Patent 87, Volume 40-A

Description

This document was issued to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company as the final instrument in the land grant process, assigning ownership to the railroad company for 640 acres in Tom Green County, section 21, block 20, as described in the patent. O. Henry wrote a fictional account of illegal proceedings concerning a land certificate, Bexar Scrip 2692, in the short story "Bexar Scrip 2692.” This is the patent that ultimately gave land ownership to the railroad via that certificate.

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[1] p.

Creation Information

Texas. General Land Office. July 18, 1928.

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This legal document is part of the collection entitled: O. Henry Project and was provided by the Texas General Land Office to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 352 times, with 17 in the last month. More information about this document can be viewed below.

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Texas General Land Office

Established in 1837, the General Land Office consists of land grant records and maps dating to the 18th century relating to the passage of Texas public lands to private ownership. Still important to Texans because of their legal value, the materials are also now highly regarded by genealogists, historians, archeologists, and surveyors.

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Description

This document was issued to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company as the final instrument in the land grant process, assigning ownership to the railroad company for 640 acres in Tom Green County, section 21, block 20, as described in the patent. O. Henry wrote a fictional account of illegal proceedings concerning a land certificate, Bexar Scrip 2692, in the short story "Bexar Scrip 2692.” This is the patent that ultimately gave land ownership to the railroad via that certificate.

Physical Description

[1] p.

Notes

A patent is the original deed given by the state to the person or organization who receives first title to the land. It is the legal instrument by and through which the state surrenders title to land.

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  • Patent Volumes. Patent Volumes at the General Land Office contain patents, the legal instruments conferring the first transfer of property rights and ownership from the sovereign--the State or Republic of Texas--into private hands, from 1838 to the present.

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  • Accession or Local Control No: O-Henry patent.tif
  • Accession or Local Control No: Patent 87 Volume 40-A
  • Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth139470

Publication Information

  • Preferred Citation: Patent 87, Volume 40-A, July 18, 1928. Patent Volumes, Archives and Records, Texas General Land Office, Austin, Texas.

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This document is part of the following collection of related materials.

O. Henry Project

Written under the pseudonym O. Henry, the stories of William Sydney Porter are available as they first appeared in the popular magazines of the day.

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Related Items

Bexar Scrip 2692 (Legal Document)

Bexar Scrip 2692

Copy of a land Grant file for land issued to the Houston & Texas Central Railway Company in the Bexar Land District. Includes a folder jacket with table of contents and notes about the land grant (filed July 12, 1928); field notes by M.J. Doyle, Deputy Surveyor, Bexar Land District for Section 21 Block 20 (January 13, 1873); the affidavit of ownership of S.N. Allen (July 12, 1928); and a note by Land Commissioner J.H. Walker indicating that the file has no relation to the O. Henry story of the same name (December 4, 1933). O. Henry’s story tells the tale of a Railroad baron taking a poor homesteader’s land by stealing this file. Walker notes that although the file was missing for a period, due to office procedures the land fraud could not have occurred.

Relationship to this item: (Is Based On)

Bexar Scrip 2692, Bex S 002692, ark:/67531/metapth154587

Stories of the Old Land Office (Pamphlet)

Stories of the Old Land Office

Pamphlet printed by the Texas Capital Visitor's Center. Contains a foreward and two O. Henry short stories: "Bexar Scrip 2692" and "Georgia's Ruling." Both stories take place in the old land office building where O. Henry worked as a draftsman, and both are about Texas land grants.

Relationship to this item: (Is Basis For)

Stories of the Old Land Office, ark:/67531/metapth139473

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  • July 18, 1928

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Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • Jan. 8, 2011, 2:31 p.m.

Description Last Updated

  • Dec. 18, 2017, 12:51 p.m.

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Texas. General Land Office. Patent 87, Volume 40-A, legal document, July 18, 1928; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139470/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas General Land Office.

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