It May of Been Free But They Paid a Price - Part II

Yesterday, I was telling you about my visit to the Homestead National Monument over the Memorial Weekend.  The Homestead National Monument, which is part of the U.S. National Park system was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1862 Homestead Act that was signed into law by President Lincoln.  (The actual signed document was brought in under a great deal security.  One of the volunteers told me they bring it in, in the middle of the night. How cloak and daggerish.  So, it would seem there is a security force in place for past president’s signatures.)

I did manage to learn a few things while visiting the museum. ……Homestead acts had been around from the very beginning of our country. The Continental Army offered parcels of land to those that fought in the Revolutionary War. You can click on the Homesteading Timeline to see some of the other Homesteading Acts prior to the 1862 Act. The one we are most familiar with is the Homestead of of 1862 and it was in effect from 1862 until 1986.

As an estimated 93 million of us are decedents of the homesteaders that participated in the 1862 Homestead Act.  If you click on the Homestead National Monument web site there is a link that will let you search for ancestors.  I have such a common maiden name, there were quite a few that came up.  I have no idea if they were actually related to me.

Only about 40 percent of those that filed claims were able to last the  five years that was required to receive the deed to the land.  There are a lot of reasons that the homesteaders failed but some of the reasons were the harsh elements, drought, disease, isolation, and the economic climate of the time.

Thought #1-  A Really Hard Life

Here is a family that homesteaded a claim in North Dakota. It must be summer, spring or fall in this picture.
How do I know this?







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