The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-03-03
VOL. XMI.--NO. %.
Hsmesteads.

The honaeSteaa laws provide very
simple yet certain way of securing n
home at Little expense. Under these
laws every.citizen, or persons of foreign
birth who have declared their intention
of becou citizens, over the age of
twenty-one siigle. or heads of fam
lies, can enter ne hundred and sixty
acres OF sllHHyed land not mineral In
Aftes haH selected tract and ascer-
tanned ats qcserip6on, the settler should
go to the ioca land Office and sign an
application nd subscribe TO the. re-
quired aAldaft. The application de-
scribes the nd, and the affidavit sets
forth the ct respecting his age, citi-
?enshiIs ets He viii then be required
to Pc ,<s< gister and Receiver of the
land ,fs-7ae Government fee and that
part of the commission which is payable
when the entry IS made, according to
the amount of LAID entered, being S14
for 16O acres and 81 for so acres.
When the applicant has settled on the
land he desires to Ater, but is prevented
by bodily infrmiy, distance or other
good cause from listing the land Of
fee in person, the ffidavit may be made
before the Clerk of the Court for the
county within which the land is stu
ated AID the affiavit, together with
the application an money, can be for
warded to the Register and Receiver.
Having selected ami entered the land,
he will be required o establish an act
ual residence thereonwithin six months
from the date Of the mtry, and that res
idence must be continued without aban-
donment. for more than SIX months
at any one time, for five years. If he
has a family his FANNY must also reside
on the land, While the law allows
temporary absence (ofnot more than six
months at any one time), it requires
that the residence and improve
ment of the and shall be
actual and substantial. The settler
cannot sleep ON the land one night every
six months and call ita residence, neither
can he pile few logs or poles together
and call it cabin. At the end of five
years from date of entry, or within two
years thereafter, he can submit to the
land officers proof OF his residence, cul-
tivation, etc. This proof can either be
made before those officers or before the
Judge of court of record of the county
In which the land is situated. He will
then be required to pay the balance of
the commissions (beiIg same amount as
the commission paid when entry was
made), when the patent certificate will
issue on which the Government patent
or deed is executed He need not neces-
sarily make his proof Tor, as it is COM
monty termed, "prove up y at the end
of five years, though be must do so with
in seven years from dste of entry.
If the settler does not wish to remain
upon the land the full period required,
he can, after six months residence, prove
up, but he will then be required to pay
for the land at the Government price.
This is called committing an entry.
Every soldier or sailor who served IN
the army or navy of the United States
for ninety days during the late Rebellion
and was hoffofabiy ufsoI.srged and has
remained loyal to the government, is en-
titled to receive on the period of res
idence required on his homestead the
time of his service IN the army or navy,
providing such service did not exceed
four wears. One years residence on the
land is invariably required. Single
women over the age of twenty-one, and
married women whose husbands have
deserted them, come within the pro-
visions of the law and can take home
steads and the widow Of unmarried, or
in case of her marriage the orphan chill
dren) of a soldier can have the same
privileges and benefits that the soldier
would have were he alive.