Advertisement for an attorney specializing in obtaining military land patent bounties for veterans and heirs of veterans who had served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, an the Indian Wars between 1775 and 1855

Washington, DC, 1857. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This handbill advertisement measures approximately 8" x 10 and is printed on light blue paper. Its accompanying mailing envelope is addressed "To the Heirs of Mrs. Ruth Bullard." The envelope is franked with a straddle copy of a one-cent blue Franklin stamp (Scott #24) that a previous owner has identified as coming from plate position 100L8. The stamp is tied to the cover with and indistinct circular postmark. Both advertisement and envelope are in nice shape. The advertisement has mailing folds and is loosely mounted to thin cardstock; the adhesive is likely water soluble and the handbill could probably be removed with minimal if any damage.

The federal government provided bounty land for those who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and Indian wars between 1775 and 1855. It was first offered as an incentive to serve in the military and later as a reward for service. The land could be claimed by veterans or their heirs. The lots were on reserved tracts of public land, often on the frontier. Few of the veterans or their heirs who claimed the bounties actually lived on the land. Instead, most sold the property to developers or land agents. Formal applications were required to claim the bounties, a formidable task as many of those entitled were illiterate.

Niles, was a former employee of the federal General Land Service, the agency that managed these bounties.