Arkansas Donation Lands
1 January 1927 - 28 September 1938
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-198-3, 186 pages, $26.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
1 April 1902 - 30 December 1926
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-196-7, 102 pages, softbound, $19.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
21 December 1893 - 29 March 1902
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-193-2, 129 pages, softbound, $21.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
6 December 1887 - 21 December 1893
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-192-4, 117 pages, softbound, $20.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
3 July 1882 - 6 December 1887
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-191-6, 102 pages, softbound, $19.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
1 May 1880 - 30 June 1882
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-178-9, 98 pages, softbound, $19.00
[View the list of names in this volume]
Arkansas Donation Lands
14 December 1876 - 30 April 1880
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-175-4, 114 pages, softbound, $19.50
[View the list of names in this volume.]
Arkansas Donation Lands, 1871-1875
Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen
ISBN 1-56546-171-1, 210 pages, softbound, $28.00
[View the list of names in this volume.]
[Click here to read more than you ever wanted to know about donation lands.]
NEW! Arkansas is a public domain land state -- all of our land once belonged to the federal government. Settlers came in and acquired the land, but some abandoned that land and moved on to greener pastures. (Hello, Texas!) That abandoned land reverted to the state and it was put back into taxpayers' hands through a system of donations.
The oldest records about Arkansas' donation lands begin in 1871. The new indexes cover all nine ledgers of donation lands. The book covering 1871-1875 lists the name of the person to whom the land was donated; whether they were an adult, minor, or married woman; the county in which the land lay; the section, range, and township description; certificate number; and date of application. The rest of the volumes, covering 1876-1955, list the same information, except it omits whether the person was adult, married, etc.
Are your folks included? We've posted full-name indexes to the books. And we've included an article about donation lands so you can learn more about this heretofore-unknown resource for genealogists.
Why are these land records important? We all know the 1870 federal census was poorly done and underreported. Many people are listed with just initials. These land records list full names in most cases. And they tie people to specific parcels of land. From these applications, you can check county deed records and tax books. So many records only list men's names, but these donation land application ledgers list women's names, and, in the case of the first volume, those of minor children. The volumes which cover the 1880s and 1890s fill in for the missing 1890 federal census (which is toast). The volumes after 1920 let you locate a person for whom the federal census isn't yet released.