“Go West, Young Man”: The Homestead Act of 1862 – FamilySearch May 03, 2022

I saw this recently on FamilySearch – “Go West, Young Man”: The Homestead Act of 1862: https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/homestead-act-of-1862/ Longer article, but I included the topics below.

By  Kevin V. Hunt May 04, 2022

The call of the day seemed to be “Wagons Ho!” And every man and many women too heard the inner voice to “Go West, Young Man.” The Homestead Act of 1862 created much impetus and opportunity for that inner voice.

This article explains the Homestead Act of 1862. It details the background of the Homestead Act, what the Homestead Act was, what the requirements were to become a homesteader, the homesteading process and required forms, and how you can use Homestead records for genealogical research.

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Introduction

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Historical Background Leading to the Homestead Act of 1862

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What Was the Purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?

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What Were the Terms of the Homestead Act of 1862?

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What Were the Results of the Homestead Act of 1862?

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Completing the Homesteading Process and Receiving a Land Patent

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Searching for Homestead Records and Documents

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The Homestead Index

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What Does a Homestead Land Patent Do?

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Obtaining a Copy of the “Land-Entry Case Files” from the National Archives

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Did Other Countries Also Have Homesteading Opportunities?

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Additional resources

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