6th U.S. Infantry | 160 Acres in Illinois Territory | Signed Twice by President James Monroe
This original early-19th-century United States land patent documents the federal grant of 160 acres of public land to Nathaniel Young, a Private in the 6th Regiment of U.S. Infantry, issued as compensation for his War of 1812 military service.
The patent was executed during the presidency of James Monroe and is signed twice by Monroe, a legitimate and less-common format on federal land patents of this era.
Grantee: Nathaniel Young
Military Service: Private, 6th Regiment, U.S. Infantry
Conflict: War of 1812
Land Grant: 160 acres (standard enlisted bounty)
Location: Illinois Territory
Warrant Number: 130
Date: December 1, 1819
Issued by: General Land Office
Signatures:
James Monroe, President of the United States (signed twice)
Josiah Meigs Jr., Commissioner of the General Land Office
Following the War of 1812, Congress authorized land bounties to reward enlisted soldiers and encourage western settlement. Privates typically received 160 acres, making this patent a textbook example of early U.S. military compensation policy.
The 6th U.S. Infantry was a regular army regiment, not militia, adding weight from a military-history standpoint. The land granted lies within the Illinois Territory, then part of the nation’s expanding western frontier.
This document bears two original James Monroe signatures:
The presidential execution signature formally granting the land
A second attestation signature confirming issuance under executive authority
Dual-signed Monroe patents are considerably scarcer than standard single-signature examples and are actively sought by presidential autograph collectors as well as military and land-grant specialists.
Original period paper with expected age toning
Fold lines consistent with early 19th-century federal documents
Light surface wear and fading, but text remains legible
No restoration
Condition is consistent with genuine government patents of this era.
This piece appeals to multiple collecting fields:
War of 1812 military history
Early U.S. westward expansion
Federal land patents
Presidential autographs
Illinois territorial history
Original Monroe-signed military land patents with identified enlisted soldiers are increasingly difficult to source, particularly with two presidential signatures on a single document.