To the Victor Go the Spoils!

From 1775 – 1855, the U.S. Government and some states granted “bounty land” to soldiers as an incentive to enlist or to reward veterans for military service.  At our society’s upcoming E-Conference on June 6, Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed., will give a presentation titled “Bounty Land and the American Soldier”.

Short on cash, the government had an abundance of frontier property to offer.  Soldiers or their heirs filed an application for approval to receive a bounty warrant.  If granted, the warrant entitled the applicant to a parcel of land.  Not only did the warrant satisfy the government’s obligation to the soldier, but it also encouraged western migration.

It was not necessary to be in financial need in order to apply, but a claim had to be submitted for the land.  The warrant applications may contain personal information about the soldier (or his heir) along with supporting documents about his service.  The time frame covers several military wars and actions beginning with the Revolutionary War.

In this session of our E-Conference, Billie will instruct us about:

  • the terms and locations of the bounty warrants
  • the many government acts that created and amended them
  • what types of records we can expect to find
  • where to find the resources to search them.

Our presenter, Billie Stone Fogarty, is a former history teacher who now lectures to genealogists nationwide in multiple formats.  She is based in Oklahoma City, but has extensive research experience in Washington, D.C.; Salt Lake City; Oklahoma; and many other states as well as Ireland and Wales.  Billie has had the opportunity to serve in leadership roles for several boards and professional genealogical organizations.

Join us on June 6

To learn more from Billie Stone Fogarty about how to research Bounty Land Warrants, please join us at our eConference, “America: Our Records and Our History,” by registering here.

Schedule (Arizona time, currently PDT):

8:00 a.m.    Welcome
8:15 a.m.    Michael L. Strauss – Introduction to the Records of the National Archives
9:15 a.m.    Break
9:30 a.m.    Peggy Clemens Lauritzen – United States Tax Lists and Records
10:30 a.m.  Break
10:45 a.m.  Michael L. Strauss – Military Research: Providing for the Common Defense
11:45 a.m.  Break
12:00 p.m.  Billie Stone Fogarty – Bounty Land and the American Soldier

Recordings of the presentations will be available for 30 days following the broadcast.