Platte Co., NE - Landowners NEGenWeb Project
PLATTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
PROPERTY OWNERS

INTRODUCTION

When Nebraska Territory was created in 1854, a vast tract of public land became available for settlement. During the ensuing half century, much of this land passed to private ownership under the Preemption Act of 1841, the Homestead Act of 1862, the Timber Culture Act of 1873, and the Kinkaid Act of 1904. Additional large acreages were reserved to the state as educational endowment land or granted to railroads as construction subsidies and subsequently sold to settlers.

Interest in family and social history has stimulated the use of federal land records by genealogists and local historians. Land records often aid in establishing or confirming information about an individual or family and reflect the settlement patterns in a community or locality. Yet government land records can sometimes be difficult to use or understand. Prior to beginning research in the records, the researcher should have some familiarity with the specific laws and procedures involved in acquiring a patent to a portion of the public domain.

This guide summarizes some of these laws and procedures and indicates the kinds of information which may be found within government land records. The focus is on the most familiar provisions of the Preemption, Homestead, Timber Culture, and Kinkaid Acts. A detailed study of these laws, their benefits, and their shortcomings, is not within the scope of this leaflet. There are a multitude of scholarly monographs and government publications which deal in depth with the disposal of the public domain of the United States.

The above is taken from Nebraska History. You can read more about the different acts at that site.
Return to Platte Co. Home Page