Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MILITARY LAND WARRANTS
MILITARY LAND WARRANTS. Bounty land is a grant of free land from a government given to citizens as a reward for service to their country, generally for military-related service. Most bounty-land warrants in the United States were given to veterans or their survivors for wartime military service performed between 1775 and March 3, 1855. This includes veterans who served in the American Revolution, the WAR OF 1812 and the MEXICAN WAR.
Bounty land warrants were not automatically issued to every veteran who served. The veteran first had to apply for a warrant and then, if the warrant was granted, he could use the warrant to apply for a land patent. The land patent is the document which granted him ownership of the land. Bounty land warrants could also be transferred or sold to other individuals.
They were also used as a way to provide evidence of military service, especially in cases where a veteran or his widow did not apply for a pension
Revolutionary War bounty land warrants were first awarded through an act of Congress on September 16, 1776. They were last awarded for military service in 1858, although the ability to claim bounty land previously earned extended until 1863. A few claims that were tied up in the courts caused lands to be granted as late as 1912.
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Source:
Powell, Kimberly, "Bounty Land Warrants," Online: https://www.thoughtco.com/bounty-land-warrants-1422328
