Spanish Land Grant for Pedro Calla Poster

Established in 1822 (3 U.S. Statute 709, May 8), the Board of Land Commissioners settled all outstanding Spanish land grant claims in the territory that Spain ceded to the United States in 1821. The Board set up offices in Pensacola and St. Augustine to determine whether all titles and private claims to lands in east and west Florida were valid. It either supported or rejected land claims by studying the documents claimants supplied them. The grants provide information on the settlement and cultivation of Florida during the Second Spanish Period (1783-1821) and the Territorial Period (1821-1845). Grantees had to provide the following information: description of land granted, date of grant, size of grant, property boundaries, as well as proof of residency and cultivation. The records contain surveys and plats, copies of royal grants, testimonials, correspondence, deeds, wills and translations of Spanish documents. Source: State Library and Archives of Florida's buddy icon State Library and Archives of Florida on Flickr This image had no known copyright restrictions.