Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Placer County Homestead Claim Records
- Dates:
- 1860-1939
- Creators:
- Placer County Clerk-Recorder
- Abstract:
- Extent:
- 7 Volumes and 4 file folders
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
Placer County Homestead Claim Records. Placer County Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Placer County Homestead Claims Collection includes bound volumes and folders of loose pages. The records contain the name of the claimant(s), a description of the property, and occasionally a diagram of the property location.
- Biographical / historical:
-
California instituted a Homestead Act in April of 1851 shortly after it became a state on September 5, 1850. Land laws in California were a jumble of Mexican land grants, squatters and tribal lands. The Homestead Act was an attempt to unravel the complexities of a population that suddenly exploded with the Gold Rush. In the Homestead books in this collection the early claimants refer to the California Act of April 21, 1851 and later to an amendment of April 28, 1860. The declaration includes the name of the head of household, male or female, the notice that the claimant is currently living on the premises and the claimant’s intent to use and claim the land as a homestead. In an early nod to women’s rights, the California Homestead Act dictated that the property be held in joint tenancy if a married couple filed a claim.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1860-1939
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on April 17, 2025, 11:29 a.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The Collection is open for research by appointment. A separate index has been created for the earliest volumes A and B and is available at the Archives. Appointment times are available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 9-3.
- Preferred citation:
-
Placer County Homestead Claim Records. Placer County Archives
- Location of this collection:
-
101 Maple StreetAuburn, CA 95603, US
- Contact:
- (530) 889-7789