December 20, 1853 - Land Warrant

The second transaction involving the land where the Browne school would eventually be built occurred on December 20, 1853 and obtained by Richard Pearse.

Illinois Public Land Purchase Record

This warrant may have been the first document since the initial land bounty granted to Silas J Wright in 1847.     I have ordered the supporting documents and will post upon receipt.

February 11, 1847 - Land warrants

In 1847, the United States was fighting the Mexican-American War and needed additional troops.    In order to achieve that goal, the United States Congress on February 11, 1847 passed "09 Stat. 123, Sec. 9, An Act to raise for a limited Time an additional military Force, and for other Purposes."

Portions of that statute can be found here.    On page 125 of the document, Section 9 contains the language providing a warrant for 160 acres of land for those that serve during the Mexican-American War.

Here, I wrote in more detail regarding the land warrant issued to Silas J Wright for 163 28/100 acres of the southwestern fractional quarter of Section 1 of Township 39, Range 3 east.

1837, 1848 and 1849 Surveyor maps

The surveyors office of St. Louis, Missouri produced maps of Illinois townships.   Here is the surveyor's map dated October 30, 1837.

October 30, 1837

Here is the surveyor's map dated October 30, 1848.

October 30, 1848

Here is the surveyor's map dated October 28, 1849.

October 28, 1849

Using the Illinois Principal Meridians and Base Lines map, Milan township, DeKalb, Illinois can be found by locating the square found at 39 North, Range 3, East of the Third Principal Meridian.

Illinois Counties, Townships and Ranges

On the Counties, Townships and Ranges in Illinois Showing Principal Meridians and Base Lines map, 39 North, Range 3, East of the Third Principal Meridian will bring you to the location of Milan township.    The 'D' of DeKalb occupies Milan township.

1857 - Milan township is born

In 1868, Henry L. Boies wrote 'History of DeKalb County, Illinois' published by O.P. Bassett, Chicago, Illinois.     This history was written 11 years after Milan township was formed from the southern portion of Malta township and the northern portion of Shabbona township.   

Town Histories:   Milan  

I mentioned the date the township was formed in my second entry.    This account written in 1868 is more credible than the Wikipedia entry for the township having been formed February 23, 1858, which lacked substantiating evidence.     

If you are interested in reading Henry Boies' book, you may find a copy here and even have the option to choose what format you wish to download if you would like a copy.

July 24, 1843 - Milan township plat map

The first survey resulting in a plat map for Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois began in the first quarter of 1838 and was completed in the first quarter of 1843.   It was reviewed and approved by the Surveyor General, Silas Reed in the St. Louis, Missouri office on July 24, 1843.

1843 Milan township plat map

The upper northeast corner, Section 1 contains the area where the Browne school would eventually be built on 1/4 acre of the southwest corner.

Milan plat map with warrants

This undated plat map has been filled in with the year acquired and warrant number, though none of the properties list the names of those that held a warrant.    The warrant held by Silas J Wright is listed in the southwest corner of Section 1 with the year of 1847,  Military Land Warrant (MLW) 78836.    I located these maps today so I've narrowed the range when Silas J Wright obtained the land warrant, which was possibly prior to his enlistment on May 29, 1847.

While difficult to read, it appears the earliest warrants issued were in 1847 with the majority issued in 1850.   Section 16 does not contain any warrants as Section 16 was set aside in all townships within the Northwest Territory for education and religion.

February 16, 1857 - Land Warrant

On February 16, 1857 a land warrant originally obtained by Silas J Wright was transferred to Edwin Pearse by Silas' father, Elisha A Wright following the death of Silas during the Mexican-American War.     This transfer contained the property defined as 163 28/100 acres of the southwestern fractional quarter of Section 1 of Township 39, Range 3 east.

Land Warrant

The original warrant between the United States government and Silas Wright is numbered 78836; I have not been able to track down the original.   The date of that warrant would be any time after February 11, 1847 and prior to the death of Silas J Wright on September 19, 1848. 

A copy of the original patent (below) transferring the property to Edwin Pearse from Silas Wright was typed and filed with the Department of the Interior General Land Office.

Patent record

Silas was born either in 1826 or 1827 in Pittsylvania county, Viginia and enlisted in the Army during the Mexican-American War on May 29, 1847.   He was a private in Company 'F', first regiment and died at the General Hospital in East Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi.

Descriptive and Historical Register of Enlisted Soldiers of the Army 1798 - 1914. 

Silas is listed above on line 161 of the Army register of enlisted soldiers.

Register of enlistments for during the War with Mexico under the Acts approved January 12th and February 11th 1847

Silas is listed above on line 798 of the register of enlistments.   

Neither Silas, nor his father, Elisha lived in Illinois.    Elisha was also born in Virginia and died in Rockingham county, North Carolina on December 1, 1858 just over 21 months after transferring the property over to Edwin Pearse. 

The property would have been obtained due to Silas' enlistment and service in the military, though the date of the transfer to Edwin Pearse is unusual as Edwin had already transferred his interest to his father, Richard Pearse on December 15, 1855.   

DeKalb County Tract Index

The DeKalb county, Illinois County Tract Index indicates the property was transferred to Edwin Pearse from the United States, President Franklin Pierce in 1857.    Another document must exist dated between September 19, 1848 and December 15, 1855 that verifies the property transfer from Silas Wright to Edwin Pearse.

An explanation of the process of acquiring unsettled land can be found on the Joiner History Room website.     Should the website link fail, here is their synopsis of the process:

In the early 1800’s, the U. S. government regarded all unsettled land as “public land” under their control.  They created the General Land Office (GLO).  In turn, the GLO created district offices to facilitate the sale of these lands.  In Illinois ten district offices were established.  The office in Dixon handled DeKalb County.  Each office had a commission consisting of two men to (1) sell the land, (2) receive the money from the sale, (3) record all transactions and (4) settle any disputes.  On September 28, 1850 congress passed a law, An Act Granting Bounty Land to Certain Officers and Soldiers Who Have Engaged in the Military Service of the United States. Summarizing the act, it allowed “certain classes of persons in the military service during the war of 1812, the war with Mexico, or Indian wars, or their widows or minor children entitled to lands, in proportion to certain periods of service.”  To receive the land, the soldier had to go through a several step process.  First, he had to apply for a bounty land warrant essentially proving that he was entitled to this land.  If the warrant was granted (usually a lengthy process), he then had to apply for a land patent.  Warrants could not legally be sold, but land patents could be sold.  He could choose from land made available in Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri.  By the time this Act became law, a great deal of the former soldiers in these wars had aged or had no interest in settling on the land.  The patents would be sold to other individuals or businesses that made money by reselling the patent.

Based upon the explanation above, Silas would not have qualified for a land warrant under the September 28, 1850 law as he did not have a spouse or minor children and his death preceded the passage of the new law.   Silas would have acquired the land warrant as an enticement to enlist in the Army during the Mexican-American War.

The DeKalb County Tract Index does indicate the transfer from the USA to Edwin Pearse was  a patent, the second process in the 1850 law.

December 15, 1855 - Warranty Deed

The first document I have encountered transferring the portion of the property where the Browne school would eventually be built was dated December 15, 1855.   This warranty deed transferred the property from Edwin Pearse to his father, Richard Pearse.

The property was purchased by Richard for $355.77 transferring 3 plots of Section 1 of Township 39, Range 3 east:

- 163 28/100 acres of the southwest 1/4
- 80 50/100 acres of the east 1/2 of the northwest 1/4 
- 40 83/100 acres of the west 1/2 of the northeast 1/4

The southwest corner of the first plot listed above would be carved out for the Browne school.   The legal description of that portion of land would be defined as:

The West 12 rods of the South 10 rods of the Southwest Quarter of Section 1, Township 39 North, Range 3, East of the Third Principal Meridian in DeKalb County, Illinois, also described as follows:  Commencing at the corner stone of the Southwest corner of Section 1, Township 39 North, Range 3 East of the Third Principal Meridian, and running thence East 12 rods; thence North 10 rods; thence West 12 rods; thence South 10 rods; to the place of beginning, situated in the County of DeKalb and State of Illinois.

July 13, 1787 - The Northwest Ordinance

Following the American Revolution, the Congress of the Confederation of the United States established the Northwest Territory on July 13, 1787.       Prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the Northwest Territory includes what is now often referred to as the upper midwest.

Known as 'An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio', the newly founded government's action opened the door for settlement of the territory encompassed by the area that would eventually become the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and the eastern portion of Minnesota.

Page 1

Page 2

The 3rd article (page 2) provided a guideline for establishing education and religion in the new territory.

Two years earlier, the Land Ordinance of 1785 provided for a grid system of townships to divide up the territory.   A plat map for DeKalb county, Illinois from July 24, 1843 can be found on the Federal Township Plats of Illinois (1804 - 1891) by clicking here. 

In 1850, the grid system provided DeKalb county with 13 townships.

1850 - DeKalb county, Illinois township map

By 1860 the plat map for DeKalb county shows the county had grown from 13 to 18 townships.  Sandwich township would eventually be split in two, creating a 19th township, Somonauk.

1860 - DeKalb county, Illinois township map

This grid system explains why the area is broken into one square mile blocks as shown on a plat map.

1860 - Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois plat map

The Browne school, yet to be built, would eventually be located in the southwest corner of section 1, owned by Richard Pearse.    The plat map spelled Richard's last name as Pierce; according to his descendants the last name was legally changed to Pierce after arriving in the United States from England.   William Browne, for whom the Browne school would be named, owned property as indicated in section 11, southwest of section 1.

Section 1 of Milan township contains 650.13 acres.    The southwest 1/4 portion of section 1 contained 163 28/100 acres.    The Browne school would occupy 1/4 acre of the southwest corner of this portion of land.

This is one of the first plat maps for Milan township which was founded in 1857 unless you read Wikipedia which states it was founded on February 23, 1858 from portions of the townships of Malta and Shabbona.

Additional information regarding public lands history can be found at the Bureau of Land Management.