description and location of land to find the family in probate records.
*If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search. 
*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.
*Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.  
<br>
*Remember that sometimes individuals went by [http://usgenweb.org/research/nicknames.shtml nicknames] or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for [http://genealogy.about.com/od/first_names/fl/nickname-given-name-equivalents.htm these names] as well. 
{{Tip|Don't overlook items in the [https://familysearch.org/catalog/search FamilySearch Library Catalog.] This can help you locate additional records to search for information on your family.}}
*Search the indexes and records of [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy]].
*Search in the [[Nebraska Archives and Libraries]].


== Citing this Collection ==
== Citing this Collection ==
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