I have been doing research concerning my Brumfield
ancestors from Pike County, Mississippi. Older relatives have told me my ancestor Irvin
Brumfield was a farmer who was a former slave. He was not a share-cropper but
owned his land. How did he get the land?
May 20, 1862 while Irvin Brumfield was still enslaved and
the Civil War in progress the United States Government passed the Homestead
Act. There were several requirements in
order to obtain the land. The applicant
had to file an application, improve the property and file for the deed of title.
An applicant had to be at least 21 years old or the head of a family, live on
the land for five years and show evidence of making improvements to the land. The
person could not have carried arms against the United States. It was not necessary to be a United States citizen.
Irvin Brumfield homesteaded 80 acres of land. He was the head of family which consisted of a wife and 4 children whose names are not given. Irvin's wife was Louisa and the 4 eldest of his 10 children were Martha Ann, Sherman, Irvin Jr., and William. Henry Conerly and Calvin Caston were sworn
witnesses that verified that Irvin Brumfield
(name listed Ervine Brumfield)
was on the land beginning September 1,
1870. He had cultivated 30 acres with a
corn crib and stables. Irvin Brumfield
received title to the land June 13, 1881. Irvin Brumfield homestead is a portion of the Brumfield Settlement.
-------The Tree Gardener
-------The Tree Gardener
3 comments:
I have heard of the Homestead Act of 1862 prior to this reading, but in the context of the government giving white Americans low cost land which is a contributing factor to the racial wealth gap between white and black Americans. This post inspired to look at more information concerning the Homestead Act and learned that former slaves, as well as single women and immigrants were able to qualify for land as well. It is also interesting to know that this policy had the purpose of encouraging farmers to own their own land. Interesting post.
The interesting thing about the Homestead Act of 1862 it was not necessary to be a citizen of the United States to have a homestead
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