1. Agricultural College Scrip - issued under the Land Grant College Act of July 2, 1862, which donated 30,000 acres of public land to the states for each senator or representative in Congress. Introduced by Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont, the act was designed to provide for support of agricultural and mechanical colleges in the states. States having public lands within their borders could select lands therein. States having no public lands were issued "scrip" worth $1.25 per acre up to the acreage of the land grant to which the state was entitled. This "scrip" was assignable and could be used as payment for pre-emptions, commuted homesteads, or direct private entry at the rate of $1.25 per acre.

2. Commutation - cash payment in lieu of residency for the full term provided under the Homestead Act. If
the settler did not wish to wait the required number of years, he could "commute" or purchase his claim
with cash, military bounty warrants, or agricultural college scrip.

3. Declaratory Statement - (indicated as D.S. in the tract books) - A statement filed by the settler within a
certain period after actual settlement. The declaratory statement indicated an intention to claim a specific
tract under the preemption laws.

4. "Double Minimum Lands" - Public lands falling within the alternate sections inside the boundaries of
railroad land grants. Considered more valuable, hence a minimum selling price of $2.50 per acre.

5. Entry - the term used to indicate the first step in the process of claiming land under one of the various
land laws. Synonymous with the terms "filing" or "filing a claim."

6. Final Certificate - a document issued by the land office after the claimant had completed all
requirements to make final proof on a tract of land. The final certificate was sent to the General Land
Office in Washington, D.C., which then issued a patent.

7. Military Bounty Warrants - beginning with the American Revolution and continuing through the
Mexican War, Congress granted land as a bounty for military service. Bounty warrants were based on
the length of service and in some cases, rank, and could be exchanged for public lands. These warrants
were assignable and could be used as payment for preemptions, commuted homesteads, and direct
private entry.

8. "Minimum Lands" - government lands available for sale at the established rate of $1.25 per acre.

9. "Offered Lands" - lands which had been "offered" at public auction pursuant to presidential
proclamation or public notice from the General Land Office. "Offered" lands not sold at auction or
otherwise reserved or withdrawn were then subject to private entry.

10. Patent - the deed issued by the government for a tract of public lands claimed under the various land
laws.

11. Proof - The final step in perfecting title to land entered under the government land laws. Although
requirements varied, the settler was required to prove that he had complied with the legal requirements
in order to receive title to his claim.

12. Proof of Publication - prior to making final proof, the claimant was required to publish notice of his
intention to "prove up" once each week for a period of not less than thirty days, in a legal newspaper
nearest the land.

13. Range - a vertical row of townships, measured east or west of a principal meridian. In Nebraska,
ranges are numbered east and west of the sixth principal meridian which runs from Yankton, South
Dakota, on the north, through Columbus, and forms the border between Thayer and Jefferson Counties
on the south.

14. Relinquishment - A written statement, executed on the back of the duplicate filing receipt, which
certified that a claimant desired to give up his pre-emption, homestead, or timber culture entry. The land
then became subject to further entry. The register of the land office recorded the words, "cancelled by
relinquishment" opposite the record of entry in the tract book.

15. Section - a primary unit of the U.S. system of land surveys, consisting of a one square mile tract
containing 640 acres.

16. "Soldier's Claim" - soldiers serving a minimum of ninety days in the Union Army during the Civil War
were permitted to deduct their time of service from the homestead residency requirements. If wounded,
or discharged because of service-connected disability, the entire term of enlistment could be deducted.

17. Tree Claim - the popular terminology for a land entry made under the Timber Culture Act of 1873.

18. Township - a tract, usually six miles on each side, containing thirty-six square miles, or sections.
Townships are numbered from south to north in Nebraska, beginning at the baseline forming the border
between Nebraska and Kansas, and ascending to the Nebraska-South Dakota boundary. Abbreviated in
land records as "Twp."

19. "Unoffered Lands" - lands which were subject to private entry without having first been "offered" at
public auction.

Remember that spelling was phonetic until the mid-1800's.  Check all possible spellings of your surnames

Early county records, such as birth, marriage and death were not kept by the counties.
Check the local church records instead.

Naturalizations could be registered at any court. Many people registered at the NEAREST court,
 not necessarly the one with local jurisdiction.

On the home page for Ancestry the upper menu bar contains : 'Home, My Ancestry, Search, ...'. 
Click on 'Search'.  Toward the upper right of this window is a box titled 'Search Resources'.  Click on 'Card Catalog'.  You can find databases and books by searching in the 'Database Title' field. Note that in the lower part of that window you can also browse database titles.
With thanks to John Weaber for this tip.