Another valuable genealogy database has debuted on the internet, this time featuring homestead records that data back to the 1890’s. These records typically feature pages and pages of information homesteaders provided when petitioning the U.S. Government for land.

It’s the latest big venture for the fast-growing Footnote.com website. Partners in the project include the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the National Parks Service, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and FamilySearch.

“It’s exciting to see various organizations with different strengths and capabilities come together to make this information widely available,” says Footnote CEO Russ Wilding.

Nearly 40,000 homestead records for Nebraska are already available on the Footnote website, with plans to add other states in the coming months. To view samples of these records, click here.

“We encourage everyone with an interest in these Homestead Records to come and enrich this content with your contributions,” says Wilding. “When people come together and share their insights, a new and exciting side of history is revealed.”

Footnote does not charge website visitors to search the homestead records, but images cannot be viewed without payment. The payment options include $1.95 per image, $11.95 per month for access to all images on the site, or $69.95 annually for the same unlimited access.