illegal homestead claim

An Illegal Homestead Filing: Part V

The last in the series about Cornelia Albers’ invalid homestead claim in Dawson County, Nebraska, in the 1880s and her attempt to assign that claim to her grandmother. A great deal of drama and legal wrangling took place over the Albers homestead claim. Both the Alberses and John H. Gronewold, who contested their claim hired lawyers […]

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An Illegal Homestead Filing: Part IV

Antje Albers appealed the rejection of her application by the Register of the North Platte, Nebraska, land office to apply for a homestead in Dawson County, Nebraska (north 1/2 of the south east 1/4 of section 14 in township 11 north range 25 west). The appeal written by her attorney, Thomas C. Patterson, is undated, […]

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An Illegal Homestead Filing: Part II

Continuing our “Illegal Homestead Filing” story… True to what she said in her affidavit, Cornelia Albers did file a claim for her homestead on 17 December 1883 as evidenced by this receipt for the $9 filing fee paid in the North Platte, Nebraska, land office. This duplicate receipt was apparently the one retained by Cornelia […]

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An Illegal Homestead Filing: Part I

Cornelia Albers’ homestead claim in Dawson County, Nebraska, was not your typical homestead claim. Cornelia filed her claim before she was eligible to do so—four days shy of her twenty-first birthday. In an attempt to keep the claim in the family she transferred her improvements on it to her grandmother. Cornelia’s claim was to eighty […]

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