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Bounty Land Warrants |
| Bounty Land Warrants were not pension files. Before 1856, man may
have been paid for military service with a bounty land warrant. The
warrant provided for a specified number of acres on federal land,
often in the west. Some soldiers did not want to move, so they gave
their warrant to one of their sons, or they sold their warrants to
others. Some moved for a short time on their land and then moved back
to their original home.
Bounty Land Warrants from the Revolutionary War are included with the microfilmed Revolutionary War Pension Files. For all other military service before 1856, Bounty Land Warrant Application Files can be ordered for $17.25 (and extra charges if the file is particularly large.) The War of 1812 brought a whole new interest in bounty land. Soldiers only had to serve for a few weeks to qualify for the land so fathers were encouraging their sons to sign up and make a stake for themselves in the west. Notice what a warrant looks like below, and also see the index card with the Bounty Land Warrant number in the upper right hand corner. Also notice the application and certificate numbers and clues on this War of 1812 application index card.
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