52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 20 - General Land Office Records

http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

I have always been an advocate of using Land and Property Records as sources for genealogy and family history research.  The Bureau of Land Management and the General Land Office now "provides live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1820 and the present". 


This includes many of the early Brown County Federal Land Grants, no longer to you have to send away for paper copies, just download them via pdf files.


As an example, I looked up the Brown County Federal Land Grant for George Grove.  George Grove was one of the first settlers in the area near Bean Blossom, and before it was called Bean Blossom, it was known as "Georgetown" after Mr. Grove.


http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=IN0830__.063&docClass=STA&sid=xilcpko0.ixt#patentDetailsTabIndex=1