U.S. Montgomery Land Office - abstracts of declaratory statements, 1877-1904.

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U.S. Montgomery Land Office - abstracts of declaratory statements, 1877-1904.

One method by which U.S. settlers could obtain land was pre-emption. Pre-emption privileges were similar to homestead privileges except that pre-empted land cost $1.25 to $2.50 per acre while homesteaders paid only fees and commissions. Pre-emption rights commenced only after the land was actually settled and pre-emption rights applied to both surveyed and unsurveyed tracts. The first step in obtaining land by pre-emption was to file a declaratory statement in the district land office within thirty days of settlement. The statement announced the settler's intention to claim that tract as a pre-emption right. This series consists of volumes which act as an abstract or register of declaratory statements filed in the district land office on lands which had been offered at public sale. Each abstract includes the number of the statement, the date of settlement, the date when filed, the settler's name, the location of the tract, and remarks. The remarks appear to be the total price paid for the tract, the final notice number, or if the land was relinquished. These records document the act of pre-emption in Ala. and provide information about land settlement in the state.

2 volumes.

Related Entities

There are 3 Entities related to this resource.

Alabama. Secretary of State. Lands Division.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sg3n51 (corporateBody)

United States. General Land Office

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cv869d (corporateBody)

Under regulations approved on March 20, 1915, tracts set aside as villa sites under the provisions of an act of April 12, 1910, within the former Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana, were offered for sale at public auction, beginning at Polson, Montana, on July 26, 1915. The sale was adjourned to Dayton, Montana, on August 6 and concluded at Kalispell, Montana, on August 7, 1915. There were 889 parcels of land, not less than 2 nor more than 5 acres in area, fronting on Flathead Lake, and under ...

United States. Montgomery Land Office

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pp34xt (corporateBody)

Authorities: Brannon, Peter. "Through the Years: United States Land Offices in Alabama." Montgomery Advertiser. 1936 July 26. Bush, Evelyn. "United States Land Offices in Alabama, 1803-1879." Alabama Historical Quarterly 17 (1955): 146-153. The Montgomery Land Office was established by an act of 1832 July 10 to administer the Tallapoosa Land District in the State of Ala. The office opened on 1834 Jan. 1 and originally was made up of the lower Cree...