Fayette County, Alabama
 
~ Federal Land Patent Owners ~
(Index)



Land patents document the transfer of land ownership from the federal government to individuals.  The "patentee" was the first owner of a property after the initial government survey was made.   The "issue date" reflects the month, day, and year that the President signed the land document.  More often than not, the patentee lived on the property for several years prior to the issue date.  The land then became private property and could be sold with a deed.

Thousands of individuals acquired federal land patents within the current boundaries of Fayette County.  Additional information — including the Legal Land Description (location) — can be found at The Official Federal Land Records Site, created and maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  Click on "Search Land Patents," select the state and enter the individual's name (choose the "Standard" tab for advanced searching).  You also may view an image online and even order a copy of the actual land patent, which occasionally includes the patentee's full middle name. 

Once you have established the location of a particular land grant, you can determine who else lived in the neighborhood.  This may be helpful in proving relationships since extended family members and in-laws often lived nearby.  Click on the "Standard" tab and type in only the section, township, and range numbers with corresponding directions (N, S, E, W).  This search will identify everyone who acquired original patents in that section.  Expand your search to adjoining sections to compile a thorough list of neighbors.  You also can create your own land-grant map by plotting the various locations on a sheet of graph paper (see example here).  Compare your findings with current township maps, which may be accessed on the Fayette County Maps page.


~ Patentee Index ~
(alphabetical by surname)

[ A - D ]    [ E - H ]    [ I - L ]    [ M - O ]    [ P - S ]    [ T - Z ]




New
~ Also see Patentee Index in Fayette County ALGenWeb Archives ~
(includes legal land descriptions)





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This page last updated 23 Oct 2008.