Family Tutor: Military Records, Bounty Land Warrant

1.	Date the warrant was converted into land, and the land description
2.	Warrant number; quantity, in acres, of the bounty claimed; soldier's name
3.	Soldier's Company, Regiment, date the warrant was issued
4.	Quantity, in acres or sections, of the Bounty
5.	Date the warrant was signed and by whom

Bounty Land Warrant

Until the mid-nineteenth century, land was offered as a bounty to soldiers and officers who served in the Armed Forces of the United States. The most common record of Bounty Land is the warrant issued to the soldier.

After discharge, a soldier could apply for a bounty land warrant, providing the required details of his service to the government. The soldier, if qualified, could then assign the warrant to someone else, or convert the warrant into land.

In the example, Alben Allen received a warrant for a quarter section of land for his service as a private in the Mormon Battalion. He converted his warrant into a grant for the entire amount authorized.

Bounty land warrants usually do not provide details about an ancestor, but do prove his military service. Applications for bounty land warrants may include a wealth of information about the ancestor and his family.

There are indexes to some bounty land warrant application files available both in published form and on microfilm at the National Archives, LDS Family History Library and Family History Centers, and at local, state, and university libraries. Bounty land warrants are maintained by the National Archives. National Archives Trust Fund (NATF) Form 80 should be used to request bounty land warrant information if the ancestor's specific unit is known.