Christina Miller, MAS, CA
Wednesday, 2:30 p.m., W145–“Gateway to the West: Missouri Land Grant Records”
Do you dream of tracking down the old homestead? Would you love to host a family reunion on the same land where your family started? Do you just want to know what in the world “NW ¼ of SW ¼ of S14/T37N/R17W” means?
After confirming lands claimed by the settlers of the French and Spanish territories prior to 1803, the United States Government set about selling off the public land in Missouri. In addition to the standard U.S. Land Sales, the federal government donated land directly to the public land states.This public domain land was then sold by the state with profits designated for various internal projects or improvements.These records typically list the name of the person(s) who acquired the land, the purchase date and patent date, as well as a legal land description, and number of acres sold.
This lecture will explain the different types of land patents, give research tips on how to explore these records, and yes, explain what sections, townships, and ranges are. Even if you don’t have patentees from Missouri, this session can give you a basic idea of how the west was, if not won, at least surveyed and sold.
Christina Miller, MAS, CA
Sr. Reference Archivist
Missouri State Archives
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