If you have family who served in the war of 1812, you need to check to see if they ever applied for bounty land. Many of these bounty land applications aren’t online anywhere and can only be obtained at the National Archives.
Benjamin Brookins’s widow applied for bounty land in the 1850s. The application gives the exact dates of birth for her husband and her both, her maiden name, and also their marriage date– all of the dates are in the 1700s!
The bounty land applications are partially indexed here, but there are many that haven't been indexed yet. Contact me if you want help to know if your War of 1812 ancestor ever applied for bounty land (even if they're not in the index). I can get the file for you when the National Archives finally reopen!
