Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step Three of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step Three  How to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

I want the patent image too so I click on the tab "Patent Image" and this is the result - No Image Available. The national BLM site doesn't have all the patent images. Sometimes for Utah this site has a patent image and sometimes it doesn't. However, the Utah BLM site does have them.

To get to the Utah BLM site go here: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en.html. On the far right Utah is displayed. On the far left is a list. To get to the search for patents click on the following steps: first click on Information Center, 2nd click on Online Services; 3rd click on Land; 4th click on Utah Land Records; 5th click on Search for Plats. 

The arrow above shows where to type in the Document Number. John M. Wiser is 655. The following image is of the results.

By clicking on the number 140n010e the Patent Image is displayed and can be saved or printed.

Last, to get a copy of the Master Title Plat that shows where each property is located go back to the search field. Instead of entering the Document Number go to the upper box and enter the Township and Range information. The following image is an example of how to do this.

The following image is the result of this search.

The last step would be to order the actual homestead application from the National Archives.

For further information on finding homesteads on maps check out Lisa Louise Cooke's webinar on Using Google Earth for Genealogy. She explains how to use earthpoint.us plus historical map overlays. This is a very valuable resource. [click here]

Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step Two of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step Two How to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps. 

Montana State University made a graphic locator to easily find the latitude and longitude of a homestead found in the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota. It can be found at this site http://www.esg.montana.edu/gl/trs-data.html.

John M. Wiser's homestead information is listed in the search fields. Click on submit and the following result will appear:

By copy/paste the latitude and longitude can easily be put in the search field on Google Maps. The exact location is now known to be right off Center St. in Lewiston, Utah. The green arrow shows where the coordinates are and the red A balloon the closet street address.

Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step One of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step One How to search on the BLM site for a homestead application

Utah is a Federal Land State. For every ancestor who lived in Utah it is wise to search for a homestead application. If they owned property they could have owned a federal homestead grant and/or county lands. This post is about finding federal land records. Go to this website: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.

Click "Search Documents" and search fields will display.

One John M. Wiser is listed in the results. Click on him and the following page will appear:

 

The patent number is listed as the Document Nr: 655; the Township (Twp) and Range (Rng) are listed as 14 N and 1 E. His land is in Section 5. He received 160 acres in Cache County. Notice what the meridian is. 

To Learn More about Homesteads and Federal Public Land systems check out the following webinars that are free online:

U.S. Measurement and Distribution of Public Land States [click here]
Homestead Records [click here]
Sections, Ranges, and Townships [click here]

Then What? Part Nine Heritage Quest - Margaret McCullough petitions Congress

 Here is Utah everyone can access Heritage Quest Online through their local library. This is a large and helpful collection.

1) Census images can be found in the census search. There is a different index and type of search here than those used at Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.com. If you haven't found your ancestor on the other census records try searching here.

2) Over 28,000 family and local histories listed. This is a great place to start to find what has already been done by others. What is available for Utah?

3) PERSI Archive. Incredible is the word to describe it. Find articles in periodicals, in fact, over 2.3 million articles. This is an index. Once a desired article is found search the periodical lists at a local university or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to get a copy. If not available, information is listed to contact Allen County Public Library who will copy the article for a small fee.

4) Revolutionary War records. At the side of the search field there is a button for learn more. A very lengthy description of what this database is and has is listed. Worth checking.

5) Freedman's Bank records.These are invaluable for finding information regarding an African-American Ancestor.

6) U.S. Serial Set. Did your ancestor petition congress for relief? This was a common thing. One can search by place, name, or keywords. The case study shows further information.

 Case Study for Heritage Quest Online

In the Place field "Alpine, Utah" is typed in.

 One result is found for Margaret McCullough.

 By clicking on her name the following field shows up:

By clicking on the Section 1 option above the original report is shown. The example is below:

 

This document has rich information in just a few paragraphs. Thomas J. McCullough served in the Mexican War from October 23, 1847 to July 31, 1848, his wife has a pension, his military rank and regiments are listed, as well as his marriage date.

When ordering the pension file from National Archives be sure to also obtain Thomas J. McCullough's service record, see if he was awarded bounty land, and most especially the final payment voucher. One can order using forms on the National Archives site. Perhaps a quicker and less costly way would be to hire a researcher in the D.C. area who is familiar with the records to obtain the files. I recommend two professional genealogy sites: Certified Genealogists or Association of Professional Genealogists.

Then What? Part Eight Historical Context

Experts usually write articles about various subjects and publish them in magazines, journals, quarterlies, etc. These all fall under the category of periodicals. There are national periodicals, regional, state, county, family/surname, ethnic, historical, and many others.

Where to find them? Major repositories of periodicals can be found at a local university. Online JSTOR has a major holding of titles. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has a tremendous collection. Other libraries throughout the U.S. also have holdings. University libraries are exceptionally diverse in their holdings - and what they don't have can be inter-library loaned to them. For a short 11 minute video on finding periodicals click here.

Here is the website for the Western Historical Quarterly. This is an example of a regional periodical. To view the website click here

Universities publish periodicals. This one has an online index beginning in 1959. Often historical articles can be found helpful to research. If one has a subscription or is at the BYU Harold B. Lee Library they can see the original articles online, not to mention the actual collection in the Periodicals section of the library. Click here for the website.

Ethnic groups, religious groups, family groups, surname groups, and many others have periodicals. Journal of Mormon History is a great site because it's entire index is online click here.

Every state has a quarterly of some time, sometimes more than one. Utah Historical Quarterly and other publications are available in full text for free online. Check out the list below of content. In addition to the quarterly they have the Utah Centennial County History Series - full book - online, etc. Click here to go to the website.

Every state has periodicals. Utah, for instance, has The Utah Historical Quarterly. It is online for free. There are articles about land records, court records, tax laws, prison experience, occupations, locations, mining and many other topics. Click here to go to the website.

 

Case Study Historical Context

Joseph Howell Evans went  to prison for polygamy. There are several articles in the Quarterly about the prison, photos, every day life, and details. One detail is that Rudger Clawson was the first prisoner for polygamy. Joseph H. Evans the second. They were bunk mates. Rudger kept a journal, so looking for his journals would also prove fruitful in obtaining further information on the details of Joseph H. Evans' life.

Then What? Part Seven Occupational Records

There are three super free collection databases to use when doing any kind of research: WorldCat, Google Books, and FamilySearch Catalog.

Case Study:

Joseph Howell Evans, from census and court records, was listed a blacksmith on Temple Square and at City Creek Canyon. Play with the search terms. Utah Blacksmith brings up 359 hits. The 2nd one fits the pioneer time period. Worth looking into. One of the best things about this database is that is contains many university and historical society databases. In addition to topics one can search by name. It is worth scrolling through all the hits. An advanced search can be done to limit the number of hits.

Google Books pulls up a biography for an Alpine, Utah blacksmith by the name of Benjamin Bates. Many of the books are in the public domain. By clicking the tool symbol to the far right (not pictured) you can download the entire book in .pdf form.

There are a number of ways to search the FamilySearch catalog for occupational records. The first choice, perhaps, would be to search by place. For example, Utah, Salt Lake, Salt Lake City - Occupational. The example below covers Blacksmiths in Utah. By doing a subject search the following book pulls up. There are several entries within it for Joseph H. Evans.

Then What? Part Six Researching Utah Newspapers

Utah Digital Newspapers is the first place to go when looking for historical newspapers. 

There are more than 85 different newspapers scanned and available on the Utah Digital Newspapers Site. One of the largest statewide papers is the Deseret News. As of today's date they cover 1850-1910. A rival newspaper was the Salt Lake Tribune. The time period currently covered is 1871-1919. Of the 29 counties in Utah, currently 27 are represented in some way on this website and it is still growing.

To know what newspapers are available for a particular state and place the best overall index is the Library of Congress Chronicling America site:

Click on the pink US Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present button. There are search options for state, county, and even city. For Utah they list 593 papers. After clicking on the newspaper title then click the holdings button at the bottom of the page. Locations of where the newspaper is held either in original or microfilm appear. Be aware, this list is not entirely up to date or complete. To track a newspaper one of the best places to start is at the public library. They usually know, or even check with the local university library.

For example, Lehi Free Press. The holding dates are few. By researching this newspaper and making many phone calls it has been found that the original newspapers are at the Lehi Public Library in bound volumes. They can be viewed by appointment. Brigham Young University (BYU) has a microfilm copy from 1951-1999. Yet, the microfilm isn't complete. The years 1953 and 1954 are missing. By using microfilm and original newspapers all the years can be found and searched. Unfortunately it isn't digitized which means viewing it page by page. A search of American Fork Citizen and Pleasant Grove Review also reveal that BYU has major microfilm holdings for these papers as well.

Other Online Newspaper Locations for Utah

Google Newspaper Archives has Deseret News articles http://news.google.com/newspapers  including more current ones. It also have many other newspapers. This is free site. Be aware that often the obituaries are frequently not here. The Deseret News editions in full are on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as well as Universities, Public Libraries, Genealogical Societies, and Historical Societies. If you cannot find the obituary you want, search the newspaper on microfilm.

NewspaperArchive.com has a large collection for Salt Lake Tribune and the Daily Herald. Again, be aware that not all collections are complete. For example: researching in Alton, Illinois the obituaries I wanted did not come up. However, the Hayner Library in Alton has the complete collection and produced the obituaries. It is important to always find out about the collections and indexes you are searching. NewspaperArchive.com can be accessed for free at the Family History centers in Alpine Tabernacle, Mt. Timpanogos right across the street from the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, and probably the Highland FHC in the South Stake Bldg. Also the Family History Library at BYU as well as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City have these websites. A great place to get a multiple newspapers subscription for a good deal is at Godfrey Memorial Library.

GenealogyBank.com also has some holdings for Utah Newspapers. It is currently quite small.

 

BYU Harold B. Lee Library Digital Collections  The Millenial Star click here is located in Mormon Publications 19th and 20th Centuries collection. This is an important collection for those men who served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church to England and the British Isles. These men often were reported about or sent in letter reporting their missions. This information can greatly add to a history.

Case Study for Utah Newspapers

A search for Joseph Howell Evans in the Utah Digital Newspapers (click the exact search box) produced the following results:


1) Joseph Howell Evans  0
2) Joseph H Evans          44
3) Joseph Evans              507  (This is such a common name that this list would not be very fruitful)
4) Joe H Evans               0







A search for Joseph Howell Evans narrowed to Utah at NewspaperArchives.com produced the following results:

1) Joseph Howell Evans 4
2) Joseph H Evans         23
3) Joseph Evans            4,160
4) Joe H Evans              1
These search produced hits up to current time period. To be actual it would need to be limited to the time period desired.

A search for Joseph Howell Evans in the Millenial Star Newspaper Collection using quotation marks produced the following results

1) Joseph Howell Evans  0
2) Joseph H Evans          17
3) Joseph Evans              17 
4) Joe H Evans                0 

Then What? Part Five Searching the Utah Territorial Case Files of the U.S. District Courts, 1870-1896

 When researching an ancestor is it usually best to search all the records available for the time period you are looking for whether you think they are in them or not. Court Records are a valuable source. There are many jurisdictions of courts, such as, federal, state, regional, county, town, Territorial, Ecclesiastical, etc. This post is particularly about the Utah Territorial Case Files from the U.S. District Courts, 1870-1896.

Utah is fortunate to have this index online. The district court original records are at the National Archives Branch that hold the records for a particular state. The National Archives Rocky Mountain Region located in Denver Colorado hold the records for the following states: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. To research a state other than Utah one must go in person or hire a researcher.

For more information on Utah history, polygamy, etc. visit FamilySearch wiki and type in the subject.

Case Study Researching the Utah, Territorial Case Files of the U.S. District Courts, 1870-1896

From Then What? Part Five it was discovered in a biography that Joseph Howell Evans was arrested in Utah for polygamy. It is important to always find the original records. To get to an index to this particular collection of court cases there five steps:

Step 1)  go the the FamilySearch website.
Step 2) Click on the "Search" option.
Step 3) Scroll down the page and click on "United States"
Step 4) Choose "Utah" for the place.
Step 5) Scroll down the page to the "Utah, Territorial Case Files of the U.S. District Courts, 1870-1896".

Or skip all steps and just click on the link in Step 5.

The following screen will appear and the name Joseph Howell Evans is entered.
 
 

The results page shows 47 results for a Joseph H. Evans. It is important to know that this is really just one case. Each page is listed separately. However, a 47 page court document is going to be rich with details.

By picking any one of the entries the following screen will display. On the side near the bottom is shown that the original image is viewable at fold3.com by clicking the Visit Partner Site button. Don't have a fold.3.com
subscription? The below thought box tells you how to get the case file for free.

 Knowing when a court case like this happened leads to other records. Newspapers, for example, carried court information. Reporters published articles giving details about the case. Finding newspaper articles for Utah will be covered in Then What? Part Six.

Then What? Part Four Overland Travel Collections

Step Three:  Collections

Handcart & Wagon Roster Databases

The Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database contains more than 60,000 compilation of names obtained from "rosters and other reliable sources of individuals who immigrated to Utah during this two-decade period. Each company is listed under its captain's name, and basic information is provided, including a photograph of the captain where available. Many companies include a list of diaries, journals, letters, and reminiscences written by company members, as well as contemporary reports about the company. The content of several thousand of those narratives has been transcribed and is included in the database."

"Between 1847 and 1868, Mormon emigrants traveling in more than 300 companies departed from various places and headed for the Salt Lake Valley. . . some traveling by foot, some in wagons, and some pulling handcarts."

This database has the potentially the name, age, birth and death information, plus company name the individual traveled in. This leads to a roster of all the other immigrants in that wagon or handcart train as well as travel excerpts. This is great information to create migration maps and travel excerpts to add to any written history.

Case Study

1) A search for the Evans family mentioned in previous posts shows their names and ages and the year they came across the plains - 1854. Unfortunately, the company they traveled in is unknown at this time so there aren't any travel excerpts to find. If, however, a reliable source surfaces this can be changed by following the instructions on the website.

2) John McCormick Wiser traveled west in 1850 with a California-bound gold company. Intending to winter in Salt Lake, he joined the Church in December 1850. Notice he was not Mormon but is in this database because his baptism proved he was in Utah during the pioneer period.

Then What? Part Three Mormon Migration Passenger Lists

Step Three: Search Collections

Ship Passenger Lists

The Mormon Migration Database is not the usual passenger list held by National Archives. These are generated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and were kept by church leaders assigned to help their immigrants come to Utah.

Searching the index by name, for instance, pulls up every ship someone by that name is listed. Once the correct ancestor is located there are several valuable information fields:

1) the page of the original ship log is attached and can be viewed; 

2) there is a list of all other passengers - maybe some of these were friends or family;

3) accounts of the voyage -  can make for an interesting segment of any written history.

4) port of destination with dates of voyage.

Case Study:

Below is a picture of the log  for Joseph Howell Evans, his wife Ruth, and their daughter Ann. The full page is available on the Mormon Migration site. For purposes of this case study the picture has cropped out all but the Evans family. The information lists names, ages, and often the address they came from. The above family was listed as being from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The Evans family are listed as ordinary passengers, had they come by church funds they would be listed as PEF instead of ordinary. His occupation - Smith. This indicates he is a blacksmith.

The Mormon Migration site lists "Liverpool to New Orleans on the Golconda (4 February 1854 - 18 March 1854) as the voyage post of departure, arrival, ship name, and dates of voyage.It is easy to find this same family in passenger lists generated at the port. One of the best sites to use is Ancestry.com to find these. Using original records provides clues to further information to collaborate records. Inserting images into a written history makes it more interesting.

Then What? Part Two Joseph Howell Evans is arrested

Joseph Howell Evans

Step Three - Search Collections

Ethnic Collections

In the case studies found in Then What? Part One, we learn from Anne Evans DUP application that she is Welsh. Many organizations form studies on an ethnic group. Brigham Young University's Center for Family History and Genealogy have created an incredible database of information on Welsh Mormon History.
This is an incredible collection contains photos, immigration information, and biographies. A search for Anne's father leads to an incredible find. His photo, his wife's photo, immigration information, birth information, death information, and a rich biography.
 
 His wife, Ruth Evans, also has her own page.




Many clues are found in their biography that lead to other collections and record groups. According to his biography, Joseph Howell Evan's second wife Harriet and her mother Elizabeth Parry turned him into the police. These clues and collections will be pursued in further posts.

Then What? Part One Locating Information at International Daughters of Utah Pioneers & online

Four Page D.U.P. Membership Application of Anne Evans Brown

You have checked the index at International Daughters of Utah Pioneers website to see if they have a history of your pioneer ancestor.

Then what?

In a series of blog posts to come additional research tips on various topics and locations of records will be presented.  These additional sources will help to verify the histories you find. It is important to put an ancestor into social context to find the full story or at least add significantly to it.

Step One International Daughters of Utah Pioneers Website

The theme of Daughters of Utah Pioneers is “Preserving the Past – Looking to the Future.” Multiple satellite museums dot the west with artifacts from the pioneer time period. In addition to artifacts - pioneer histories are preserved. Checking the International Daughters of Utah Pioneers site history index will indicate if they have a history of the desired pioneer and can be ordered from the International Daughters of Utah Pioneers history department located in Salt Lake City. Not only that, the history department also has the original applications of all the ladies who joined the society. This is a separate collection to search. Between the histories available on pioneers and applications of their descendant daughters - this is a great beginning point. Even with International Daughters of Utah Pioneer large collections there are still pioneers that haven’t been written about and histories that can be made over to be spectacular.

Step Two Locating photos, histories, stories, and documents online

It is always a good idea to check with relatives to find photos, artifacts, and family documents on pioneers. Also checking online trees like those found at Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch can provide a rich field of documents and sources. 

Case Study for locating information at International Daughters of Utah Pioneers

Anne Evans Brown came from Wales to Utah as a child with her parents Joseph Howell Evans and Ruth Evan Evans during the pioneer time period. Although a pioneer herself, she became a member of The Daughters of Utah Pioneers. On file in the membership department is her four page application. She lists her parents names, date of birth, place of birth, a full page of biography, names of her children, her residence, her husband's pioneers.  In the history department there is a history on her father but not on her mother. Anne has several histories, each slightly different. Don't forget to check their photo department.

Case Study for a couple online tree sites

FamilySearch contains two photos of Joseph Howell Evans and eight sources with one photo of Ruth Evans plus 3 sources. There is one photo on Anne Evans Brown with her husband and children and four sources. Ancestry.com provides in the public tree section a photos of all the above and five sources. However, proceed with caution. Sources are not checked by either company. As with any online tree - verify the information. However, the information here is a great boost to the research on these individuals.