Updated November 25, 2022
Background:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands,
The BLM's pure roots go back to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These laws provided for the survey and settlement of the lands that the original 13 colonies ceded to the Federal government after the War of Independence. As additional lands were acquired by the United States from Spain, France, and other countries, the United States Congress directed that they be explored, surveyed, and made available for settlement. In 1812, Congress established the General Land Office in the Department of the Treasury to oversee the disposition of these Federal lands. As the nineteenth century progressed and the Nation's land base expanded further west, Congress encouraged the settlement of the land by enacting a wide variety of laws, including the Homesteading Laws and the Mining Law of 1872.
These statutes served one of the major policy goals of the young country—settlement of the Western territories. With the exception of the Mining Law of 1872 and the Desert Land Act of 1877 (which was amended), all have since been repealed or superseded by other statutes.
Overview:
From the below 1840 Map below, one can see that Gilliams from Virginia went West, sometimes receiving patents, grants and warrants for land.
Gilliams who received land are listed on the following pages. Inclusion does not mean that a particular Gilliam had roots in Virginia. One should check census records to determine the place of birth of a particular Gilliam who received land.
Gilliams receiving land in Alabama
Gilliams receiving land in Illinois
Gilliams receiving land in Ohio
Sources
- Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. www.glorecords.blm.gov/