from INSHELBY-L
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/default.asp
will take one to The Official Federal Land Patent Records Site. We have
probably all used this site. What some may not realize is that one can find
not only the land records of our ancestors, but ALSO who his neighbors
were. As with using the 20-20 method in census searches (check 20 names
above and 20 names below our ancestor), we can often find other people
connected to our relatives. The same is true in land searches, i.e.
checking who lived nearby.
METHOD: Search 1: fill in the search areas with your ancestor's name and
county (if known). If/when you make a hit, get the legal land description.
Search 2: Fill in ONLY the land description area of the search
form + county - USE NO NAMES. What you will then get are the people who
owned land in the specific area where your ancestor purchased land.
One may print out copies of the land patents. I have purchased copies of
the land patents, but they are no different from the ones I have printed
from this site.
Charlene Rosenfeld csrose(a)shelbynet.net