Daily AncestorBounty land warrant
A bounty land warrant was a federal grant of public land rights given to veterans for military service, issued between the Revolution and the 1850s.
Congress offered bounty land to encourage enlistment and to reward service in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War and Indian wars, up to 1855. Warrants were often for 160 acres or in 40-acre steps.
Many veterans sold their warrants rather than move. Bounty land case files can establish a record of military service, so they matter even if the land went to someone else.
As seen in a recordGeneral Land Office land entry file, 1800s
Bounty land warrant No. 52,301 for 160 acres, Act of 1855, issued to Jas. Pike, Pvt., War of 1812.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Bounty land warrant." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/bounty-land-warrant. Last checked 2026-10-01.