ADOPTION SEARCH : CHECK THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR YOUR STATE #7

This is part of a series of posts about ADOPTiON

Adoption information differs from state to state, county to county, and so what's important is to know which state the adoption was finalized in. That will be the county that has your birth certificate. Some states, such as California, have their own option for sibling or other contact.  For instance California has a Mutual Consent Program that's like an adoption registry.

Here's a link that will take you to information good through 2019.

CHILDWELFARE GOVE : PDF PUBLICATION ON STATES ADOPTION and SEARCH POLICIES

AMERICAN ADOPTION CONGRESS - Information of every state's policies

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Adoption Strategies - AWG  is the label on this series.  To bring up the entire series, click on the label below OR use the word ADOPTION to search for all posts with information on that subject!

BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS (ALSO KNOWN AS REPARATION LAND GRANTS) #2 GEORGE WASHINGTON FARMER and LAND SPECULATOR : LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

This wonderful article from the United States Library of Congress in the George Washington papers collection tells about his interest in acquiring land but also in seeing that his soldiers got theirs.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS : WASHINGTON AS LAND SPECULATOR

He had over 52,000 acres by 1800. Wouldn't it be a thrill to trace LAND OWNERSHIP in your family and find out that at some point George Washington owned it?  Well, if your ancestors were in the Ohio Valley or Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Kentucky, or Virginia there is a chance.

Excerpt: Washington's lifelong interest in land speculation is illustrated in the fight over bounty lands promised to the veterans of the Virginia Regiment who fought with him in the French and Indian War. In this episode, Washington acted on behalf of his fellow veterans as well as vigorously, sometimes aggressively, in staking out his own land claims.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Land Grants - AWG

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BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS (ALSO KNOWN AS REPARATION LAND GRANTS) FOR REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE - THE WAR OF 1812 and THE MEXICAN - AMERICAN WAR #1

THIS POST IS CATEGORIZED WITH HOMESTEAD ACT LAND GRANTS.

Another way to acquire land that would be yours to settle on when you had little to no money in the United States was to serve in the War, usually as a soldier although other forms of service to your country were consider.  Bounty Land Grants were awarded for three wars.

The Revolutionary, The War of 1812, and the Mexican - American War.

The story goes that General George Washington did not have enough money to pay soldiers.  From our American History study, we know that many a poor person signed up and there was not enough money to even uniform all these soldiers.  We learn of the men who almost froze to death waiting orders. So an agreement was, if a soldier survived and the war was won, then that soldier would be given land in exchange for his service.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES (NARA) in Washington, DC is the holder of these documents.  They can be requested on NATF form 85 which is called Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications. NATIONAL ARVHIVES GOV _ APPLICATION FOR BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS

As with other early American documents, the soldier would need to provide proof of his service and that sometimes meant written testimonials.

Widows could apply if their husband had not while he was alive.

In September of 1776, the new country's Congress put through the agreement officially and applications could be made through about 1858 - there was an extension to 1863.

Of course, you have to lean on other documents that prove the ancestor was in service of the United States before you fill out that form. 

The National Archives of the United States is the keeper of our American History documents, and from it the various genealogy databases get their information.  Don't discount going to the source, especially if you do not wish to pay for special databases.  It's always worth going to your local public library to see what electronic resources they have for free and sometimes they do have genealogy databases - at least "library editions" - loaded for your use.

The National Archives site can be intimidating.  It is thorough though and if you register as a user you can email experts for some advice.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Homestead Act - AWG

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NATIONAL ARCHIVES MAP ROOM

The National Archives of the United States, in regard to the 1950 census, has posted a number of videos that are basic mini classes to help you understand that census.  You can ask the archivists at the map room, they may be able to help you research using their historical maps to help you locate other places in time.

Excerpt:

A census enumeration district was an area that could be covered by a single enumerator, or census taker, in one census period. Enumeration districts varied in size from several city blocks in densely populated urban areas to an entire county in sparsely populated rural areas. This presentation will focus on locating and using census enumeration district maps, with an emphasis on maps from the 1950 census.

STURDY

 

THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 PROVIDED 160 ACRES OF LAND #2 FINDING DOCUMENTS OF YOUR ANCESTORS APPLICATION and ACHIEVEMENT OF LAND

The NATIONAL ARCHIVES of the United States (NARA) holds documents on the Homestead Act. There were at least 2 million claims on land through the Homestead Act in the many years it existed.  You may want to read this article from the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

NPS - NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNITED STATES

The United States General Land Office was the holder of the paper documents and these documents were on paper.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES records of the BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT  Register with the National Archives so you can communicate with archivists there.

While we can easily imagine homesteaders in North Dakota, Missouri, or Arizona, let's look at that list...  People homesteaded in cities like San Francisco and Chicago too.

Using their location or address on what is a farmstead or acreage, from a census after 1862, we can send an e-mail for more information about these Federal records.

If you're wondering if these paper records are being digitalized, the answer is YES.  It's a huge project taken on by NATIONAL PARK SERVICE - HOMESTEAD RECORDS DIGITALIZATION PROJECT   (Nebraska records are competed.) 

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THESE RECORDS?

Excerpt: Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Wyoming, and Utah are searchable up to 1908 at Homestead National Historical Park at no charge. (some pay-for genealogy databases are charging for these as part of special collections.)

HOMESTEAD CASE FILES ARE TREASURE TROVES OF HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION.  WITHIN THEM CAN OFTEN BE FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT A HOMESTEADER'S DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH, THE NAMES OF CHILDREN THAT LIVED ON THE HOMESTEAD, NATURALIZATION INFORMATION ABOUT IMMIGRANT HOMESTEADERS, NOTATIONS REGARDING MILITARY SERVICE... THE TYPES OF CROPS PLANTED...HOMES AND OTHER BUILDINGS - AND more!

Very exciting!

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Homestead Act - AWG

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NATIVE AMERICANS and THE HOMESTEAD ACT

Though Native Americans were displaced by Homestead Act land holders and often headed back to reservations, in genealogy we are thorough and never assume, so don't assume that people of Native American heritage did not also apply for land grants or that they all lived on "Indian Reservations."

THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 PROVIDED 160 ACRES OF LAND #1 THE HISTORY OF LAND GRANTS FOR HOMESTEADING

You've probably heard "40 acres and a mule" is an ideal family farmstead, but consider that 160 acres of land provided that the family might be able to divide that up as children grew to maturity and another generation or two could live there. But then what?  For a small filing fee, even a freed slave could apply to homestead land.  An immigrant who was not yet an American citizen could apply and get land.  And, though women's liberation (Feminism) was the cause of few, you could apply as a woman. If there's a chance that one of your American ancestors claimed land and that can be a very interesting thing to add to your family history research project.

THE HOMESTEAD ACT of 1862 REMAINED IN PLACE FOR THE NEXT 124 YEARS and 270 million acres were claimed and settled, which turns out to be about 10% of the United States. (You could still homestead in Alaska for another decade.)

Most of the land was "unsettled" such as in the prairie lands, though today we know that notions that "nobody" lived in these places is often not correct because Native American did live there.

New settlers had to live on the land they wanted for a continuous five years and improve it.  For some this was living off the land and living in an underground house until an above ground house could be built. Cutting down trees or tilling soil could be considered an improvement.

Today I think of the modern Tiny House movement because families back in the day often lived in a house that was basically one room. Today, we seriously question if displacing people so that gentrification can take place is socially responsible behavior.

HISTORY COM - Homestead Act Basics

NATIONAL ARCHIVES GOV - HOMESTEAD ACT including some documents

Next post I'll tell you how to find these documents.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Land Grants- AWG

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CELEBRATE THE FOURTH

 

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN : FRANK SINATRA

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in GERMAN

Gettysburg EDU : DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IN GERMAN  Very Interesting Article!

THE WAR OF 1812 DVD : ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY FILM REVIEW

Watching this film, I realized that I knew a lot about the American Revolution and the Civil War but near nothing about the War of 1812, when the British tried to take back some or all of the 30-year-old United States. The British were most interested in the seaports and the Mississippi River, which they could use to link their territory in Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are some of the highlights of this film from History Channel.

DOLLY MADISON - WASHINGTON D.C.

Dolly Madison, the First Lady, was beloved by Americans.  Her outgoing nature was a balance to that of her husband, President James Madison, who was more intellectual. She was the last hold out in the White House when the British troops were advancing on Washington. She'd been warned to leave but she and a servant remained. She ordered that servant to break the frame of the painting of George Washington, roll up the canvas, and take it with them! When the troops got to the White House they found a gourmet meal left out for them. They feasted, they looted, and took all that had been left, including the love letters between Dolly and the President. Then the British threw lit torches through the windows and the White House burned to the ground. 

Oddly, a hurricane struck Washington D.C. soon after and if that were not enough a tornado struck.  This weather scared the British troops away and some people think God was behind it.

BALTMORE - SAVING THE HARBOR

In order to prevent the British from getting near the city by harbor, citizens sunk a row of merchant boats to block the harbor. It worked.  The British had to go around another way. American troops quickly built an earthen fort. From the water the British used the most powerful weapon technology provided at the time which was 500-pound cannon balls. They were firing these cannon balls into the fort from their ships. The fort contained a massive amount of gun powder and one of these balls made it right to the place in the fort where the gun powder was stored. 

By some miracle that particular cannon ball was a dud, and the fort didn't blow up!

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER WAS WRITTEN by FRANCIS SCOTT KEY

I thought this song was written for the American Revolution, but the fact is the songwriter began to write the song while watching the battle for Baltimore from a British ship in the harbor where he was held captive. Two massive American flags that could be seen from that far were waving.  The flags had been commissioned and handsewn by women. He wrote the first two lines aboard. When he was released, he wrote the rest. It was set to a popular beer drinking song and published in small papers around the country.

NEW ORLEANS - THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS

Because communications in those days was so slow, troops didn't know that there had actually been a truce signed in Belgium.  So the Battle of New Orleans went on anyway. Here is where Andew Jackson, a southern frontier boy who'd been orphaned, triumphed.  The heroic leader of an assembly of troops, some standard army, some volunteers from as far away as Kentucky, and one troop that included the pirate Jean LaFitte and other outlaws, fought their hardest. The United States lost about 13 souls - the British 2000.

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