# GLO / BLM Land Records Research Notes ## 9340 North 300 East, Roanoke, Indiana 46783 ## Coordinates: 40.965192, -85.39628 **Research Date:** 2026-03-09 **Status:** DRAFT - Requires online verification (see "Next Steps" section) --- ## 1. Township, Range, and Section Determination ### Location in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Based on the coordinates (40.965192 N, -85.39628 W) and the property's location in Huntington County, Indiana: - **Township:** Township 28 North (T28N) - **Range:** Range 10 East (R10E) - **Section:** Section 4 (most likely) or Section 5 - **Principal Meridian:** Second Principal Meridian (2nd PM) - the reference meridian used for all Indiana land surveys **Basis for determination:** - Roanoke, Indiana is located in the northeastern part of Huntington County - The area around Roanoke falls within Union Township, Huntington County - Indiana's PLSS grid, referenced to the Second Principal Meridian, places this latitude/longitude in T28N, R10E - The "North 300 East" road naming convention in Indiana's grid system and the specific coordinates suggest the property is in the northern sections of this township (Sections 4 or 5) **IMPORTANT:** This township/range/section determination should be verified using: 1. The BLM GLO Records geocoder at https://glorecords.blm.gov/ 2. The Indiana Geographic Information Council PLSS layers 3. The Huntington County GIS/Assessor's office 4. Earth Point Township/Range lookup tool (earthpoint.us) ### Civil Township - **Civil Township:** Union Township, Huntington County, Indiana - Roanoke is the primary community within Union Township --- ## 2. BLM GLO Records - Land Patents ### How to Search The Bureau of Land Management General Land Office (GLO) Records are available at: **https://glorecords.blm.gov/** **Search parameters to use:** - State: Indiana - County: Huntington (FIPS code 073) - Township: 28 North - Range: 10 East - Section: 4 (and also try 5, 3, 9) - Principal Meridian: Second Principal Meridian Also try the **Survey Plats** search to find the original survey maps. ### General Context for Huntington County Patents - Indiana was surveyed under the authority of the General Land Office beginning in the early 1800s - The Treaty of St. Mary's (1818) and earlier treaties with the Miami Nation ceded much of northeastern Indiana to the United States - Huntington County was established in 1832, organized in 1834 - Most original land patents in Huntington County date from the **1830s-1850s** - The Fort Wayne Land Office handled land sales in this region - Land was typically sold at $1.25 per acre under the Land Act of 1820 ### Types of Patents Expected For this area of Indiana, patents were likely issued under: - **Cash Entry (Cash Sale):** The most common type in this era for Indiana lands. Purchasers bought land directly from the federal government at public auction or private sale. - **Military Warrants:** Some veterans of the War of 1812 received land warrants redeemable in Indiana - **Credit entries** (pre-1820, less likely for this area given timing) --- ## 3. Early Landowners and Homesteaders ### Historical Context for the Roanoke / Union Township Area - **Miami Nation presence:** The area around Roanoke was historically Miami (Myaamia) territory. The Little River (a tributary of the Wabash) runs through the area. The Miami chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville (Peshewah) had significant land holdings in the region. - **Treaty of St. Mary's (1818):** Ceded the "New Purchase" lands, which included much of central Indiana. However, portions of Huntington County were part of later cessions. - **Treaty of Paradise Spring (1826) and related treaties:** Further ceded Miami lands in northeastern Indiana, opening the Huntington County area to settlement - **Indian Removal era (1830s-1840s):** The Miami were gradually removed from Indiana, though some families retained reserves ### Settlement Timeline - **1830s:** First white settlers arrived in Huntington County after Indian treaties opened the land - **1834:** Huntington County officially organized - **1840s-1850s:** Period of significant settlement and land patent activity - **Roanoke** was platted in the mid-1800s, originally tied to the Wabash and Erie Canal corridor ### Likely Early Landowners (to be verified in GLO records) Common early settler families in Union Township / Roanoke area of Huntington County include names such as: - Various families of German, Scots-Irish, and English descent who migrated from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia/Kentucky - The specific patentees for T28N R10E Sections 4-5 need to be looked up in the GLO database **NOTE:** The specific patentee names for this exact section must be retrieved from https://glorecords.blm.gov/ -- see "Next Steps" below. --- ## 4. Patent Dates and Land Claiming Timeline ### Expected Timeline for This Area Based on the general pattern for Huntington County, Indiana: - **1818-1826:** Treaties ceding this area from the Miami Nation - **1829-1833:** Initial government surveys of the township - **1830s-1840s:** Most likely period for original land patents in this township - **1835-1845:** Peak period for land sales at the Fort Wayne Land Office for Huntington County lands The original survey plat for T28N R10E (Second Principal Meridian) would have been created by a deputy surveyor contracted by the Surveyor General's office. These plats are available in the GLO records and show: - Section lines and corners - Natural features (rivers, timber, prairies) - Notes about soil quality and terrain - The surveyor's field notes ### Land Office - **Fort Wayne Land Office** - This was the land office responsible for sales in the Huntington County area - Records of individual transactions are maintained in the National Archives and indexed in the BLM GLO database --- ## 5. Additional Research Sources ### Online Sources 1. **BLM GLO Records:** https://glorecords.blm.gov/ - Search for patents by township/range/section - View original survey plats - Download patent documents (PDF) 2. **Indiana State Archives:** Land records and early county records 3. **Huntington County Recorder's Office:** Subsequent deed transfers after the original patent 4. **Huntington County Historical Society:** Local history resources 5. **FamilySearch.org:** May have indexed land records 6. **Indiana Land Records (IndianaMap):** https://maps.indiana.edu/ 7. **Huntington County GIS:** For modern parcel data tied to PLSS ### Physical/Archival Sources 1. **National Archives (NARA):** Original patent case files from the Fort Wayne Land Office 2. **Indiana State Library:** Historical atlases of Huntington County (e.g., 1866, 1879 county atlases often show landowner names by section) 3. **Huntington County Deed Books:** Trace the chain of title from original patent to present ### Historical Atlases - Historical county atlases (particularly the 1879 Atlas of Huntington County) typically show landowner names plotted on section maps. These are invaluable for identifying who owned specific parcels in the mid-to-late 1800s. --- ## 6. Next Steps (Online Verification Required) The following steps require active internet access to complete: ### Step 1: Verify Township/Range/Section - Go to https://glorecords.blm.gov/ and use the "Search by Location" feature - Enter coordinates 40.965192, -85.39628 - Or use Earth Point (earthpoint.us) to convert lat/long to PLSS - Confirm: T28N R10E and the exact section number ### Step 2: Search for Patents - On glorecords.blm.gov, go to "Search Documents" > "Patents" - Enter: State=Indiana, County=Huntington, Twp=28N, Rng=10E - Search Section 4 (and neighboring sections 3, 5, 8, 9) - Record all patentees, dates, accession numbers, and acreages ### Step 3: View Survey Plats - On glorecords.blm.gov, go to "Search Documents" > "Survey Plats" - Look up T28N R10E, 2nd Principal Meridian - Download the plat image showing the original survey - Note any features marked (streams, timber, trails) ### Step 4: Check Surveyor Field Notes - On glorecords.blm.gov, search for field notes for T28N R10E - These contain the surveyor's detailed descriptions of the land ### Step 5: Cross-reference with County Records - Check Huntington County Auditor/Assessor for the parcel at 9340 N 300 E - Trace the chain of title back to the original patent --- ## Notes on Accuracy This document was compiled from background knowledge of Indiana's land survey history and the PLSS system. The township/range/section determination is based on coordinate analysis relative to Indiana's survey grid but **has not been verified against the official PLSS layer or GLO geocoder**. Key items that MUST be verified online: - [ ] Exact section number (estimated as Section 4 or 5) - [ ] Specific patentee names for this section - [ ] Exact patent dates - [ ] Patent type (cash sale vs. military warrant vs. other) - [ ] Acreage of original patent(s) - [ ] Survey plat imagery --- *Research compiled 2026-03-09. Sources: Background knowledge of Indiana PLSS, GLO patent systems, and Huntington County history. Online verification pending.*