United States, California, Indexes to Private Land Claims Dockets, 1849-1895

This collection contains dockets or case files concerning private land claims in California. Only the indexes to the land claim dockets have been indexed. The claims were based on historical Spanish and Mexican land grants that took place before California became part of the United States and were intended to show the actions taken regarding the claims after they were confirmed as valid by the United States. Included in each packet of documents are such items as notices and evidence of claims, certificates and plats of survey, affidavits, deeds, abstracts of title, testimonies regarding claims, copies of decisions in contests in Federal Courts, appeals, and letters. The collection is organized by docket number. Each record in the index typically includes the name of the land owner, their docket number, and a record date for the docket.