The Texians: Research Aids -- Class Designations for Early Settlers

Class Designations for Settlers of the Republic

During the period of the Republic of Texas, the Texas government granted over 50 million acres of public land to attract new settlers. The amount of land and the conditions of the grants were based primarily on the settler's "class", which was determined by their date arrival in Texas (see chart below). Refer to our section on Texas Land Records for a more detailed discussion of Texas land grants and the process for obtaining them.

	*Qualifying*	*Amount of Land Granted*
*Class*	*Date of Arrival*	*Families*	*Singles*	*Privileges*(1)
1	Before 2 Mar 1836	1 league + 1 labor	1/3 league	Unconditional
2	2 Mar 1836 thru 1 Oct 1837	1280 acres	640 acres	Conditional
2M(2)	2 Mar 1836 thru 1 Aug 1836	1 league + 1 labor	1/3 league	Unconditional
3	1 Oct 1837 thru 1 Jan 1840(3)	640 acres	320 acres	Conditional
4	1 Jan 1840 thru 1 Jan 1842(3)	640 acres	320 acres	Conditional(3)
Notes: (1) Unconditional grantees could sell or transfer their rights immediately; conditional grantees were required to establish residency in Texas for three years before an unconditional certificate was issued. (2) Not an official designation; generally referred to as Class 2; reserved for volunteers for military service; the date of arrival requirements fell within that of Class 2 but the grantee received the amount of land and privileges of Class 1. (3) In addition to the conditions imposed for classes 2 and 3, the class 4 grantee was required to cultivate 10 acres of the land on which he settled.

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