Land Records at the National Archives, Part II: Federal Bounty Land

Bounty lands were awarded by the federal government from 1788 to 1855 to encourage and reward service in the military. The process resulted in two records: 1) the bounty land application file, part of Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 2) the land entry file, part of Record Group 49, Records of the General Land Office. Most of these records are not online but are held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, DC. Learn how to locate these records and come to NARA prepared to research.