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Land Grants

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The Texas General Land Office Land Grant Database, allows researchers to search by abstract number, name, class, title date, section number, patent number and more.

These records include files on individual tracts of land, records of land certificates, claims files, maps and many other useful sources of information about people and places in Texas.

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The Spanish Collection
The Spanish Collection of the Texas General Land Office Archives is a vast repository including approximately 4,200 land titles issued by Spain and Mexico from 1720 to 1836 covering 26 million acres. Associated documents such as registers of families, field notes, character or admission certificates, official correspondence, and empresario contracts round out the Collection.

The Spanish Collection is the primary source of documentation for land distribution in Texas prior to 1836 and serves as a rich source of information for studying the settlement of Texas and the activities in the empresario colonies prior to independence. Today these documents rest quietly in 138 neatly labeled and organized red Hollinger boxes housed in the comfort of the new humidity and temperature-controlled General Land Office records vault.

Republic and State Land Grants

After annexation by the United States in 1845, Texas retained control of its public domain, unlike other western states, and continued to distribute its land. Prior to 1900, Texas was a cash poor state, and used land to secure and pay off debt, reward veterans, encourage economic development, finance public education and even in building the State Capitol.

The End of the Unappropriated Public Domain
In Hogue v. Baker, 1898, the Texas Supreme Court declared that there was no more vacant and unappropriated land in Texas. As a result of the decision, a complete audit was ordered by the Legislature. The audit determined that the public school fund was short of the amount of land it should have had by 5,009,478 acres.

In 1900 an act was passed "to define the permanent school fund of the State of Texas, to partition the public lands between said fund and the State, and to adjust the account between said fund and said state; to set apart and appropriate to said school fund, the residue of the public domain..." Thus, all of the remaining unappropriated land was set aside by the legislature for the school fund.

Categories of Texas Land Grants

• Headright Grants

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  Headright Grants - Headright grants were issued to individuals by Boards of Land Commissioners in each county.

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  First Class Headright - Issued to those who arrived before March 2, 1836. Heads of families received one league (4,428 acres) and one labor (177.1 acres), while single men received 1/3 league (1,476.1 acres).
  
  Second Class Headright - Issued to those who arrived between March 2, 1836 and October 1, 1837. Heads of families received 1,280 acres, while single men received 640 acres.
  
  Third Class Headright - Issued to those who arrived between October 1, 1837 and January 1, 1840. Heads of families received 640 acres, while single men received 320 acres.
  
  Fourth Class Headright - Issued to those who arrived between January 1, 1840 and January 1, 1842. The amounts issued were the same as for third class headrights, plus the requirement of cultivation of 10 acres.
  
  Pre-Emption Grant - Similar to the headright grants, pre-emption grants were made after statehood. From 1845 to 1854 homesteaders could claim 320 acres. From 1854 to 1856, and 1866 to 1898, up to 160 acres could be claimed. Homesteaders were required to live on the land for three years and make improvements (such as building a barn) in order to qualify for a pre-emption grant of 160 acres.
• Empresario Colonies in the Republic of Texas

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  Empresario Colonies in the Republic of Texas
  
  Four colonies were established under contracts with the Republic of Texas:
  Peters' Colony (1841), Fisher and Miller's Colony (1842), Castro's Colony (1842) and Mercer's Colony (1844). Heads of families were eligible for land grants of 640 acres while single men were eligible for 320 acres. Settlers were required to cultivate at least fifteen acres in order to receive the patent.
• Military Land Grants

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  Military Land Grants

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  Bounty Grants - Grants for military service during the Texas Revolution were provided by the Republic of Texas. Each three months of service provided 320 acres up to a maximum of 1,280 acres. Bounty grants for guarding the frontier (1838-1842) were issued by the Republic of Texas. Soldiers were issued certificates for 240 acres. 7,469 bounty grants were issued for 5,354,250 acres.
  
  Donation Grants - Grants were issued by the Republic of Texas for participation in specific battles of the revolution. Soldiers who fought in the Siege of Bexar and the battle of San Jacinto (including the baggage detail at Harrisburg), and the heirs of those who fell at the Alamo and Goliad were eligible for 640 acres. 1,816 donation warrants were issued for 1,162,240 acres.
  
  Military Headright Grant - Special headrights of one league were provided by the Republic of Texas to:

  1. soldiers who arrived in Texas between March 2 and August 1, 1836
  2. the heirs of soldiers who fell with Fannin, Travis, Grant and Johnson
  3. soldiers who were permanently disabled
  
  Republic Veterans Donation Grants - A grant was provided by the state of Texas to veterans of the Texas Revolution and signers of the Declaration of Independence. The veteran was required to have received a bounty grant or to be eligiblefor one. A donation law in 1879 provided 640 acres and required proof of indigence. A donation law passed in 1881 provided 1,280 acres and dropped the indigency requirement. This grant was repealed in 1887 with 1,278 certificates issued for 1,377,920 acres.
  
  Confederate Scrip - Certificates for 1280 acres were provided to confederate soldiers who were permanently disabled or to the widows of confederate soldiers. Passed in 1881, it was repealed in 1883 with 2,068 certificates issued.
• Loan And Sales Scrip

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  Loan And Sales Scrip - Loan scrip was a land certificate issued to provide for or repay loans made to the government of Texas. Sales scrip was a land certificate directly sold to raise money for Texas. Most of this scrip was issued to cover costs of the war. The following is a list of the categories of scrip indicated with the name by which they were known.

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  Bryan Scrip - Land scrip was issued to William Bryan equal to the amount of debts owed to him for loans made during the war for independence. December 6, 1836.
  
  Sam Houston Scrip - The president (Sam Houston) was authorized to negotiate a loan for $20,000 for the purpose of purchasing ammunition and munitions of war. To do this, he was authorized to sell a sufficient amount of land scrip at a minimum of $0.50 per acre to raise money for the loan. December 10, 1836.
  
  Toby Scrip - The president was authorized to issue scrip to the amount of five hundred thousand acres of land. This scrip was to be transmitted to Thomas Toby of New Orleans and sold at a minimum of $0.50 per acre. December 10, 1836.
  
  White Scrip - An agency was established in the city of Mobile, and David White was authorized as an agent of Texas to sell land scrip at a minimum rate of $0.50 per acre for the benefit of the government. December 10, 1836.
  
  James Erwin Scrip - On January 20, 1836, Stephen F. Austin, Branch T. Archer and William Warton contracted with James Erwin and others in New Orleans for a loan of $50,000. June 3, 1837.
  
  First Loan Scrip - The president of the Republic was authorized to issue land scrip to the stockholders as payment for the first loan to Texas "..to fulfill and carry into effect the contract of compromise made on April 1, 1836 between (the interim Texas government) and the stockholders in the first loan (for $200,000) negotiated in New Orleans on January 11, 1836." May 24, 1838.
  
  Funded Debt Scrip - Any holder of promissory notes, bonds, funded debt or any other liquidated claims against the government could "surrender the same, and receive in lieu thereof, land scrip." The scrip was issued at a rate equal to $2.00 per acre. February 5, 1841.
  
  General Land Office Scrip - The Commissioner of the General Land Office was authorized to issue land scrip at $0.50 per acre for the liquidation of the public debt of the late Republic of Texas. February 11, 1850.
  
  Sales Scrip - The Commissioner of the General Land Office was authorized to issue land scrip in certificates of not less than 160 acres at $1.00 per acre for the sale of the public domain. February 11, 1858.
  
  
• Internal Improvement Scrip

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  Internal Improvement Scrip

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  Central National Road - Under a law passed in 1844, various amounts were issued to road commissioners, surveyors and contractors for building a road from the Red River to the Trinity River in what is now Dallas. Certificates were issued for 27,716 acres.
  
  Scrip for Building Steamboats, Steamships and Other Vessels - Certificates for 320 acres were issued for building a vessel of at least 50 tons, with 320 acres for each additional 25 tons. Sixteen ships were built taking advantage of this 1854 law.
  
  Railroad Scrip - Several laws were passed beginning in 1854. The exact provisions varied, but generally an amount of land was offered for each mile of rail constructed. The Constitution of 1876 provided 16 sections per mile. Railroads were required to survey an equal amount of land to be set aside for the public school fund. Certificates were issued for 35,777,038 acres.
  
  Industry Scrip - For building factories. 320 acres were offered for each $1,000 valuation. 1863 law. Certificates were issued for 111,360 acres.
  
  Navigation Scrip - Sections of land were provided based on the class of ditch as specified by acts passed in 1874, 1875 and 1876. Certificates were issued for 584,000 acres. All legislation authorizing internal improvement scrip was repealed in 1882.
  
  Irrigation Canal Scrip - Several acts were passed beginning in 1854 for building ship channels, and improving rivers and harbors for navigation. Certificates were issued for various amounts of land for each mile completed. (For example, 320 certificates for 640 acres each were issued for building a ship channel 8 feet deep and 100 feet wide across Mustang Island). Certificates were issued for 4,261,760 acres.
• School Land

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  School Land
  
  

  Sale of the school lands began in 1874. Until 1905, the price, amount of land available, method of purchase, and eligibility requirements varied greatly. Legislation passed in 1905 required that the school lands be sold through competitive bidding. Purchasers could buy a maximum of 4 sections with residence required in most counties, or 8 sections with no residence required in other designated (western) counties.

  The End of the Unappropriated Public Domain
  In Hogue v. Baker, 1898, the Texas Supreme Court declared that there was no more vacant and unappropriated land in Texas. As a result of the decision, a complete audit was ordered by the Legislature. The audit determined that the public school fund was short of the amount of land it should have had by 5,009,478 acres.

  In 1900 an act was passed "to define the permanent school fund of the State of Texas, to partition the public lands between said fund and the State, and to adjust the account between said fund and said state; to set apart and appropriate to said school fund, the residue of the public domain..." Thus, all of the remaining unappropriated land was set aside by the legislature for the school fund.