Overview

Under the terms of the Proclamation of 1763, issued by England's King George III, soldiers who had served in the French & Indian War were paid with bounty land warrants. The warrants were used to obtain land patents; the rank of the soldier determined the acreage awarded by the warrant. The same principle of "land for military service" was used to pay soldiers of the Revolutionary War. Each colony determined the acreage per rank, the requisite duration of service, and the location of their respective Military District. The Military District for Virginia was located in southwestern Kentucky and southcentral Ohio. This website includes information regarding Military Warrants issued to Virginia veterans prior to 1792 and all Kentucky patents authorized by those warrants.

Did your ancestor serve in the Virginia State Line or the Virginia Continental Line during the Revolutionary War? The Revolutionary War Warrants Database includes scanned images and information pertaining to 4748 Warrants from the Virginia Military Warrants Register. The "Authorized" field identifies all patents in Kentucky authorized by each Warrant. By clicking the patent file number, researchers can access color images of all patent documents. If our research indicates a warrant was not used in Kentucky, no further information is available in the Kentucky Land Office. A hyperlink with research suggestions is attached to the "Authorized Field" for all warrants marked "No patents located in Kentucky". Informational articles on "The Revolutionary War District in Kentucky" and "Researching the Revolutionary War Database" are also included.

In 1818 the Jackson Purchase in western Kentucky was acquired from the Chickasaw Indians. A number of Revolutionary War veterans, or their assigns, had settled in the area without clear title to their land holdings. In 1820 the Kentucky General Assembly approved legislation that instructed the veterans, or their assigns, to proceed with the land patenting process. This website includes information on 242 patents authorized by Military Warrants issued to Virginia veterans. Links to scanned images of the patent files are also included.