I suppose I shouldn’t admit to making a mistake, but it’s instructive to do so.
The Bureau of Land Management tract book entries for section 20 in township 20 N Range 26 west contains an entry of interest: the one for Focke Goldenstein. When I first looked at it, I did so in an admittedly hasty fashion. The entries for section 20 were written by several different clerks and I originally thought that the first letter in Goldenstein’s claim was an “H” and stood for homestead.
In looking closer–and in looking at other entries even though those entries are in a different handwriting–it appears to be a “T” and not an “H.” The three entries for 149.20 acres (Goldenstein’s is the first) were likely the same sort of claim. The last two entries clearly begin with “TC” for “timber claim.”
We’re still working on getting these records, but realizing that this is a timber claim and not a homestead claim is an integral part of that analysis. In fact, that probably eliminates one confusion I had about the Goldenstein entry. There’s also reminders about:
- Not jumping to conclusions.
- Looking at adjacent entries in records even if the handwriting is different.
- Being willing to admit you were wrong.
Stay tuned…we’re still working on this.
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