Land Research in Indiana

Early land research can involve studying boundary changes, surveys, land entries and patents, treaties, and other government documents. This guide is provided to highlight some of the resources that can be useful to researchers.

Boundaries

Since the time of the Northwest Territory and beyond statehood in 1816, Indiana’s counties have changed boundaries as they were formed and divided. Reviewing county boundary changes is a helpful step when seeking records of past events.

Indiana Boundaries: Territory, State, and County / by George Pence and Nellie C. Armstrong.

Call number: ISLI 977.2 P397i 1967; Available online through Indiana Memory

Shows boundaries of the state of Indiana, the territories preceding it, and the counties organized within it. References specific legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly.

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries: Indiana/ The Newberry Library; Available online

Interactive map displays county boundary changes over time.

Land Patents and Land Entries

Federal land patents show the initial transfer of land titles from the United States federal government to private individuals. Receiving a land patent was the final step in the process of buying public lands.

U. S. General Land Office (GLO) Land Patents search: https://glorecords.blm.gov/

GLO website only indexes patented or completed land entries. Search by individuals’ names, taking spelling variations into account. See the webpage, Accessing Land Entry Records, for additional information about land records held by the National Archives.

After 1876, all federal land records for Indiana were transferred to the State of Indiana. The Indiana State Archives holds the State Land Office records (Land Entries) that contain the complete land description and the date of purchase, rather than the date the land patent was issued. These records will often place early settlers on their land much earlier than the patent date and may list former place of residence. Consult Land Records in Indiana at the Indiana State Archives for more information.

Land Office Indexes for Indiana

The Indiana State Archives has created online indexes for the Fort Wayne, LaPorte-Winamac, Terre Haute-Crawfordsville, and Vincennes offices, available through the Indiana Digital Archives. Printed indexes, listed below, can be used for the other land offices.

Indiana Land Entries: v. 1. Cincinnati District, 1801-1840 by Margaret R. Waters
Call number: ISLG 977.2 I385w 2003;  Digital version, volume 1 (published 1948)

Indiana Land Entries: v. 2. Vincennes District, 1807-1877 by Margaret R. Waters
Call number: ISLG 977.2 I385w 2003; Digital version, volume 2 (published 1949); online search Indiana Digital Archives

Jeffersonville Land Entries, 1808-1818 by Janet C. Cowen
Call number: ISLG 977.202 J45cLe

Brookville-Indianapolis, 1820-1831 by Janet C. Cowen
ISL does not own; Digital version available

Crawfordsville, Indiana Land Entries, 1820-1830 by Janet C. Cowen
Call number: ISLG 977.202 C899c; online search Indiana Digital Archives

Fort Wayne Land Office Entries, 1823-1852 published by Indiana State Archives
Call number: ISLG 977.202 F736L; online search Indiana Digital Archives

LaPorte - Winamac Land Office Entries, 1833-1855 published by Indiana State Archives
Call number: ISLG 977.202 L315LW; online search Indiana Digital Archives

Donation Lands

Indianapolis Donation lands were sold by the state rather than the federal government, so they do not have federal patents. Congress granted Indiana four sections of land (2560 acres) for the establishment of a state capital with its site to be selected before the remaining lands were sold to the public.

The Indiana State Archives has a name index for the Indianapolis Donation that their staff can check. An online version will return to the Research Indiana Indexes soon.

Plats of the Town of Indianapolis, 1821-1913. Indiana State Board of Accounts, 1913.
Call number: [Vault] ISLV 977.201 M341iup; Digital version available
Maps of town lots show names of original purchaser. Includes summaries of legislation related to town lots on pages 46-51.

Vincennes Donation lands included early French and British settlers’ land titles that were formally recognized by the United States government after the Northwest Territory was organized in 1787.
The Vincennes donation lands by Leonard Lux
Call number: ISLI 977.2 I385i v. 15 no. 4; Digital version available
Includes names of original claimants and heirs.

Map of the Vincennes donation tract in Indiana (1820) United States General Land Office
Call number: [Map Rm-s] ISLZ 912.772 IKnV20us (1820); Digital version available
Does not include names

Private Claims

American State Papers, U. S. Congress

Public Lands (Series VIII, Volumes 1-8) and Claims (Series IX, Volume 1); Digital version available
Contain the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838.

For most Indiana content see Public Lands vol. 7, pages 675-727, Vincennes Land Office, and vol. 8, pages 458-486, Wabash & Erie Canal Lands. Relationships between later and original owners can show heirship and family relationships.

Surveys

Land had to be surveyed before it could be sold. U. S. General Land Office (GLO) Land Patents search https://glorecords.blm.gov/ includes Indiana survey plats and field notes recorded by the federal government surveyors. Information about specific surveys in Indiana can be found in the following sources.

Early Indiana trails and surveys by George R. Wilson
Call number: ISLI 977.2 W748e; Digital version available

Indiana: the public domain and its survey (1892) Indiana Department of Audit and Control
Call number: ISLO 329 no. 36; Digital version available

An Outline Map of Indiana showing Districts as subdivided by the U.S. Surveyors, together with each name and date of survey
Digital copy of map from “Indiana: the public domain and its survey.”

Treaties

Tribal treaties are a source of study for many researchers. Resources about treaties between the United States government and the Indigenous Peoples in the lands that would become the state of Indiana are included below.

Miami Treaty of St. Mary’s (1818)
Call number: L614 (ISL Rare Books and Manuscripts); Digital version available
Full image and transcript included.

An Outline Map of Indiana showing dates and places where Treaties were held
Digital copy of map from “Indiana: the public domain and its survey.”

The Indiana Junior Historian (November 1992), Indiana Historical Bureau; PDF available
Includes timeline and map of treaties from 1783-1840.

Tribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University Libraries)
Based on the 1904 work “Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties” (Volume II), compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. Searchable by personal name, tribe, place.

American State Papers, U. S. Congress
Indian Affairs (Series II, Volumes 1-2); Digital version available
Contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838.

Research Guide - Native American Spaces: Cartographic Resources at the Library of Congress
Featured collection is Indian Land Cessions in the U.S., 1784-1894

Indiana State Archives, Indiana State Land Office collection  - digitized maps of reserve lands

Cessions of Land by Indian Tribes to the United States: Illustrated by those in the State of Indiana (Royce)- digitized map and supporting text

IN AG 4-14-2023