If These Walls Could Talk (series 1)

The first free homestead in the United States was taken by Daniel Freeman on Cub Creek in Gage County, Nebraska, about five miles northwest of Beatrice. Daniel Freeman was born in Ohio in 1826, and moved with his parents to Illinois in 1835.Year after year he watched its progress and hoped for its passage and many times said that he wished to be the first man to take a homestead. When the free homestead bill was signed Daniel Freeman was a soldier in the Union army. A few months later he was given a brief furlough and came to Nebraska to look over the beautiful country, then lying vacant, for a home. He found the place that suited him and started for the nearest United States land office, which was then at Brownville, Nebraska, arriving there December 31, 1862. The little town was thronged with settlers who had come there to take land. That night there was a New Year's Eve party at the hotel, which was attended by all. The new Homestead Act was to go into effect the next day but as New Year's was a holiday the land office would not be open until January 2d. Mr. Freeman was under orders to join his regiment and expected to leave the next day. He told his story and his great desire to be the first homesteader in the United States. All the others agreed that he should have the first chance and with him persuaded a clerk in the land office to open the office a few minutes past midnight on January 1st for Daniel Freeman alone.

Thus it came that Daniel Freeman made homestead entry number one and afterwards received homestead patent number one for 160 acres on Cub Creek near Beatrice. Thus Nebraska has the honour of having the first homestead in the United States. Since that time over 1,000,000 homesteaders have followed Daniel Freeman's example, receiving over 120,000,000 acres of land as a free gift from our government. Of these homesteaders over 100,000 have lived in Nebraska. Nothing has helped so much in the settlement of the West as its free lands. One of the songs sung everywhere after the passage of the Homestead Act had for its refrain these words:

Robert enjoy