John Blocker

Certificate 4274

Washington Arkansas Land Office


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                              Preemption Proof                               

                                                                             

State of Arkansas,                                                           

County of Hempstead,                                                         

                                                                             

                          United States of America.                          

                                                                             

Be it remembered, that, on the 13th day of January, in the year 1840, John   

Blocker, of the County of Pike and State, aforesaid, personally appeared     

before me, the undersigned, an acting Justice of the Peace, within and for   

the County of Hempstead, and on his oath deposes and says:                   

                                                                             

That, he is a head of a family consisting of a wife and one child, and one   

slave; that he is about sixty-four years of age. That, in the year 1833, he  

cultivated a tract of the public lands of the United States, to wit: a       

portion of the Northwest quarter of Section thirty-four in Township Eight,   

South of Range Twenty-five, West, in the District of Lands subject to sale   

at Washington, Arks. That, in said year he had in cultivation on said        

quarter section about ten acres which he cultivated in corn &c. That, his    

dwelling houses were at that time on an adjoining quarter (section) to wit:  

on the Southwest quarter of Section twenty-seven in the same Township and    

Range. That, the said Township was then not surveyed. And, that he had       

possession and occupancy of that said quarter section on the 19th day of     

June in the year 1834. And, that he still has possession and occupancy       

thereof. And further, this deponent says not.                                

                                                                             

                        John (his x mark) Blocker                            

                                                                             

Sworn to & subscribed before me this 13 Jany. 1840.                          

                                                                             

                           R.L. Philllips, J.P.                              

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County of Hempstead,                                                         

State of Arkansas,                                                           

                                                                             

John Hughes & Samuel A. Dickson personally appeared before me, the           

undersigned, an acting Justice &c., and on their oaths depose and say, that, 

they are personally well acquainted with John Blocker who subscribed the     

foregoing deposition and that they know that all the material matters and    

facts stated by him therein are strictly true in substance and in fact, and  

further, they say not.                                                       

                                                                             

                               John Hughes                                   

                            Samuel A. Dickson                                

                                                                             

                           R.L. Phillips, J.P.                               

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                      Land Office, Washington, Arks.                         

                             Jan. 13th 1840                                  

                                                                             

We are acquainted with John Hughes & Samuel A. Dickson, the witnesses to the 

above & foregoing deposition, & believe them to be respectable & entitled to 

credit.                                                                      

                                                                             

                           D.T. Witter, Rcr.                                 

                           R.L. Phillips, J.P.                               

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Certificate 4274, Washington, Arkansas Land Office, Record Group 49,         

National Arhives, Washington, D.C.                                           

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