Tabitha Shearin

Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102
April 30 2015
Homesteading
1. "Homestead NC how to" came back with several really useful results including
nchomestrading.com as well ad websites regarding laws on homesteading specific to my state.
2. Unfortunately for me, homesteading is a strange enough topic that most encyclopedias did not
have articles directly referencing the information I am looking for. However, tons of databases
were full of articles, books, and journals pertaining to all the information I would need to
research homesteading.
3. IPL has a lot of real world information about current and past homesteads. There topics are
definitely based on biographical research.
4. Google scholar had weak results for homestead and homesteading. It was mostly garbage and
would take more time to weed out than its worth.
5. Bibliography
a. Carlson, Riley. "121 Homesteading Skills for the Modern Day Homesteader."
Pioneer Settler. 16 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://pioneersettler.com/homesteading-skills-every-homesteader-should-know/>.
i. literally a list of skills you should know as a homesteader
ii. your basic skills
b. "The Homesteader's Free Library." The Homesteader's Free Library. Web. 28 Jan.
2015. <http://homestead.org/NewIndexes/Directory.htm>.
i. a directory of pages, articles, and resources on anything from
alternative energy to homesteading humor
ii. reliable source

c. "MOTHER EARTH NEWS - Organic Gardening, DIY, Renewable Energy,

Homesteading And Livestock, Real Food, Natural Health, Nature And Environment,
Green Homes, Green Transportation." Mother Earth News. Ed. Cheryl Long. Ogden
Publications, Inc. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.motherearthnews.com/>.
i. articles geared toward livestock and organic farming
ii. reliable source
d. "The Top 10 Myths about Homesteading." U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT The Homestead Act 1862-2012. Web.
30 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/homestead_act/legacy/top_10.htm
l>.
i. laws
ii. myths debunked by government

My findings made me realize that while researching this paper, I would need to plan very well
and organize paragraphs based on specific topics related to homesteading: home building, land,
livestock/food production. Many of the articles and sites I found were either very general or
overly specific. Because of this and creating a bibliography, I already have an idea which articles
will be used for sections like the introduction as opposed to those articles I know will be useful
in the meat of the paper.
I also found that many resources came up useless in regards to my topic. While many other
topics would have a plethora of information on any database, homesteading, while not a new
concept, has reached a higher level of popularity only recently. Because of this, the availability
of reliable information is limited. Databases like Google Scholar, IPL, and many databases

through UNCCs library page, had decent information and examples of homesteads but had very
little information on actual homesteading.