____________________________________________________________________________ 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. ____________________________________________________________________________ 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. ____________________________________________________________________________ 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. ____________________________________________________________________________ Certificate 4274, Washington, Arkansas Land Office, Record Group 49, National Arhives, Washington, D.C. ____________________________________________________________________________ HTML file and design by David Kelley, 1997. All rights reserved.