The first land entries in Fremont county were made at
the land office at Plattsburg, Missouri. The records of this office are
not accessible to us, and We are unable to give the names of those who
made the entries. At that time, it will be remembered, the southern part
of this county was thought to be a part of Holt county, Missouri, and
this is the reason why the entries were made at the Plattsburg land office.*
May 28, 1849, seems to have been the date of the first entry at an Iowa
land office that at Fairfield. The entry was made by David M. English,
and the land was the northeast quarter of section 25, township 67, range
42; 160 acres. Other entries were made at the same office as follows:
June 18, 1849, w 1/2 ne 1/4 Sec 35, tp 67, range 42; by
John B. Samorie.
June 18, 1849, nw 1/4 sec 36, tp 67, range 42; by Noah
Seabo.
May 29, 1849, nw 1/4 Sec 26, tp 67, range 42; by Lewis
Trudo.
July 19, 1849, lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in sec 23, tp 67,
range 42; by Pierre Graivremond.
July 19, 1849, sw 1/4 sec 23, tp 67, range 42; by Joseph
Merriville.
July 19, 1849, ne 1/4 sec 24, tp 67, range 42, and se
1/4 of same secton; by David M. English.
July 19, 1849, nw fr qr sec 30, tp 67, range 41; by Thos.
Farmer.
August 31, 1849. se 1/4 sec 30, tp 67, range 41; by Thos.
Farmer
August 31,1849, ne 1/4 sec 30, tp 67, range 41; by Ernest
Bollman
October 9, 1849, sw 1/4 sec 25, tp 67, range 42; by David
M. English.
October 9, 1849, w 1/2 ne 1/4 sec 26, tp 67, range 42;
by Lewis Trudo.
October 9, 1849, sw fr qr sec 30, tp 67, range 41; by
Nancy Pearman.
October 9, 1849, ne 1/4 sec 32, tp 67, range 41, and nw
qr of same section; by Daniel McKissick.
October 9, 1849, se 1/4 sec 29, tp 67, range 41; by Ernest
Boilman.
April 1, 1850, nw 1/4 sec 20, tp 67, range 41; by Jacob
McKissick.
April 1, 1850, se 1/4 sec 19, tp 67, range 41; by John
Spidle.
April 1, 1850, ne 1/4 sec 19, tp 67, range 41; by Edward
Bunker.
April 1, 1850, sw 1/4 sec 20, tp 67, range 41; by Wm.
A. Follett.
June 8, 1850, lots 3, 4, 5 and 6, in sec 11, tp 67, range
42; by A. H. Argyle.
June 10, 1850, e 1/2 se 1/4 and w 1/2 of sw 1/4 and lots
5 and 6, in secs. 21 and 22, in tp 67, range 4; by Elias Finley.
October 14, 1850, sw 1/4 sec 13, tp 67, range 42; by Elias
Finley.
COUNCIL BLUFFS
The first entries made at the Council Bluffs land office
were in 1853. The following are a few made in that year, beginning wit
the first:
January 6, 1853, se 1/4 of se 1/4 sec 32, tp 68, range
41; by Thos. M. Gordon.
January 6, 1853, ne 1/4 of se 1/4 sec 35, tp 68, range
41; by John Burger.
January 23, 1853, s 1/2 of sw 1/4 sec 7, tp 69, range
41; by Augustus Borchus.
March 31, 1853, w 1/2 of nw 1/4sec 22, tp 67, range 42;
by Job Matthews.
April 8, 1853, sw 1/4 sec 14, tp 68, range 42; by Abner
N. Duncan.
April 8, 1853, w 1/2 of ne 1/4 sec 22, tp 68, range 42;
by John E. Beatty.
April 8, 1853, nw 1/4 sec 22, tp 68, range 42; by Milton
Richards
May 30, 1853, sw 1/4 sec 22, tp 68, range 42; by Littleberry
Lingenfelter.
April 20, 1853, se 1/4 sec 23, tp 68, range 42; by Jacob
Thomas.
These are only a very few of the entries made in the
year 1853. We have not space to give them all.
The incident of entering land was an event regarded of
great importance to the early settler. For months, and in some instances
for years, he and his family had looked forward, with great longing to
the day when they should possess a few acres of land tat they could call
their own and upon which they could build a home, and now their anticipations
were realized. Life, even in the wild west, was now something more than
ever worth living for.
*Prior to these entries, and indeed subsequently in great
part, the settlers held their land under the claim and preemption law.
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