Free land in the land of the free
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862. On January 1, 1863, Daniel Freeman made the first claim under the Act, which gave citizens or...
French Canadians in Illinois County
Western lands were not empty when Congress began settling land northwest of the Ohio River after the Revolutionary War. French Canadian residents who had unexpectedly...
His forever
After James Hicks swore an oath of allegiance to the United States and petitioned the Freedmen's Bureau for the return of his seized land, the U.S. District Attorney...
Homestead certificate for Daniel Freeman
Daniel Freeman was the first American to file a homestead claim for land under the Homestead Act of 1862. The act required a series of steps, such as improving a plot...
Land grant at age 92
Pvt. Theophilis Swain, who died in 1819, served in the New Hampshire Militia for three months in 1780 defending West Point, New York. His widow, Elizabeth, filed this...
Land Restored
This document authorized the return of land seized by the Bureau to Jesse J. Busby of Jefferson County, Arkansas. Former Confederates were required to swear their...
Louisiana Purchase Agreement
The Louisiana Purchase consists of three separate agreements between the United States and France: a treaty of cession and two agreements providing for the exchange...