The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-06-03
OFFICIAL L,
LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Passed at the Second Session of the Thirty
seUenth Congress.

PUBLIC No 81
AN ACT TO secure bomesteads to actual
settlers on the public domain.
Be IL enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives. Of Ghe United States of 1ner-
icd an Congress assembled, That any person
who is the head of II family, or Tho has ar
rived al the age of tweDty-one years, and
is citizen of The United States, or who
shall have filed his declaration of intention
to become such, as required by the natura-
lizalion laws of the United States, and who
has never borne arms against the United
States Government or given aid and comfort
to its enemies, sta'l, from and after the
first of January, eighteen hundred aud
sixty-three, be entitled TO enter one Quarter
section or less quantity of unappropriated
public lands, upon which said person may
have fled a prescription claim, or which
may, at the time the application is made,
eighty acres or less o: such uuapproprIated
lands, at two dollars and 6ty cents per
acre, to be located in body, IN conformity
to the legal subdivision of,the public lands,
and after The same shali have been surveyed:
Prooided, That any person owning and re
siding on land may, under the provisions
INof this act, enter othec land lying contigu-
Gus TO his or her SAID land, which shall net,
with the land 81 already owned and occu-
pied, exceed in the aggregate one hundred
and si~ty c'es.
Sec. q lind be it further enacted, That
the person applying fer the benefit of his
act shall, upon application to the register
of the LAID office 10 which be or she is about
to make such entry, make affidavit before
the said register or receiver that he or she
is the head of a -amily, or is twenty one or
more years of age, or shall have performed
| service in the army or navy of the U Difed
| States and that he has never borne arms
| against the Government of the United
| States or given aid and comfort to its enc
mics, and that such application is made for
his or her exclusive use and beneht, aud
that said entry is made for the purpose OF
tual settlement and Gu ltivation, and rot
either directly or indirectly for the use or
benefit of any other person or persons
whomsoeyer aud upon fling the said af-
davit with the register or receiver, and on
pavment of ten dol ars, he or she shall
thrreupon be PRINTED to enter the guam
tity of land sp Cited: Provided, hoaceUer,
th at no certificate shall be given or patent
issued therefor until the expiration OF tvt
years from the date of such entry; and if
at the expiration of such time, or at sny
time within two years thereafter, the per
son making such entry-Or if he be dead
his widow; or in case Of her death, hi
heirs or devisee; or in case OF a widow
making such entry, her heirs or devisee, il
case of her death--shall prove by two cred
zkible witnesses that he, she, or they hav
!, | resided upon or cultivated the same for tn
s term of five years Immediately succeeding
tTI- rttr,v-vf a4frIs- ef1tvsr-r1
: and snail make affidavit that no part OF sal
land has been alteDated, and that be ha
III. fo no Government n
the United States then, in such case, he
h she. or they, if at that time citizen of To
! limited States, shall be entitled to paten
as in other cases provided for by law
4,,d urouided, further, That in case of tn
death of both father and mother, leaVln
le an infant child, or children, under twenty
one wears Of age, the right and fee sha
enure TO the benefit of said lnfant child {
= children: and the executor, admnistratO
,, o- onardian may, at any time within y
vea~s after the death of the surviving p'
5, rent. and in accordance with the laws
the State in which such children Tor IL
time being have their domicil, sell SAID iar
for the benefit of said infants, but Tor
other purpose; and the purchaser sha
Sc acnaire the absolute title by the puTchas
and be entitled to patent from tue nll'
States, on payment OF the once tees al
cs, sum Of money herein specineo.
SIC. 3. Asad be il further ellactsd, Th
the register of the land Office shall note
n: tSs such applications on the tract books a
Mats of his Office, and keep a register Of
= such entries, and make return thereof
the General Land Office, together with {
R, proof upon which they have been fOund'
See. 1 Assd be ii. further enacted, That
:. lands acquired under the provisions OF Il