George Wilson Lancaster Goes After Government Land in Arizona Territory, Part II

In the first installment, we learned that my 3x-great-grandfather, George W. Lancaster (1839-1919), received a land patent from the federal government for forty acres located in Maricopa County, Arizona Territory, on 15 July 1890.[1]

He filed for the land on 8 June 1886, and made his final proof on 4 February 1887 before the clerk of the District Court in Phoenix.[2] He was to complete an affidavit describing the improvements made to the land and to bring two witnesses, who also gave affidavits. His witnesses were to be two of the following: George H. Trook, Isaac B. Hand, James P. Moffatt, and Legh R. Shaw.[3]

George’s Testimony
The affidavit is four pages long, and the questions were asked by J. E. Walker, clerk of the 2nd Judicial District of the U.S. District Court in Phoenix. George was first sworn in and gave testimony to numerous questions.[4]

He stated his name was George W. Lancaster, that he was forty-seven years old, worked as a farmer, and was not employed by anyone else. His post office address was Phoenix.

He made the pre-emption filing no. 1753 at the Tucson office on the 8th of June 1886, and that the land was described as the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 14 in Township 1 north, Range 3 East.

Before his residence in Arizona Territory, George was a farmer in Cleburn, Johnson County, Texas. This is new information to me. It was assumed that he lived in either Rockwall County, where he lived in 1880, or Erath County, where he lived in 1900.[5]

He stated he was a native-born citizen of the United States, so there will be no naturalization papers in the file. He had made no other entries for land elsewhere.

There were questions about the land and its character. He said it was desert land in its natural state, and that he knew of no coal, iron, stone, or minerals on the land, and that there were no trees on the land. It was also not being used for grazing. The map below shows the type of soil. Qs signifies silt, sand, and gravel. It would be nearly impossible to grow crops and raise livestock without water. His land was located just north of the Salt River.

Next, he described how he got the land. 

"The first day of June 1886, I bought the improvement on it and went to work and put up a pasture fence of wire. I paid $850 for this right and improvement. It was occupied by I. M. Collins. I bought his possessory right and improvements. I moved there with my family [on] the 6th day of June 1886.”

One of the stipulations about awarding land to the claimant was continuous occupancy on the land. George stated, 

"It has been continuous. I was never off it one night except 4 nights one time when I was away to work on the ditch that brings the water on my land. I moved on it and neither I nor my family have been off since.”

When asked about his family, he replied, 

"It consists of my wife and 4 children. They moved there on the 6th day of June and have lived there ever since and are living there now. They have lived there 9 months except [for] 2 days.”

Questions 24 through 28 asked about the house and improvements made. He described the house as being adobe, sixteen feet square. There is a shed room measuring 12 feet by 16 feet and another room measuring 8 feet by 16 feet. He was not clear whether the rooms were attached or separate. The main room and one shed had a board floor, and the other shed, which held the kitchen, had a dirt floor. There were four doors and one window. The house was already built by Mr. Collins, as well as the improvements. George felt it was "habitable in all seasons of the year” and worth $200.

Besides the house and sheds, there were other improvements. He said the well was worth $15. He had eight acres in alfalfa, two acres in a vineyard, and a quarter of an acre in orchard trees. The vineyard and trees would have been planted by Collins. He also had four acres of alfalfa fenced and had a fence around the house. This likely kept any cattle or wild animals out of his field and the house’s yard.

The affidavit also asked about the farm implements and farm animals he owned. George had a plow, two shovels, and a hoe. He purchased these in Arizona. His livestock consisted of three horses, three cows, two calves, and about 125 chickens. At the time of his affidavit, George had sown wheat and had prepared thirty acres for crops in the coming year. He had not yet harvested a crop.

The articles of furniture he owned included a sewing machine, a stand table, a center table, and a whatnot. He brought these items from Texas. In Arizona, he purchased a bedstead, five chairs, and a stove, along with cooking utensils and tableware.

The last questions concerned his residence and whether he had left the premises. He said, 

"I have not been employed by anyone. Occasionally, I would assist a neighbor in his work, and I was away at work on the ditch that brought the water on my place for several times, never more than 3 or 4 nights at a time, and it was to get water on the land.”

He had been assessed for taxes at Phoenix, but not yet for any improvements. He was very clear that the land is being used as his home and for farming. He controlled it alone.

Finally, he signed the affidavit, and it is shown here.

These land entry files are wonderful for documenting the acquisition of land, but also to learn about how the ancestors lived. It makes sense in a place with no trees that the house would be built out of adobe. Also, he would need to construct a ditch from the canal to bring water to his farm for his crops. He was close enough to the Salt River that his well was probably not very deep and would supply the water needs for his family and livestock.

Although George did not name his wife and children, those living with him on the farm would have been Martha Jane, his wife, and children William Carlton, Lonnie Osborn, Margaret Rose, and George Eldon. Reginold was born in Arizona in 1887, and the youngest, Jesse Polly, was born in Texas in 1889. That suggests a possible trip to Texas for the family.

Next time, we’ll look at the affidavits of the two witnesses, George H. Trook and Isaac B. Hand.

#52Ancestors-Week 32: Wide Open Spaces

This is my eighth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] Bureau of Land Management, “Land Patent Search,” database with images, General Land Office Records (https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx : accessed 16 July 2025), entry for George W. Lancaster, (Maricopa Co, Arizona Territory), patent no. 400.

[2] George W. Lancaster (Maricopa County) cash entry file, certificate no. 400 (1890), Tucson Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[3] “Certificate as to posting of notice,” George W. Lancaster (Maricopa County) cash entry file, certificate no. 400 (1890), Tucson Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[4] Testimony of Claimant, Homestead, Pre-emption, and Commutation Proof, cash entry file, certificate no. 400 (1890), Tucson Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C. All additional responses refer to this document.

[5] 1880 U.S. census, Rockwall Co, Texas, pop. sched., Rockwall Village, ED 30, George W. Lancaster. 1900 U.S. census, Erath County, Texas, pop sched, Stephenville, ED 65, sheet 5, Geo. W. Lancaster in the household of Sarge Hickey. 

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