Ms. Barbara: I am not sure you have given us enough information for a definitive answer. As Eric has said, the Bankruptcy Acts provided for exemptions of the "home" and research in Phil. and locally (in case of a "state bankruptcy") may provide your answer. Then too, in June of 1864 Congress extended the Homestead Act of 1862 to the all the then Confederate States. Though that extension of the Act was repealed in 1872 (as another measure of punishment for the Confederacy), entries had been filed for many tracts for which the requirements of payment and settlement had not yet been fulfilled. While it does seem like a stretch from 1872 until 1878 when your ancestor gained a "deed" for his property, that may have been the case. Finally, there were many so-called "probate homesteads" that were granted to a widow (or occasionally a widower). In those, the state courts having jurisdiction over the estate often set aside the residence and a parcel of land surrounding it as exempt from the claims of creditors of a deceased spouse. Such an order would result in a deed signed by the administrator/administratrix. I very much suggest that you send us a pic of that "deed" and that you exhaust the records of that county for a few years before and a few after the date of that document for any other courts' orders or entries that might have to do with the land you mention. The reason for that suggestion is that the "deed" - if it truly was just that - would be a result of a formal order of the court in the first and third of the choices above, though it would not usually have been required in land gained as a result of the extension of the Homestead Act of 1862. ----- Original Message ----- From: karl Binz I have a deed that was recorded in 1878 in Amherst County . It is labeled as homestead and the Clerk's Office is said to recorded this homestead, with the certificate of acknowledgement. Can someone explain to me how he obtained a homestead? I thought Virginia was land grants? When did homesteading start and end? Thank you! Barbara in Idaho To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html