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

This collection includes homestead entry case files and land entry case files from the Bureau of Land Management. The records are arranged by final certificate number. The homestead entry case files include documents required to qualify for a homestead, such as:  

*Applications

*Petitions

*Affidavits

<gallery caption="United States Homestead Record Examples" widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="3">

Key genealogical facts found in most final certificates and homestead patents include:  

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. For example:  

*Use the name, location and date to find the family in census records.

*Use the description and location of land to find the family in land records.

*Use the description and location of land to find the family in probate records.

The Homestead Act allowed for settlement of land in unpopulated 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 5 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.  

Records are organized by final certificate number order. Information in these records is usually reliable but depends upon reliability of the informant.

When you copy information from the record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.