ABRAHAM VAN BUREN
Martin Van Buren's eldest child signs a land grant.
Partly Printed DS: "A. Van Buren" as President Van Buren's
secretary and "H.M. Garland" as Recorder of the General Land
Office, 1p, 16x10. On vellum. Washington, 1837 March 20. Also
secretarially signed "Martin Van Buren". In part: "Whereas John J. Winston of Sumpter County has deposited in the
General Land Office of the United States, a Certificate of the Register of the
Land Office at Tuscaloosa whereby it appears that full payment has been made by
the said John J. Winston according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of
the 24th of April, 1820...." Winston has paid for "seventy nine
Acres and seventy-five and a half hundredths of an Acre". The Land Act of April 24, 1820 abolished the credit system that
enabled settlers to make deferred payments on their land and reduced the per
acre price from $2 to $1.25, with the entire amount to be paid at the time of
purchase. It is interesting to note that the smallest purchasable unit of land
was fixed at 80 acres, which is 24½ hundredths of an acre more than what Winston
purchased. By 1833, so many land grants were being issued that President Jackson
designated a secretary to sign his name. With very rare exceptions, all
presidential land grants issued after 1833 were secretarially signed. West
Point graduate ABRAHAM VAN BUREN (1807-1873) fought against the Seminole
Indians in 1836, serving as Captain of the 1st Dragoons under General Winfield
Scott. After his father became President in 1837, just 16 days before this
document was issued, Abraham moved into the White House and served as his
father's secretary. He left his White House duties in 1838 when he married
Angelica Singleton, whose mother was Dolley Madison's cousin. Lightly creased.
Folds, vertical folds touch the "A" in Van Buren's signature and the "n" in
Garland. Lightly soiled. Overall, fine condition.
For more documents by these signers click the names below:
ABRAHAM VAN BUREN
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