Historic Land Patents of Greene County

A land patent, or "first-title" deed, documents the initial transfer of title of a parcel of public land from the Federal government to individuals. Following the American Revolution and the ratification of the United States Constitution, the United States Treasury Department was tasked with the responsibility of managing public lands. The duty passed to the General Land Office in 1812.

Property conveyed through land patents within Greene County are identified using the Public Land Survey System that was established in 1785. Originally proposed by Thomas Jefferson, this system divides real property into plats that are rectangular in shape. Relative to an established meridian, township lines at 6 mile intervals run east-west , while range lines at 6 mile intervals run north-south creating 36 square mile land sectors. Each township-range sector is further divided into 36 sections - each consisting of 1 square mile or 640 acres. Aliquots, or smaller portions of land, are identified by their relative north-south, east-west location within each of the 36 sections that make up a Township-Range, or if irregular in shape, by a letter.

The majority of land conveyed from the Federal government to private individuals was through cash entries in which the individual paid cash or its equivalent. Occasionally, patents were issued by credit with installments being paid over a four-year period. If full payment was not received by the end of the payment term, title to the land would revert back to the Federal Government. Land grants, which involved the transfer of title without payment, were also common. Homestead grants allowed settlers to apply for up to 160 acres of public land with the only requirement being that they lived on it and provided proof of cultivating the land over a five year period. The only payment required was a filing fee. Some parcels of land within Greene County were conveyed through military warrants; between 1788 to 1855, the United States granted militay land warrants as a reward for military service. These warrants were issued in various denominations based on rank and length of service.

Bordered by the Sipsey river to the north, the Black Warrior river to the east, and the Tombigbee river to the west, Greene County spans 34 Township-Ranges; albeit, those sectors along its edges are shared with adjacent counties. The county has a total area of 660 square miles, of which 647 square miles is land and 13 square miles is water. All patents associated with Greene County are provided below, organized by township-range sectors, beginning with sectors in the northwest and systematically moving east and south across the county.

Table of Land Patents

Click on Patent Numbers to retrieve a copy of the certificate