Here's a bit of a mystery to me. I have copies of some of my ancestors land patents. Several were issued or dated during the Civil War and signed with Abraham Lincolns name. Being that these lands were deep inside, then, Confederate controlled territory it would have been impossible for my ancestors to attain them through the Federal government. I believe the Union president did not sign these official documents and they were probably back dated and issued after the Civil War. Why was this done? It seems historically dishonest.

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David Upton