Daily AncestorHomestead entry
A homestead entry was a claim to free federal land under the Homestead Act of 1862, made final after five years of living on and improving it.
Under the Homestead Act, an applicant could claim up to 160 acres of public land for a small filing fee. To win title they had to live on it and improve it for five years, then prove it with witness statements.
Tract books abbreviate homestead entries as Hd, H.E. or Home. The full case file, held by the National Archives, can record the claimant's age, birthplace, citizenship and improvements made.
As seen in a recordGeneral Land Office land entry file, 1800s
Homestead Entry No. 4758, Oberlin, Kans., Michael Shea, SW 1/4 Sec. 10.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Homestead entry." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/homestead-entry. Last checked 2026-10-01.