U.S. Montgomery Land Office - register of unsuccessful homestead entries, 1897-1900.

ArchivalResource

Alabama. Secretary of State. Lands Division. U.S. Montgomery Land Office - register of unsuccessful homestead entries, 1897-1900.

U.S. Montgomery Land Office - register of unsuccessful homestead entries, 1897-1900.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122368283

Settlers wishing to homestead land were first required to make an application for entry at their local land office and then to reside on and cultivate the land for a period of five years. At the end of the five year period the settler had an additional two years to "make final proof" or testify that he/she had met the necessary requirements and was entitled to a land patent. Notices of a settler's intention to make final proof were published in local newspapers and testimony was taken in favor of or in opposition to the claim. The process was quite lengthy and many homestead entries were ultimately unsuccessful. This volume is a register of unsuccessful homestead entries made at the Montgomery Land Office. Each item contains the date of application, the location of the tract, the name of the applicant, an unidentified column with another name and place of residence and remarks which indicate why the entry was unsuccessful. Remarks include homestead application suspended, homestead application rejected, homestead proof papers suspended and final proof papers suspended. These records document the difficulty settlers had in obtaining and keeping land.

1 volume.

Alabama Department of Archives and History