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Married woman owning land in 1845 Illinois

cehammer

I have a married, female relative who had a land deed in just her name (not her husband's, who was living at the time) in Illinois in 1845. It indicates she purchased the land (located in Ogle County, Illinois) from the US government at the land office in Dixon, Illinois. When did it become possible for women to own property in Illinois on their own and how common was it for a married woman to hold a deed in her own name?

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    Hello cehammer,

    Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

    Women could not fully own (buy, sell, rent) property apart from their husbands in Illinois until 1869.  However, prior to that women could still own property in their name but could not do much with it without their husband’s signed permission.  Thus preventing them from earning money from the property separate from their husband.

    Please review Revised statutes of the state of Illinois : adopted by the General Assembly of said state, at its regular session, held in the years, A.D., 1844-5 : together with an appendix for more information.  We’ve set this Archive.org link up to search for mentions of women.  

    We hope this information has been helpful!