Homestead National Monument & Homestead ACT of 1862

In Beatrice, Nebraska, the National Parks Service has a National Monument dedicated to the Homestead Act of 1862.  The Homestead Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, after 11 states had seceded from the Union. Passing the act before that point had been delayed by fighting over slavery issues.  Homesteaders were required to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States, and if they violated that oath, they lost the homestead.  This prevented homesteaders from aligning themselves with the southern states that had seceded.  Also, the homesteaders had to build a house and farm the land to "prove" the homestead and get title to the property.  "Proving" a homestead took 5 years.
To prevent boundary disputes, the government surveyed all the public land and divided it all up into square blocks called "townships." These townships consisted of 36 "sections" that were 1 square mile each.  These sections were then subdivided down into square "quarter sections" and then again into square 40 acre lots.  Each homesteader was allowed 4 of these 40 acre lots.  Each lot had to have a common border with another lot in the homestead.  So a homesteader could choose a full quarter section and have a square lot or could choose a lot configuration that looked like a "T" or an "L."  My great-great-grandfather, Enoch Parr, picked a lot configuration that resembles a Tetris shape in the Oak Grove Township in Franklin, Nebraska.
Here is what the land looks like today.  Likely, the original homestead building was back near the trees and the creek that ran through the property.

Enoch & Harriet Fish Parr's Homestead

My great-great-grandfather William Michael McGee and great-grandfather John Carney McGee homesteaded in North Dakota near the town of Cando, in Coolin Township.
Here is what William's homestead looks like today.  His homestead was a standard quarter section.  There is nothing left that would indicate where the house was.

William & Isabella Carney McGee's Homestead

John's homestead was also a standard quarter section. Here is what it looks like today. Trees were not a natural part of the landscape in this part of North Dakota, so someone planted them there -- likely around a house that is no longer here.

John Carney & Margaret Callahan McGee's Homestead

My family homesteaded in the late 1800s, but the Homestead Act was still in effect until 1976 in the lower 48 states and 1986 in Alaska.  The Homestead National Monument of America has exhibits from the original homesteader all the way to the last homesteader.  It is worth a trip to see a piece of history that impacted how this country was settled.

Finding your family's homestead land can be quite tricky.  In North Dakota, the streets in the townships are not labeled.  We were fortunate to get help from Gerald Maurseth from Cando's Pioneer Foundation/Museum, who is also a retired Postman.

In Nebraska, we had help from Gary and Jaynette Keim, who are with the Franklin County Historical Museum.  In Nebraska the streets are labeled but wouldn't have been enough for us to find the boundaries of the homesteads.  Other members of the museum helped us find family records that the museum had stored.

http://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm