WHO WERE THE HOMESTEADERS?

Many individuals can find an ancestor or relative who homesteaded. Homestead National Monument of America is collecting the stories of individuals who have left a legacy to our country.

Are you a Descendent of a Homesteader?
Contact us:

Homestead National Monument of America
8523 W. State Highway 4
Beatrice NE 68310

THE FIRST HOMESTEADER
Daniel Freeman was the first person to file his claim to 160 acres of free land offered by the Homestead Act of 1862. The Freeman Family Scrapbook gives a glimpse of the life of a Homestead Family.  See also the Freeman Letters.

THE LAST HOMESTEADER
The last person to prove up on their homestead claim was found in Alaska. Ken Deardorff filed a homestead claim on 80 acres of land on the Stony River in southwestern Alaska in 1974.

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