U.S. Land Office - abstracts of declaratory statements, 1853.

ArchivalResource

Alabama. Secretary of State. Lands Division. U.S. Land Office - abstracts of declaratory statements, 1853.

U.S. Land Office - abstracts of declaratory statements, 1853.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86118976

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 a fragment from an unknown land office which acts as an abstract or register of declaratory statements filed in 1853 Nov. on lands which had been offered at public sale. Each abstract includes the number of the settlement, 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.

1 folder.

Alabama Department of Archives and History