Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-06-27
The Homestead Bill.

The following is a correct copy of the
Homestead Bill passed by both Houses
of Congress, aud signed by the Presi-
dent:
AN ACT to Secure Homesteads to
Actual Settlers On the Public Domain,
and to provide Bounty for Soldiers in
lieu of Grants of the Public Lands.
Be 1t enacted BY the Senate and House
of Representatives Of the United States of
America, an Congress assembled: That
any person who is the head Of family,
or has arrived at the age of twenty one
years, and is a citizen of the United
States, or who shall have fled his decla-
ration of intention to become such, as
required by the naturalization laws of
the United States, and who has never
borne artts against the United States
Government, or given aid and comfort
to its enemies, shall, from and after the
lst day of January, 1853, be entitled to
enter one quarter section, or a less guam
titg, of unappropria.ed public lands,
upon which said person may have filed
a pre- emption claim, or which may, at
the time the application is made, be sub
ject to pre-emption at s1.25, or less, per
acre: or eighty acres or less, of such un-
appropriated lands, at $3.50 per acre, to
be located in body, in conformity to
the legal sub divisions of the public
lands, and after the same shall have been
surveyed: Propided, That any person
owning and residing on land may, under
the provisions of this act, enter other
land ' contiguous to his or her said
land, shall not with the land SO
already owned, exceed in aggregate 1Go
acres.
SECTION 2. Ind belt further enacted,
That the persons applying for the ben
eft of this act, shall, upon application
to the Register of the Land Office in
which he or she is about to make such
entry, make affidavit before such Regis
ter or Receiver that he OF she is the
head Of family, or is twenty one years
or more Of age, or shall have performed
service in the army of the United States,
and that he has never borne arms
against the Government of the United
States, or given aid and comfort to its
enemies, and that such application is
made for his or her exclusive use and
benefit, and that said entry is made for
the purpose of actual settlea ent and
cultivation, and not either directly or in
directly for the use and teneft of any
other person or persons whomsoever;
and upon filing said affidavit with the
Register or Receiver, and on payment Of
SO, he or she shall thereupon be per-
nitted to enter the quantity of land
specified: P,outaea, ho,oever, That no
certificate shall be given or patent issued
therefor until the expiration of FIVE
years from the date of such entry; and
fif, at the expiration of such time, or at
any tinIs within two years thereafter, the
person making such entry-or if he be
dead, his widow; or in case of her death,
his heirs or devisee; or in case of a
widow making such entry, her heirs or
devisee, in case of her death-shalt
prove by two credible witnesses that ne,
she, or they have resided upon or cul-
tivated the same for the term Of five
years Immediately succeeding the time
Of filing the affidavit aforesaid, and Shall
make affidavit that no part of said land
has been alienated, and that he has
borne true allegiance to the Govern!