KSMIAMI-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: [KSMIAMI-L] What is a Tree Claim?
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 12:30:21 EDT

This came from the Va Roots list, and I thought you all might be interested.
Pat H. Listowner


In simple terms, exactly what was a Tree Claim.

There were two land acts that related to "trees."

The Timber Culture Act of 1873 required the payment of only filing fees for
obtaining up to 160 acres of land if the claimant planted a minimum of 40
acres of new trees. The property had to be naturally empty of trees at the
time of the claim. There was no residence requirement. You got payment
after ten years for your tree planting efforts. Of over 260,000 timber
entries only about 25 percent were concluded.

Records for claims are in the National Archives. An individual case file
may contain property descriptions, testimonies of claimants and witnesses,
residences, ages, cititzenship information, assessment of property
condition and the trees. There may be naturalization records, marriage
records and death records if the individual was either a naturalized or the
heir of the claimant continued the claim. They are filed by land office.

The Timber and Stone Law allowed the sale of non-minearl surveyed land
without agricultural value to be sold at appraised value, but not less than
$2.50 an acre. I don't think that this is the "trees claim" that is of
interest.

The source of this information is E. Wade Hone's, Land & Property Research
in the United States. I find that this book answers almost any question
that I have ever had about land research. Recently the National Archives
published a free booklet, Research in the Land Entry Files of the General
Land Office which is probably the best thing the Archive has produced in
the last couple of years. For a look at all land office holdings in the
National Archinves, Christine Rose several years ago reprinted Preliminary
Inventory 22, Records of the General Land Office.

Craig

-----
Craig R. Scott, CGRS


Willow Bend Books Internet Bookstore URL is http://www.willowbend.net
Come visit.

This thread:

• [KSMIAMI-L] What is a Tree Claim? by <>