• Repository: Scenic view from the Seward highway in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska. Digital ID: (original digital file) highsm 04377 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.04377. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student
Believe it or not I was surprised by what I learned in the US Land Records course. Yes, I knew it was a record set that I was not extremely familiar with, but the amount I didn’t know was surprising to me. It seems just looking at maps and going to the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) website is not enough to learn this information!
Through my posts I just touched on the information taught in the course. It was really just the tip of the iceberg. The ideas for further research on my own family using these land records are swirling around my head. Now, I just need to find the time.
I am very curious to see if I can find homesteaders anywhere in my family tree simply for the potentially large genealogical payout. Yes, I am still hoping, with fingers and toes crossed, for those mysterious origins for some of my family members. You know, the ones who just seemed to spring off the page fully formed with no origin.
Maps are also going to play a large part in my research. While I already consult them for many research queries, or to simply gain a better understanding of where my family lived, I want to begin charting them out more. Using the FAN principle I wonder if I can reconstruct neighborhoods in some areas and see what clues I can find.
Needless to say I have just given myself a ton of extra work to do. Use the comments section below to let me know if you have land records tips or find yourself with more work after taking this course. I’d love to hear from you!
See you online!
