Index to Combs BLM Land Patents, Eastern States

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The Bureau of Land Management has recently undergone a revamp of it's records holdings and now includes additional records since we first put these records online. They now provide image access to more than two million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908.

The Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, Land Office Records is now on-line, and Combs Researcher Sharon Combs Natoli has extracted basic data for all Combs (and var. spellings). These files are now on line as follows: (Updates and files with additions marked with *)

Note: See also Combs State Land Sales of Illinois, Combs Land of Kentucky, Combs Land of Virginia and *Michael Wilson's Combs Land of Missouri (includes additional Missouri land records).

About the BLM Land Patents and On-Line Index

The new BLM On-Line Web Site includes (a) background about the patents and applicable statutes; (b) a database search engine of the Indices to each state (by either name or land location); and (c) direct access to copies of the actual patent certificates.

The information provided by the indices includes:

Patentee Name
Document Number
Signature Present (Y/N)
Signature Date
Land Office No.
Aliquot Parts
Section No.
Township No.
Township Direction
Range No.
Range Direction
Fraction of Section (Y/N)
Meridian
Acres
County
Accession Number*

*A unique number identifying the state, volume no. and page; i.e., IN3210_.307 = Indiana Patent, Volume 321, p. 307. Patents can be accessed directly using the Accession No.

Important! The original patents did not include a county name. The BLM added present-day county designations (as versus the county of record in which the land was located at the time).

Not Included in the Indices, but only in the patent certificate, are the County of Residence of the patentee, and if the patentee has a middle initial in the index, it is possible that the full middle name may be found on the patent certificate (document image) itself.

Searching the BLM Index for Combs (and var. sp.) is complete, with the result being the Indices to Combs &c. BLM Land Files. However, at the BLM web site, in addition to accessing the document image, you can also use the database search engine to "Build Neighborhoods."

To Build a Neighborhood, it is not necessary to access the patents themselves. Once you know the Township, Range and Section (provided by Sharon's Index), you're all set.

Understanding the Township system helps to determine which additional Townships and Ranges you might want to search. The Chart for both Townships and Sections is as follows:

Note: Each Township is part of a 36 township grid. Each Township (36 square miles) includes 36 sections (one square mile or 640 acres). The non-boldface squares above are those of bordering townships and/or sections in another township.

If, for example, your patentee resided in Twp. 33, Section 18, you might want to search:

Township 33, Sections: 7, 8, 17, 18, 19 and 20 (Your section plus all those in Twp. 33 immediately surrounding it)

Township 32, Sections: 12, 13 and 24 (Twp. 32 is due west of your Twp. 33, and its sections 12, 13 and 24 are all adjacent to your township)

The Sections searched in the above example would be as follows:

1. The Eastern BLM States (listed above) all use Twp., Rng. and Sec. Once you are at the BLM State, you enter the Twp. and Range (not the county), and the section(s) you want to view, and the results of your search query will be the "neighbors" (those who patented adjacent or nearby land).

Note: Most Web Browsers permit copy/paste of web pages. Since the BLM Search Returns come up as "Tables," it's generally easiest to (from the menu bar at top of your browser) Click Edit, Click Click Copy, then open a new word processing document (file) and Click Paste (following which, you're stuck with the job of cleaning up the document, as was done with the following examples):

Neighborhood Example:

Combs William R(iley of Lawrence Co, IN). Y N Indiana 8206 Y August 1, 1837 Jeffersonville 1 NESW 36/ 7 N 1 E N 2nd Principal 40 Monroe IN2640_.173

The above land is in Twp. 7N, Rng. 1E, Section 36 of the 2nd Principle Meridian of present-day Monroe Co, IN. By searching the BLM database by location, you can learn who else may have patented land in that section:

BROWNING, BENJAMIN 08/15/1838 12595 IN2730__.060
FLEATWOOD, THOMAS 11/27/1826 1251 IN0220__.341
FLEETWOOD, JAMES 04/10/1843 17842 IN2830__.289
FLEETWOOD, JAMES 05/10/1848 19444 IN2860__.398
FLEETWOOD, JAMES 12/01/1849 21920 IN2910__.479
FLEETWOOD, THOMAS 09/09/1835 4728 IN0290__.217
HICKS, ROBERT 09/16/1835 5477 IN0300__.466
MITCHELL, WILLIAM 04/15/1853 23528 IN2940__.397
MITCHELL, WILLIAM 06/01/1860 25199 IN2980__.439
RAGSDALE, JOHN W 04/10/1848 20585 IN2890__.074
TODD, JAMES 04/10/1848 20136 IN2880__.189
TODD, JAMES 07/01/1852 23253 IN2940__.130

In this particular instance, we have gained a strong clue as to the origins of William Riley Combs since the above Robert HICKS was the 2nd husband of Winnifred Combs, widow of Samuel SUMNER. Robert & Winnifred Combs (Sumner) Hicks are earlier found in Russell Co, VA, and Clay and Perry Cos, KY, and it's a good bet that William Riley was close kin to Winnifred. The above is also an excellent example of why it pays to view the actual document image since, as is the case above, doing so can add both a middle name and a different county of residence.

Return to Index to Combs &c. BLM Land Patents

Important: All State Lands have not yet been Indexed and uploaded to the Combs Research Server as yet. For possible additional data, see also our Combs Research List Archives.

To Combs Counties (Combs &c. Records Index)