Summary
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Similar to a clerk return, the Agent Reports document the legitimacy of those who had received a land grant certificate. The records are incomplete and document only 1838-1839 and it is believed that they were used to inform the clerk returns filed at the GLO.
Biographical Note
The Agent Report for the Board of Land Commissioners was only a part of a broad attempt to track land transactions throughout the Republic of Texas. It is unknown exactly why the Agent Reports exist in tandem with the Clerk Returns. It is supposed that those individuals that could not or would not attend the quarterly Board meetings were visited by the Agent who was appointed by the Board. The Report would then be added to the Clerk Returns which would in turn be filed at the GLO, recording the legitimacy of the land certificates granted to individuals.
Scope and Content
The records contain one document box of Agent Reports tracking land grant certificates issued by the Board of Land Commissioners for each county. The records are incomplete and document only 1838-1839.
Some of the documents are in narrative form; a copy of a legal instrument such as a certificate transfer or an affidavit. Others are formatted similarly to a Clerk Return, in a table listing the following:
Certificate number
Name of Grantee
Acreage
Date of Emigration
County
Remarks
Date
Some of the documents are in narrative form; a copy of a legal instrument such as a certificate transfer or an affidavit. Others are formatted similarly to a Clerk Return, in a table listing the following:
Certificate number
Name of Grantee
Acreage
Date of Emigration
County
Remarks
1838-1839
Extent
0.21 Linear feet (1 document box)
Language
English
Arrangement
The Agents Reports are arranged in alphabetical order by county name. The full list of counties represented can be found in the Index Terms, which can be viewed by following the Inventory link below.
Preferred Citation
[Short title of Document], [Date: Day-Month-Year]. Box [#], Folder [#], p. [#]. Agents Reports (AR.85). Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted access.
Use Restrictions
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).