Documents

1848 Land Grant for Henry Ward

Johnson County, Arkansas, 30 May 1848, certificate no. 528

Tract of land: W1/2 of the SW1/4 of Section 8 in Township 10 North of Range 24 West. Containing 80 acres.

Henry and Elizabeth Ward deeded this same tract of land to David Ward in 1843. It is unknown why Henry received the land grant for this land 5 years later instead of David.

The land grant says it is a preemption grant. Preemption law allowed individuals to claim federal land. In order to keep ownership of the land, the individual had to either reside on the land or consistently improve the land for at least 5 years. The individual did not need to have the title to the land to be granted it. Henry may have deeded the property to David but worked the land those 5 years until he was rewarded with a grant. He may have also purchased the land back from David before 1848, although no deed has been found.

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records