In 1863, Daniel Freeman became the first homesteader in US history. A year later, his love letters began a romance that turned the claimed land into a home

Before Daniel Freeman became known as the first homesteader in American history, he was a man living a restless life on the Nebraska frontier. Then, in 1864, letters exchanged with Agnes Suiter changed the direction of his life. What began as a correspondence between two people connected by loss eventually led to marriage, children and a family home on the land Freeman had claimed.

The first claim on the first day

The Homestead Act of 1862 opened federal land to people willing to settle it and make a home there. It officially took effect on January 1, 1863, and Freeman filed a claim for 160 acres in Nebraska that same day.

According to the National Park Service, legend says Freeman reached the Land Office in Brownville just 10 minutes after midnight and became the first person to file under the new law. The exact circumstances have been told in different ways over the years, but Freeman is widely recognized as the first homesteader. His original claim, about four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska, is now part of Homestead National Historical Park.


Freeman had come from Illinois and was also serving as a Union scout during the Civil War. The Nebraska land gave him something more permanent to work toward, even though life there was far from easy.

A letter started something unexpected

In July 1864, Freeman began writing to Agnes Suiter of LeClaire, Iowa. Agnes was already connected to the Freeman family. She had been engaged to Daniel's brother James, who had died during the Civil War.

Their surviving letters show that the relationship did not suddenly become a romance. At first, they wrote about family, farming, the war and life on the Nebraska plains. Freeman also told Agnes about his travels and his plans for the farm.

Agnes wrote back and openly remembered James, saying, “he was indeed my first love and I often think that noone other can take his place in my affections.”

The correspondence gradually changed. In December, Freeman finally stopped speaking indirectly about the woman he hoped might become his wife. He wrote, “I love you and would be happy in trying to make you happy if you can love me in return.”

Agnes answered on Christmas Day. She explained that she had struggled with the thought of loving someone after James, but her feelings for Daniel had changed.

“I have indeed learned to love you—the kindness exhibited by you in the love of your letters has won my affections,” she wrote.

From letters to a family home

The two met in Abingdon, Illinois, as planned and married on February 8, 1865, in LeClaire, Iowa. Agnes then moved to Nebraska to join Daniel on the homestead. Together, they eventually had eight children: Eliza, Samuel, James, John, Daniel Jr., George “Frank,” LeClaire and Agnes Mae.

The land Freeman had claimed while living alone slowly became a family property. A log cabin was built, followed by farm buildings, fields and orchards. The family later had enough money to construct a two-story brick house near the edge of the woodland. They grew corn, wheat and oats and planted apple and peach trees. An Osage orange hedge was also used to keep animals away from the crops, and some remains can still be found on the property.

The brick house was destroyed by fire in 1916, eight years after Freeman died. Other homes were later built for members of the family, but none of the Freeman houses remain today.

The homestead became part of American history

The Freeman family story continued beyond the farm. Their children attended the nearby Freeman School, and Daniel later became involved in a legal dispute over Bible teaching in the school. In 1902, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled in his favor, supporting the separation of church and state in public education.

Daniel died in 1908 and Agnes died in 1931. Their old homestead, meanwhile, became something much larger than the farm they had built together. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating a national park on the Freeman property.

Today, Homestead National Historical Park preserves the story of millions of people who settled land under the Homestead Act. But among those many stories, Daniel and Agnes Freeman's remains unusually personal. The first claim was made on a cold Nebraska frontier, but it was the letters that followed that helped turn those 160 acres into a place where a family could finally call home.