How can I get Land Entry file information for patents?
A. Land Entry files were created when a person claimed land under an act of Congress. They first had to fill out an application, and sometimes provide other information(marriage or immigration documents), at the local General Land Office. Other documents were also created under that application, like receipts for any payments, or affidavits of occupation, immigration, marriage, and homestead application. Eastern States did not keep these files. They are now the responsibility of the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. The land entry file information can be obtained from the National Archives. Terms and Field Definitions Accession Number One of the two types of codes used to uniquely identify a land patent (the other type of ID code is serial number). An accession number directly relates a document image to the original hardcopy document. It identifies the state, volume number and page number of the original GLO document (valid only for the 13 eastern public
