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== Federal Land Records == | |||
When the United States acquired the area that is now [[Portal:Kansas|Kansas]], most of the land became part of the public domain. Available land was surveyed by the government and could then be transferred to private ownership, a process called land entry. The first general land office in Kansas was established at Lecompton in 1856. The local offices kept tract books (records of land transactions in each section) and township plats (maps of land entries in each township). | When the United States acquired the area that is now [[Portal:Kansas|Kansas]], most of the land became part of the public domain. Available land was surveyed by the government and could then be transferred to private ownership, a process called land entry. The first general land office in Kansas was established at Lecompton in 1856. The local offices kept tract books (records of land transactions in each section) and township plats (maps of land entries in each township). | ||
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Large sections of land were granted to railroad companies, primarily to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and to the Union Pacific Railroad. These two companies sold many acres of land to settlers through their own land offices. The Kansas State Historical Society has some records of the railroad grants. | Large sections of land were granted to railroad companies, primarily to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and to the Union Pacific Railroad. These two companies sold many acres of land to settlers through their own land offices. The Kansas State Historical Society has some records of the railroad grants. | ||
== County Land Records == | |||
After land was transferred from the government by sale or grant to private hands, it could be sold again, inherited, lost by foreclosure of a mortgage, or redistributed through a divorce. These transactions should be recorded by the county clerk in the form of deeds and mortgages. You can obtain copies of the documents by contacting the appropriate clerk's office in each county. The Family History Library is presently acquiring microfilm copies of the deeds in the county courthouses. | After land was transferred from the government by sale or grant to private hands, it could be sold again, inherited, lost by foreclosure of a mortgage, or redistributed through a divorce. These transactions should be recorded by the county clerk in the form of deeds and mortgages. You can obtain copies of the documents by contacting the appropriate clerk's office in each county. The Family History Library is presently acquiring microfilm copies of the deeds in the county courthouses. | ||
== Web Sites == | |||
http://www.archives.gov/ | http://www.archives.gov/ | ||
http://www.kshs.org/<br> | http://www.kshs.org/<br><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --> | ||
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[[Category:Kansas]] | [[Category:Kansas]] | ||