Silas Hurd's
Land Purchases

Starting in 1843, Silas Hurd travelled to Milwaukee's General Land Office to buy various parcels of land in "Township Four North of Range Twelve East," later called Fulton.

With each parcel, there was a patent letter (see below) issued by the then-current President of the United States. Silas preserved them and passed them down to the present day John Hurds.

This 1920 plat map of Fulton shows the sections and who owned land at that time.       Click inside the map to enlarge --->
 
Click to view Date Acres Desc Granted to Cert Rec President
Mar 3, 1843 154.5 SW Qtr of Sec 15
Twp 4N R12E		 Silas Hurd 6859 V 111
P 293		 John Tyler
Mar 3, 1843 102 Lots No. 5 and 7 of Sec 15
Twp 4N R12E		 Silas Hurd of Rock Cty 6860 V 111
P 294		 John Tyler
Aug 1, 1844 40 NE Qtr of NE Qtr Sec 21
Twp 4N R12E		 Silas Hurd 29-312 Vol 20
P 133		 John Tyler
Mar 1, 1848 40 SE Qtr of SW Qtr
Sec 14 Twp 4N R12E		 Silas Hurd 22-312 Vol 43
P 252		 James Polk
Sep 1, 1848 80 N Half of SW Qtr
Sec 14 Twp 7N R10E		 Silas Hurd of
Rock County		 27-141 Vol 55
P 57		 James Polk
Sep 1, 1848 80 NW Q of SE Q and NE Q
of SW Q Sec 15 Twp 7N R10E		 Silas Hurd of
Rock County		 27-458 Vol 55
P 365		 James Polk
Aug 1, 1849 40 SW Qtr of NW Qtr Sec 5
of Twp 5N R11E		 Silas Hurd of
Dane County		 29-508 Vol 59
P 419		 Zachary Taylor
Jan 1, 1850 40 SW Qtr of NE Qtr Sec 5
of Twp 5N R11E		 Silas Hurd of
Rock County		 30-167 Vol 61
P 69		 Zachary Taylor
Jun 1, 1850 160 NW Q of NW Q, the East Half
of NW Qtr and NW Q of SE Q Sec 23
of Twp 4N R12E		 Thomas Melia
Private, Artillery		 39-386 Vol 32
P 44		 Zachary Taylor

 

The early patent letters identify "provisions of the act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820 ...for the sale of the Public Lands ..." The last letter, dated June 1, 1850, identifies an Act of Congress, entitled "An Act to raise for a limited time an additional military force, ..." The letter is made out to "Thomas Melia, private in Captain Austin's Company Third Regiment United States Artillery" but the described land is granted to Silas Hurd, who apparently purchased it directly from Private Melia in 1850.