The first Homestead Law was enacted in 1862 and was intended to encourage settlement in the West. As with the Donation Lands, the only requirement was to live on and improve the land through cultivation. A very small filing fee was all that was required.
Applicants initially had to be a head of household, over 21 if single, a citizen or have applied for naturalization, and had not "borne arms against the government". Single women and widows could apply in their own right. The final application for the certificate of patent could be made five years after the completion of the residency requirements. If a homesteader died, his widow or heirs could continue to qualify for the claim, meeting the same requirements...
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