The Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III of England, formed the basis of land appropriation in Kentucky. In his Proclamation, the King declared veterans of the French and Indian War would be paid with bounty land warrants instead of money. A number of Kentucky land patents in the Virginia and Old Kentucky Series were authorized by French and Indian War Warrants. The principle of government land appropriation continued after the Revolutionary War. Virginia, the mother state of Kentucky, passed several land laws that effectively continued the patenting process established by King George III. After June 1, 1792, when Kentucky separated from Virginia, the newly formed Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation that continued the system of land appropriation by legislative act.
The full text of Acts of the Virginia and Kentucky General Assemblies regarding the various land patenting series are available through this website.:
Disclaimer: The text of these Acts was entered manually; researchers should consult the published versions of the Virginia and Kentucky Acts for official use. Those Acts can be researched at the Kentucky History Center Library, the Department for Libraries and Archives, and the Supreme Court Law Library, all in Frankfort. Enrolled Bills and Governor's Journals (1792-1927) are available on microfilm at the Department for Libraries and Archives.