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From: <>
Subject: Land between Little Miami and Scioto Rivers
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 08:00:02 -0400

REVOLUTIONARY WAR MILITARY DISTRICT
Following the Revolutionary War, the newly formed republic needed a
system to
compensate soldiers for their services. King George III of England had
used a
bounty land system to pay soldiers in the French & Indian War. As monies
in
national coffers could not meet the demand for cash payments to veterans,
the
states decided to use the same bounty land system for Revolutionary War
veterans. Each state determined a land allotment based on the soldiers
rank and
term of service. Each state paid her own veteransusually with land in
the
western territory. Generally those states without available land did not
participate in a bounty land warrant program for veterans.
To research states and military districts, we recommend "Revolutionary
War
Bounty Land Grants Awarded By State Governments," by Lloyd DeWitt
Bockstruck,
published by Genealogical Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8063-1511-3.
VIRGINIA LAND LAW & THE LOCATION OF THE MILITARY DISTRICT
Before June 1, 1792, Kentucky was a part of Virginia. A Resolution to the

Virginia General Assembly dated December 19, 1778, proposed the location
of the
Military District as follows: "That it is the opinion of this committee,
that a
certain tract of country to be bounded by the Green river and a southeast
course
from the head thereof to the Cumberland mountains, with the said
mountains to
the Carolina line, with the Carolina line to the Cherokee or Tennessee
river,
with the said river to the Ohio river, and with the Ohio river to the
said Green
river, ought to be reserved for supplying the officers and soldiers in
the
Virginia line with the respective proportions of land which have been or
may be
assigned to them by the general assembly, saving and reserving the land
granted
to Richard Henderson and company, and their legal rights to such persons
as have
heretofore actually located lands and settled thereon within the bounds
aforesaid." The Virginia Land Law of May 3, 1779, confirmed the location
proposed in the resolution.
After separating from Virginia, the Kentucky General Assembly opened the
military district to settlers meeting age and residency requirements.
Although
the Act of December 21, 1795 was amended several times, the premise was
the
samemilitary claims needed to be filed or they would be void. The 1795
law
stated lands not claimed by the military before January 1796, faced
forfeiture
to settlers filing under the South of Green River Series of patents.
In 1818, lands west of the Tennessee River were purchased from the
Chickasaw
Indians. A number of Revolutionary War veterans had settled on the lands
prior
to the sale. On December 20, 1820, the Kentucky General Assembly approved
an Act
for surveying the military claims west of the Tennessee River. It reads
in part:
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly.That the surveyor of the lands
set apart
for the satisfaction of the legal bounties of the officers and soldiers
of the
Virginia line or state establishment be, and he is hereby authorized and
required by himself or his deputies, to secure chain carriers and
markers, and
to survey without delay, all entries made in his office, prior to the
first day
of May, 1792, on warrants for military services aforesaid; and shall make
out a
full and fair connection of the surveys so made, showing where & how they

interfere with the townships and sections of the land as laid off by
William T.
Henderson..That the surveys made in pursuance of this act, shall contain
the
quantity of land specified in such entry, and no more..If the person or
persons
entitled to any plat & certificate of survey directed to be made by this
act,
shall not take the same out of the surveyors office, and cause the same
to be
filed with the register of the land office, on or before the first day of

January, 1823, the right of such person ..shall be considered lapsed and
forfeited to the state." Records with the Secretary of States Land
Office
indicate 242 patents were issued to Revolutionary War veterans in the
West of
Tennessee River area (the Jackson Purchase).
Not all Virginia veterans had used their Warrants before 1792. Where
would the
veterans locate if they couldnt use Kentucky? Virginia had reserved land
in
Ohio as part of a cession compromise with Congress. A portion of that
area was
deemed the Virginia Military District.

The district lands are found in 23 counties from the Ohio River
northward,
between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, as far as 141 miles inland.
Warrants
used in the Kentucky Military District end with #4627. If research
indicates a
veteran received a higher number, it was most surely used in Ohio. We
have also
found earlier numbers might have been used in both states. If the
"Authorized"
field in our Revolutionary War Warrants Database is blank, we suggest you

contact the Ohio Historical Society, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH
43211 to
research warrant usage. By Acts of Congress dated May 30, 1830, and
August 31,
1852, Virginia military warrants could be exchanged for land scrip. Land
scrip
could be used to acquire any public lands open for entry at private sale,

according to research on the Western Reserve. For further information,
visit
this website: http://www.rootsweb.com Click on the Ohio GenWeb Project
then
"Ohio Lands".
HOW MUCH LAND DID THE SOLDIERS RECEIVE?
Each state decided the veterans land allotment. Legislation by the
Virginia
General Assembly & research by Bockstruck indicates Virginia paid the
following
bounties for service in the Revolutionary War:
Sailor who served his 3 yr enlistment or to the end of the war -- 100
acres
Soldier who served his 3 yr enlistment or to the end of the war -- 100
acres
Noncommissioned officer who enlisted & served his 3 yr enlistment -- 200
acres
Sailor who served throughout the war -- 400 acres
Soldier who served throughout the war -- 400 acres
Noncommissioned officer who served throughout the war -- 400 acres
Subaltern-Cornet -- 2000 to 2666 acres
Subaltern-Ensign -- 2000 to 2666 acres
Subaltern-Lieutenant -- 2000 to 2666 acres
Surgeons Mate -- 2666 to 8000 acres
Surgeon -- 2666 to 8000 acres
Chaplain -- 2666 to 8000 acres
Captain -- 3000 to 4666 acres
Major -- 4000 to 5333 acres
Lt. Colonel -- 4500 to 6666 acres
Colonel -- 5000 to 8888 acres
Brigadier General -- 10,000 acres +
Major General -- 15,000 to 17,500 acres
And where any officer, soldier, or sailor shall have fallen or died in
the
service, his heirs or legal representatives shall be entitled to, and
receive
the same quantity of land as would have been due to such officer, soldier
or
sailor respectively, had he been living.
Click here to research the number of warrants issued to each rank.
Remember,
this table does not indicate the number of different individuals who
received
warrants; some veterans received several warrants.
RESULTS OF DATABASE RESEARCH
Creation of the Revolutionary War Warrants Database has enabled Land
Office
staff to determine the following information:
4748 military warrants were issued by Virginia for the Kentucky
Military
District. James Askew received Military Warrant #1 on August 8, 1782.
Henry
Bedinger received Military Warrant #4627 on October 29, 1793. Three
numbers
were skipped and there were 121 duplicate numbers issued.
Warrants were assignable, meaning they could be sold or
transferredparticularly if the veteran preferred cash to a Military
District relocation. For that reason some veterans chose to accept
their
bounty land in small denominations. For example, a veteran allowed
4,000
acres might accept the payment in one warrant; another veteran may
chose
four warrants of 1,000 acres each. This fact makes it difficult to
determine
how many different veterans received bounty land warrantsone veteran
could
receive several.
Some veterans chose to serve longer than their three year enlistment.

Although they had received a previous warrant, they were given a
second
warrant for additional service time.
The largest tract (15,000 acres) was issued to Major General Baron
Friederick Wilhelm Von Steuben for his service at Valley Forge. The
smallest
tracts were for 100 acres.
The Military District was reserved for veterans of the Virginia
Continental
Line (national troops) and the Virginia State Line (equivalent of the

National Guard). We have determined 3247 Military Warrants were
issued to
Continental Line veterans and 1444 Military Warrants were issued to
veterans
of the State Line. One warrant was issued for service at Valley
Forge, one
warrant for the Director of the Virginia State Hospital, unit of
service was
unknown for 52 warrants, and 3 numbers were skipped.
Branches of service, based on information from the warrants, are as
follows:

4263 Unknown
21 Identified by Regiment
4 Crocketts Regiment
1 Valley Forge
253 Navy
8 Light Dragoons
4 Garrison Regiment
1 Continental Hospital
102 Artillery
7 Army
2 Illinois Regiment
71 Cavalry
6 Infantry
2 Maj. Neilson's Cavalry
Soldiers from Kentucky who served with General George Rogers Clark
did NOT
receive bounty land warrants for the Kentucky Military District.
Their
warrants had to be used in Indiana. Contact the Clark County
Surveyors
Office in Jeffersonville, IN, for further information.
MILITARY LAND OFFICE
On July 20, 1784, the Land Office for the Virginia Military District was
opened
near Louisville. (ref: Collins HISTORY OF KENTUCKY) Colonel Richard
Clough
Anderson was the Principal Surveyor for veterans serving in the Virginia
Continental Line. Major William Croghan & General George Rogers Clark
were
appointed Principal Surveyors for veterans serving in the Virginia State
Line
(or Militia). Due to the size of the Military District, a number of
deputies
assisted the Principal Surveyors.
Each Principal Surveyor kept a separate Entry Book. The first Entry filed
by
Major Croghan was on August 2, 1784. It reads in part: "John Montgomery,
William
Croghan, Mayo Carrington, and John Rogers, Trustees for laying off a Town
on the
River Mississippi, enter 4,000 acres of land on the Iron Banks." The
first Entry
filed by Col. Anderson was on July 20, 1784. It reads in part: "William
Brown
enters 1200 acres part of a Military Warrant #712 beginning at the
confluence of
the Ohio & Cumberland River." Anderson concludes his book after 2224
entries by
stating "I do certify that this book contains copies of all the entries
that are
in my book of entries that were made on the southeast of the Ohio River
in the
state of Kentucky. Given under my hand this second day of November,
1798."
(ANDERSONS MILITARY ENTRIES, Kentucky Land Office) Croghan concludes his
book
as follows: "I do certify that the foregoing 1,468 copies of Entries are
truly
copied from the original books of entries in my possession. Signed May
14, 1798,
by W. Croghan, Surveyor of Virginia Military State Lands." (MILITARY
ENTRIES,
VOL. II, Kentucky Land Office)
In 1879 the Kentucky General Assembly abolished the office of surveyor of

military lands. The "present incumbent of that office" was ordered to
send all
books, papers and documents pertaining to his office to the Register of
the Land
Office "by the safest and cheapest mode of conveyance". (ref: ACTS OF THE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1879, Chapter 105, Article IV.)
Kentucky State Home / Kentucky SoS Home

Remember, few Va vets settled on their own military warrent lands. And I
disagree with the 1st paragraph.
Paying vets with lands was an old custom-not "Following the Revolutionsry
War" -and the lands were offered to
get recruits. Once Va offered a private 100 acres, "and a slave" to
serve. Anderson Twnsp,Hamilton Co Oh has some of the 1st survey's in
Ohio-1787- and the contential congress was out-lawing slavery about
then.

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