Daily AncestorPatent
A land patent is the government document that transfers public land to its first private owner, completing the claim.
A patent, sometimes called a grant, is the document by which a colony, state or the United States passed title of land to a private person for the first time. It came after the claim, survey and payment or proof were complete.
Federal patents for the public land states can be searched on the BLM General Land Office Records website, and the National Archives holds the case files behind them.
As seen in a recordGeneral Land Office land entry file, 1800s
The United States of America, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Patent No. 3412 to Michael Shea.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Patent." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/land-patent. Last checked 2026-10-01.