SPANISH LAND GRANTS
A synopsis by Theresa Ann White ©Copyright 1999.Florida was governed by Spain prior to its United States territorial status. During this period (1783-1821), allotments of land were officially granted to settlers in one of two ways.
Under a Royal Order dated 29 October 1790, acreage was granted to settlers who petitioned the Spanish governor of Florida. In this memorial, the petitioner specified the amount of acreage desired, according to the family size and number of slaves, and the location desired. The governor responded in one of two ways. He would give the petitioner title of absolute property or a concession which allowed possession but not title until certain requirements were fulfilled. In most cases, the petitioner had to cultivate the property for a specified time.
Grants of land were made while Spain was negotiating the transfer of Florida to the United States, between February 1819 and July 1821. These are commonly referred to as Donation Act grants.
After Florida passed out of Spain's control, the United States began a process of verifying these land grants through the Land-Grant Act. Commissioners were appointed for East and West Florida to investigate land claims. East Florida Commissioners were located in St. Augustine; Pensacola was the site for the West Florida Commissioners.
Under the formal inquiry, the testimony of family members and friends were recorded and a decision was made to either award the land or not, in which case the claim was unconfirmed. These records became known collectively as the Spanish Land Grants and they form the basis for real property title in the state of Florida. In the 1940s, these valuable records were preserved through the Works Projects Administration. The Spanish and English records of the Land Grant Commissions were translated, collated, typed and made into a several volume reference work. Divided into Confirmed and Unconfirmed Claims, these typewritten records provide family names and relationships, early place names (some of which have since disappeared), dates, brief personal and military data, excerpts of estate inventories - in short, a treasure trove for the genealogist with Florida roots and the historian of early Florida
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