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=== Content === | === Content === | ||
Information found in this collection | Information found in this tract book collection will probably include:<ref>Hawkins, 5-6.</ref> | ||
*Name of purchaser | *Name of purchaser | ||
* | *Location of the land (section, township and range) | ||
*Date of transaction (cash, credit, [[Homestead Records|homestead]], [[US Military Bounty Land Warrants|bounty land]], etc.) | *Date of transaction | ||
* | *Type of transaction (cash, credit, [[Homestead Records|homestead]], [[US Military Bounty Land Warrants|bounty land]], etc.) | ||
*Date of | *Final disposition of transaction (canceled, rejected or completed) | ||
*Date of final disposition | |||
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 | 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 relinquishment and conversions. Such remarks added near an entry sometimes provide clues to find additional records. | ||
<div style="float: left; width: 100%"> | <div style="float: left; width: 100%"> | ||
[[Image:{{tractbks}}]] | [[Image:{{tractbks}}]] | ||
'''Reliability | '''Reliability''' Tract book entries were almost always recorded close to the time of land transactions. They are part of the formal record and are considered as accurate and reliable, at least as far as the transfer of ownership is concerned. | ||
'' | '''A Patent''' was issued for each transaction in the tract books, but only if that transaction was successful. Patents are very reliable and represent the formal transfer of land from federal to private ownership. Think of a patent as the '''first deed''' showing private ownership of the land. | ||
''' | '''A Case file''' was created for each transaction in the tract books, even if the transaction was not successful. [[Land entry case files|Case files]] can include a variety of records such as applications, reports, affidavits, genealogical pages from family Bibles, letters from attorneys, surveys or etc. Since each case file is different, the contents must be evaluated individually to assess their reliability. | ||
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 [[United States. United-States - Land and Property- Deeds|deeds]]. | '''Coverage''' These tract books document nearly 100 percent of the land transactions for federal land states between 1820 and 1908. Every ancestor who applied to the federal government to obtain federal land should be entered in one of these tract books, whether the application was approved, or not. Unfortunately, tract books for Alaska and Missouri are missing or lost. | ||
The availability of inexpensive land was one of the primary attractions for immigrants to come 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 [[United States. United-States - Land and Property- Deeds|deeds]]. | |||
'''Regional differences.''' Because of [[Homestead Records|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 Claims|mining and mineral rights claims]] in tract books would be more common in the Mountain West states. | '''Regional differences.''' Because of [[Homestead Records|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 Claims|mining and mineral rights claims]] in tract books would be more common in the Mountain West states. | ||
'''References to 2 million unindexed case files.''' There are over ten million [[Land entry case files|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. | '''References to 2 million unindexed case files.''' There are over ten million [[Land entry case files|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 === | === Arrangement === | ||