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Complicating land title adjudication was the Gold Rush that began in 1848. The influx of people overwhelmed the infrastructure of the area, making governance and settling land titles difficult. Squatters were a significant problem. Statehood came in 1850 and Congress passed the Land Act of 3 March 1851 (9 Stat. 631) creating a Board of Land Commissioners. The board operated for five years and accepted 813 claims and confirmed 514. Congress made the actions of the board appealable to federal courts. The courts adjudicated all but 3 of the 813 claims and approved 604 cases. Many of these claims were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Of the 813 cases, 582 received patents.<ref>''California Land and Property'' by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, 2022; used with permission</ref> | Complicating land title adjudication was the Gold Rush that began in 1848. The influx of people overwhelmed the infrastructure of the area, making governance and settling land titles difficult. Squatters were a significant problem. Statehood came in 1850 and Congress passed the Land Act of 3 March 1851 (9 Stat. 631) creating a Board of Land Commissioners. The board operated for five years and accepted 813 claims and confirmed 514. Congress made the actions of the board appealable to federal courts. The courts adjudicated all but 3 of the 813 claims and approved 604 cases. Many of these claims were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Of the 813 cases, 582 received patents.<ref>''California Land and Property'' by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, 2022; used with permission</ref> | ||
The commission was just a screening process for claims | The commission was just a screening process for claims and the process was not in the favor of the original grantees. An average claim took 17 years to adjudicate. The commission and the courts created a body of records filled with genealogical information. Some records were lost in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. Many land records held by the federal government were destroyed including private land claims, other records of grants, and “original” township plat maps. The General Land Office Washington copies of the township plat maps were copied and provided to the federal district land offices and are online at the [https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/survey/default.aspx?dm_id=39361 General Land Office] website. Also, the court case files for both federal districts in California can be found at the [https://oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb109nb422;developer=local;style=oac4;doc.view=items Bancroft Library].<ref>''California Land and Property'' by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, 2022; used with permission</ref> | ||
==Federal and State Records== | ==Federal and State Records== | ||
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