Seeing the Homestead Act Up Close and Personal

Heritage Center
all photos on this page taken by
and copyright Susan Petersen 2012

Not only does 2012 mark the release of the 1940 census records, it is also the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act opened millions of acres across the nation to settlement and cultivation. Thirty of our nation's 50 states had homestead lands at some time during the Homestead Act's existence (1863 - 1986).

For the past month, all four pages of the Homestead Act have been on display at the Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska. This was the first time the Act had been on display outside of Washington, D.C. and the first time all four pages have been publicly displayed as a unit.

The major events celebrating the Homestead Act at the monument have drawn to a close and the folding chairs under the Chautauqua tent were packed up yesterday morning. Tomorrow is the last day that the Homestead Act will be on display in Nebraska.

Yesterday morning, I took off on the short drive to Beatrice to spend the morning at the Homestead National Monument of America and to see the Homestead Act.

Honor to the Homestead States

Not one to enjoy crowds, I was glad I had waited a week for my Homestead adventure. About 2,000 people were on hand for last weekend's events. When I arrived shortly after 9 a.m. yesterday morning, there were less than 10 cars in the parking lot. No rush, I took my time to savor the exhibits before actually viewing this historic document.

The entrance to the Heritage Center is lined with outlines of each state where homesteads were issued. The cutouts on each graphic represent the proportional amount of land that was homesteaded in each state.

As you can see, a significant portion of Nebraska was open to homesteaders.

I have ancestors who were homesteaders. On Fold3.com, I have discovered the homestead documents of my 2nd great grandfathers, John Bellinger and Daniel Landon, as well as other affiliated family members.

Reading those documents provides much insight to the lives my ancestors lived. To "prove up," the homesteaders had to submit documentation that they had lived on the property for at least five years and describe the improvements made to the property. This usually meant that friends or relatives had to attest to knowing the homesteader and describe the improvements.

Palmer-Epard Cabin

On the grounds of the Homestead National Monument of America is the Palmer-Epard cabin, which was moved to the grounds in 1950. It's a small one-room home where a pioneer family ate and slept. Peeking through the windows provided a glimpse of life in the 1880s.

The Freeman Graves

Down the hill from the Heritage Center are the graves of Daniel and Agnes Freeman. Freeman was the very first homesteader. The 160 acres of land occupied by the Homestead National Monument of America are on the very homestead where the Freemans lived and worked.

The Homestead Act of 1862

As might be expected, stepping up to view the Homestead Act was a breathtaking and emotional experience. As I read the first words of the document, my eyes filled with tears, realizing that I was connected to this piece of history through my ancestors. It also saddened me, knowing how many of our Native population was displaced because of this westward expansion.

Roaming the grounds of the monument was quiet, peaceful and calming. At times, I did feel as though I had been taken back in a time machine to the lands settled by my ancestors.

Should your travels bring you through Nebraska, I certainly can recommend you make plans to visit the Homestead National Monument of America.

Links:

Homestead National Monument of America

LongLostRelative's Homestead Act Toolbox with links to news articles

Virtual tour of Homestead National Monument (more than 50 photos that I took yesterday)

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

In March, I will be doing two sessions for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society (LLCGS)

On March 11, 2012 I will be giving a presentation on Using Blogs as a Genealogical Tool. I'll be giving an overview of genealogy blogging, using a blog as "cousin bait" to find living relatives and how to get started blogging. This will be followed by a one-on-one education session on March 18 where I will help new bloggers create their very own genealogy blog.

The March 11 program will also feature Susan Cook from the Homestead National Monument of America who will share information about events celebrating the upcoming 150th anniversary of the signing of the Homestead Act.

March 11, 2012
Using Blogs as a Genealogy Tool
Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Walt Branch Library
6701 South 14th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska

March 18, 2012
Get Started Blogging!

Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Walt Branch Library
6701 South 14th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska

If you plan to attend the March 18 session, you will need to bring your own laptop, netbook or tablet.

Sessions are free and open to the public.

Disclosure statement: I am publicity chair for LLCGS for 2012.

Family History Weekend at Homestead National Monument

October is Family History Month. Homestead National Monument of America along with Family Search and the Nebraska State Genealogical Society will be hosting two genealogy workshops on October 15 and October 16, 2011 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the monument's Education Center. The purpose of this event is to encourage you to discover your family history. "Without passing down our family histories, all that has happened to bring us where we are today might be forgotten," says monument Superintendent Mark Engler. 

Special guest Laureen Riedesel, Director of the Beatrice Public Library, will give a special introduction on October 15, 2011 at 2 p.m. and will be available afterwards to answer any questions. So bring your family histories, documents, and questions to the monument as these workshops will help guide you in your search.

These workshops are free and open to the public. There will be information booths and resources available to the participants on both days. Everybody is welcome, whether you are just beginning or have been doing family history for years; these workshops will benefit your research.


Source: Homestead National Monument of America, October 2011 e-newsletter

Descendants of Homesteaders Wanted for Oral History Project

Are you a descendant of a homesteader? Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act.

The Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Nebraska wants to find relatives of people who filed claims under the Homestead Act. The purpose is to gather stories of the experiences of homesteaders.

The monument is developing a database of homesteaders and descendants. Oral histories will be taken under the direction of the University of Nebraska and Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

If you are a descendant of a homesteader, send your name, address, phone number and email address to Friends of Homestead, Homestead National Monument of America, 8523 W. State Highway 4, Beatrice NE 68310.

Source: Omaha.com

150th Anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 - Beatrice, NE

Mark May 20, 2012 on your calendar for a program at the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska to mark the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act.

President Obama and other dignitaries have been invited to attend, according to this article:

150th Anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862

Social Networking at the Land Records and Genealogy Symposium - Part 3

Nebraska State
Genealogical Society Display
Land Records Symposium
July 2011

Sometimes I think that I spend so much time in the virtual genealogy world that I forget how much fun it is to hang out with my fellow genealogists IRL (in real life).

This weekend's Land Records and Genealogy Symposium in Beatrice, Nebraska was an outstanding conference that attracted nearly 100 people from Nebraska and surrounding states and from as far away as California and Massachusetts.

First of all, I want to acknowledge the Homestead National Monument of America and Southeast Community College for the sponsorship of this event. It was obvious how much work went on behind the scenes to present a well organized and informative genealogy education experience.

Kudos to Blake and Kelly

Specifically, I want to thank Blake Bell of the National Park Service and Kelly Morgan of Southeast Community College as well as all of their workers behind the scene. From the perspective of a presenter at a conference, they did everything right - from the initial contact, to keeping me informed, and especially, making sure that the needs of the presenters were met prior to and during the conference. You folks were fantastic to work with and I hope we can work together again in the future.

Networking and Socializing

Upon arriving at the Symposium, I was warmly greeted by Floyd Smith III, president of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society (NSGS). Floyd and I have enjoyed email correspondence over the past few months and I hope that this was the beginning of another genealogy friendship. Floyd is one enthusiastic genealogist and supporter of other genealogists.

I got a kick out of Floyd because he had told several people that I had the Flip-Pal scanner, so I had to bring it with me yesterday. Before I knew it, at one of the breaks yesterday, I had several people gathered around to see it in action. After my demo, one of the ladies told me she thought I was a company representative. I found that to be pretty amusing! But I think that a couple of these are probably going to be purchased in the coming days.

Several people came over and said they read this blog. I also got a kick out of that. As I mentioned in my presentation, many of us bloggers never really know if anyone is reading our blogs or not. So I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet some blog readers in the flesh. Thank you to all readers of this blog for your interest and support. It really does mean a lot.

I loved the opportunity to get to know my fellow presenters - they are amazing people with a vast amount of knowledge to share. I'm really looking forward to continued contact with them.

And perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came as I finished my presentation and a woman approached me and asked, "Are you the same Susan Petersen I knew in my former life?" I looked up, checked her name tag and realized she was one of my Kansas counterparts from my "day-job"! We first met 25 years ago and had some great times at many a regional and national conference over the years. The last time I saw Sandi was in Omaha in 1999. She retired a few years ago and I'd heard through the grapevine that she was doing genealogy. Now I have to do my best to talk her into attending the Family History Expo in Overland Park, Kansas in two weeks! Seeing her again was just icing on the cake.

Homestead Records

Plan on seeing a lot about homestead records on this blog in the coming months, as the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 approaches. The digitization project is extremely significant for those genealogists whose families moved west. I will do my best to keep blog readers informed about activities at the Homestead National Monument of America and resources that are available regarding this significant era of American history.

Read about Day 1 >

Read about Day 2 >

2011 Land Records and Genealogy Symposium Rocked!

Day 1 - Friday, July 15, 2011

What better timing to participate in the Land Records and Genealogy Symposium in Beatrice, Nebraska than on the eve of the Homestead Act of 1862.The 150th anniversary of this legislation is coming up next year. Millions of homestead record images are being digitized that will eventually be made available to the public. With my roots firmly set in Nebraska soil, I feel extremely fortunate that the Nebraska homestead records are the first to be digitized and will be completed before the project moves on to other states. This is definitely going to be a landmark research base for genealogists who are tracking ancestors through their westward move.

Homestead National Monument of America
display at the Land Records and Genealogy Symposium
July 2011

The past two days have been a whirlwind of activities in conjunction with the Land Records and Genealogy Symposium. I've been looking forward to the symposium for months - not only as an attendee, but because I was one of the speakers at the event. This was my first presentation at a major genealogy conference, so I was extremely honored and humbled that the organizers asked me to participate.

This symposium is held every two years and this year's event attracted nearly 100 people from Nebraska, several surrounding states and as far away as Massachusetts and California.

Friday began with me meeting the Genealogy Ninja, Thomas MacEntee, at the Lincoln airport. Those of you who know Thomas know that it's always great to get together with him. We arrived in Beatrice in time for lunch. Unfortunately, that meant that we were not able to hear the first two presentations by Sylvia Murray on Genealogy: You Can Do This and Carla Anders on Introduction to Land Platting.

Fortunately for me, I sat next to Carla during the conference and I'm certain that a new genealogy friendship was born. A lot of business cards and email addresses were exchanged! Carla operates Collecting Missing Ancestors and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She has a wealth of experience in Midwest research.

During lunch, we were entertained by Chris Sayre, a native Lincolnite known for his dedication to traditional and contemporary folk music. Chris' CDs are available here.

After lunch, we were treated to two fantastic sessions on Land Records presented by Gail Blankenau. Gail and I live in the same city, have been Facebook friends for a while, but this was the first time we met in person. Gail really knows her stuff when it comes to land records! She is an outstanding and knowledgeable presenter. Gail is also a member of APG  and the Genealogical Speaker's Guild. I enjoyed getting acquainted with Gail and hope we can "do coffee" every once in a while.

The afternoon ended with an excellent session on Finding Women Homesteaders by Sylvia Murray. Her stories and photographs of these exceptional women were very interesting and inspirational. It makes you wonder if you could have done the same thing under those circumstances. Sylvia is also a member of APG and the Genealogical Speaker's Guild.

Homestead National Monument of America

After the close of the presentations, Thomas and I went in search of the coolest place in Beatrice. I don't mean "cool" as in "hip" - but literally, cool. The Nebraska temperature exceeded 100 degrees this weekend. We went to the visitor center at the Homestead National Monument of America. [Photo] The monument is operated by the National Park Service. The land is exactly the size of the original homesteads - 160 acres. We explored the museum and decided we needed to find an even cooler spot in Beatrice!

It was on to the Education Center down the road. This was the coolest place in Beatrice, so Thomas and I found a couple chairs and talked shop until it was time for the special dinner event. We were treated to a nice dinner, more music from Chris Sayre and learned more about the Homestead Act and the homestead records digitization project.

Learn more about the Land Records Project.

Other useful Homestead Records links:

About Nebraska Homestead Records - Footnote.com

Search the Nebraska Homestead Records on Footnote.com

Search the Broken Bow land office records

Read about Day 2 of the Symposium >

Should Homestead National Monument be renamed?

Should Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska be renamed Homestead National Historical Park? A bill (HR 274) to rename the Homestead National Monument was introduced in Congress yesterday. The bill was referred to the House committee on Natural Resources. Homestead National Monument is under the auspices of the National Park Service and honors the Homestead Act of 1862. The Act was responsible for much of the major expansion of the United States to the west.

You can follow the status of the bill here:
http://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/thomas

Learn about the land records project here.

Check the current status of Homestead Records that are being made available on Footnote.com