Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about researching African American ancestors in United States federal records using land and military records. We discuss laws that impacted free black people and freedmen in the reconstruction era. Many records were created because of the Homestead Act of 1862 and Southern Homestead Act of 1866. We go over a brief history of African American involvement in wars beginning with the Revolutionary War up until the Vietnam War, and conclude with a strategy for finding military records for ancestors.
1866 Southern Homestead Act – $5 for 80 acres at Wikipedia
Nicodemus, Kansas – Wikipedia Article
Back to the Basics with Land Records: Part 1 : why search land records, the difference between state and federal land states, and how land is measured in both.
Back to the Basics with Land Records: Part 3 – Land Grants & Patents : the process of applying for a land patent.
Back To School: Those Valuable Homestead Records : more about the Homestead Act of 1862 and an example of two case files.
Study Group – more information and email list
Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com
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