PA State Archives Hours, Directions, & Fees Research Topics Online Catalog Land Records

 

 

 


Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania State Archives


RG-17
Records of the Land Office
EAST SIDE APPLICATIONS (Register), 1765-1769. {series #17.35}

*Images of Each Register Page*


Below are links to the indexes and interfaces for the scanned pages of the East Side Applications register, which contains complete abstracts of all 4,160 East Side Applications--representing a new application system for patents that was implemented in 1765 and was first used for settling unwarranted land on the eastern side of the Susquehanna River. The purpose of the new process was to avoid overloading the Land Office, and the first step in the process was making a formal application. The applicant was to appear in person at the Land Office in Philadelphia, at which time the application was recorded in a special book. Copies of applications were sent to the surveyor general who noted their receipt and assigned orders for surveys of each to be completed within six months. After the survey was completed and the applicant produced a certified statement regarding the land and paid the receiver general, a warrant was sent to the surveyor general who then sent a return of survey back to the Land Office for issue of a patent. Information contained in each application abstract shown on these scanned pages includes the date, application number, applicant name, number of acres, description of property, and the township and county (at the time of application, that is) in which it was located.

The East Side Applications Register is broken up into three sections, links to which appear below:

a NAME INDEX of East Side Land Grant Applications
a GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX of East Side Land Grant Applications
a NUMERICAL LISTING of East Side Land Grant Applications

Full information for each application is given only in the numerical listing of applications. If the application number is not known, consult either the name index or the geographical index first. The name index is arranged in strict alphabetical order by applicant surname. The geographical index breaks down applicants by county and municipality, and then for each municipality an alphabetical list of applicants is provided.

(* The information contained in the East Side Applications has also been published and alphabetically indexed in Pennsylvania Land Applications, Volume I: East Side Applications, 1765-1769 by Kenneth D. McCrea (Pennsylvania Chapter, Palatines in America: Strasburg, PA, 2002). The book includes phonetic cross references for surnames and can be consulted in the Archives Search Room or obtained through the Ancestor's Land website.)

Steps for Using the scanned Patent Tract Name Index pages:

  1. If you know the East Side application number, you can work directly with the Numeric Listing.
  2. If you only know the applicant's name, begin with the Name Index.
  3. If you are interested in a specific geographic area rather than an individual applicant, or if there is a question as to which of several applicants with the same name is pertinent to your research, the Geographical Index may be of help to you.
  4. Once you've clicked on the Numeric, Name or Geographical links, follow the directions at the top of the interface page that comes up. Links to the scans themselves will be found in the table below the instructions.
  5. Please note: The scanned page images are in Adobe pdf format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to be viewed and printed. The software is available for download free of charge from Adobe's website.
  6. Trouble? Use this email link to contact an archivist.

PA State Archives Hours, Directions, & Fees Research Topics Online Catalog Land Records