You can search the state specific General Land Office Automated Records CD-ROMs by name, document number, patent authority, and land office. Many CD-ROMs include state histories. The General Land Office Patent Records can also be searched online. This database lists about 2 million place names in the United States, including some 57,782 that no longer exist. Of interest to the genealogist is the listing of churches and cemeteries that no longer exist.
All places named include the exact latitude and longitude for a precise location.
The GNIS is also available online. The date the property was aquired and the sale price are given for the current owner. In addition to the current owner, previous owners are sometines listed.