More Information About the Veteran Bounty Land Project

Two years ago, the National Genealogical Society (NGS) began a project to raise money to conserve about 360,000 Bounty Land Warrant Application files and Case Files of Bounty Land Applications of Indians based on service between 1812 and 1855. All these files span the nineteenth century, from start to finish, and they are housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. They represent thousands of soldiers from America’s earliest conflicts who applied for military bounty land, whether their claims were accepted or rejected. But here’s the problem . . .

These paper records are currently stored in non-archival quality cardboard boxes. There is no money allocated by the government for their preservation nor is there much interest in Congress to pay for digitizing them or making them available to researchers. If you had ancestors in the United States during the eighteenth or nineteenth century, chances are there is treasure waiting for you in these records, but you may not ever be able to retrieve it, if they aren't protected now.

We’ve done two previous blog posts detailing the importance of preserving these unique records. If you missed them, you can find the May 2025 post here and the update from August here.

St. Louis Genealogical Society is working, along with many other state and local societies and NGS, to raise funds for this worthwhile preservation project. Many of you have already donated, but if you haven’t, here are some additional reasons why you might want to:

1. Native Americans who served and qualified for bounty land are part of the Indian Case Files, and these records will be prioritized and conserved first. If you are seeking Native American records, you may find them here.
2. Are you searching for early marriage or birth and death records in states that either didn’t keep or lost records? They may be hidden within these files, where pages of bibles, oral history, and original records are often tucked away.
3. Have you tried to access any of these records at the National Archives only to be told you need to hire a researcher or wait months for a reply? Currently, the cost per file is about $100, and the wait to receive a copy can be more than a year. Once they are digitized, they will be online and free. The originals will be preserved in acid-free archival conditions so they do not deteriorate further.

Our ancestors fought for our freedom and hoped to be compensated in some way for their sacrifices. These soldiers’ bounty land records are precious reminders of their service, and we have it in our power to preserve them. We have a dedicated page on our website so you can donate, no matter the amount, and we hope you will be generous. Go to https://stlgs.org/help-preserve-veteran-bounty-land-records to show your support for this important project, and thank you!