Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Ohio Land Office Records Relating to Virginia Military District Lands, 1787-1851 Accession 51986. State Government Records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Virginia Genealogical Society January 15, 1971.

Historical Information

Virginia Military District lands in Kentucky and Ohio were reserved for payment to veterans of the Revolutionary War. Warrants were issued for service and were then given to the Principal Surveyor of the Virginia Military District in Ohio. A deputy surveyor would then make a general description of the claim (entry) and complete a survey. Following acceptance of the survey, the federal government would then issue a patent for the land. The original records are held by the State of Ohio.

Scope and Content

The Ohio Land Office Records Relating to Virginia Militaty District Lands, 1787-1851, consist of 34 volumes of 12 reels of microfilm and include tract books, abstracts, entry books, survey books, lists of warrants and indexes.

Entry Books contain entry number, name of person for whom the survey was done, Virginia Military District warrant number, number of acres of land, and a description of the survey boundaries. Entry Books are all identical in form. The left side margin contains the date, a number (usually in numerical order, but not always so), a number (usually followed by a letter giving rise to the speculation that this is a plot number) and occasionally a qualifying remark (such as withdrawn or carried to page). The description itself is given in paragraph form and follows the standard language.

Survey books contain name(s) of persons for whom the survey was done, Virginia Military District warrant number, number of acres claimed, description of the survey boundaries, dates of entry or survey, names of surveyors and chainmen, and a simple drawing or plat of the survey. All survey books have the same format and there are several entries per page. The county in which the land is located is not named; the water course only is given.

Volume 1: Tract Books of the Virginia Military Warrants Located in Ohio and Kentucky Issued to Virginia Soldiers (continued from another reel that was received). Includes five columns that are unheaded but appear to be a) number of the Virginia warrant; b) acres due under that warrant; c) warrantees; d) grantee; and e) date. The numbers in column (a) are numerical from 5947-8959. The first impression of one looking at this volume is that the arrangement in not numerical for there are, between each number, one or more numbers and names. A closer examination determines, however, that the other numbers are those of some collection as assigned by Ohio. Whether they are entry, survey, or grant numbers has not been determined. Not all numbers are completely filled in. About halfway through the notations NS and NP begin to appear often. NS stands for new scrip; NP may be no place, but this is just a guess. This volume starts on p. 516 and concludes on p. 672. (Miscellaneous Reel 782)

Volume 2: Numerical Abstract - Virginia Military Land Warrants. This volume includes six columns: a) name; b) acres due; c) acres taken in Ohio; d) acres taken in Kentucky; e) remarks. Entries are no always completely filled in. (Miscellaneous Reel 782)

Volume 3: Entry Book, v. 1, A. Latham, 1787-1798; 524 p, indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 782)

Volume 4: Entry Book, v. 2, A. Latham, 1798-1801; 106 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 782)

Volume 5: Entry Book, v. 4, A. Latham, 1810-1812; 170 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 782)

Volume 6: Entry Book, v. 5, A. Latham, 1812-1814, 371 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 782 and Miscellaneous Reel 783

Volume 7: Entry Book, v. 6, 1816; 312 p., indexed. Final legible page number is 312. (Miscellaneous Reel 783)

Volume 8: Entry Book A, 1787-1806; 434 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 783)

Volume 9: Entry Book A-2, 1787-1806; 441 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 783 and Miscellaneous Reel 784)

Volume 10: Entry Book A-3, 1787-1815; 538 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 784)

Volume 11: Entry Book B, 1806-1815; 418 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 784 and Miscellaneous Reel 785)

Volume 12: Entry Book C, 1815-1823; 495 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 785)

Volume 13: Entry Book C-2, 1815-1823, 357 p., indexed. In front is a letter regarding the private ownership of two entry and two survey books. (Miscellaneous Reel 785)

Volume 14: Entry Book D, 1825-1847, 451 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 785 and Miscellaneous Reel 786)

Volume 15: Entry Book E, 1848-1851; 69 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 786)

Volume 16: Survey Book A, 1787-1804; 516 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 786)

Volume 17: Survey Book A, 1787-1802; 628 p., indexed. There are two Survey Books with the same title, A. How closely the surveys in each parallel each other requires further study. (Miscellaneous Reel 786 and Miscellaneous Reel 787)

Volume 18: Survey Book A-2, 1787-1802; 627 p. This volume is similar to Survey Book A and how closely the surveys in each parallel each other requires further study. (Miscellaneous Reel 787)

Volume 19: Survey Book B, 1802-1813; 640 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 787 and Miscellaneous Reel 788)

Volume 20: Congress Lands, United States Reserves, v. 19; 219 p., Table of Contents. Laying boundaries for the reserves in Ohio. (Miscellaneous Reel 788)

Volume 21: Survey Book B-2, 1802-1817; 570 p. (Miscellaneous Reel 788)

Volume 22: Survey Book B-3, 1802-1811; 442 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 788 and Miscellaneous Reel 789)

Volume 23: Survey Book C, 1816-1824; 538 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 789)

Volume 24: Survey Book D, 1824-1838; 483 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 789)

Volume 25: Survey Book E, 1838-1849; 528 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 790)

Volume 26: Survey Book F, 1849-1851; 170 p., indexed. (Miscellaneous Reel 790)

Volume 27: List of Virginia Military Warrants Located in Ohio and Kentucky and Issued to Virginia Soldiers [Their Heirs or Assigns] of the Revolutionary War, With Names of Warrantees, Surveyees, and Patentees; 672 p. (1-8959) Includes six column: number of the warrant, acres due under the warrant, warrantees, patentees, date, recording (book and page). (Miscellaneous Reel 790 and Miscellaneous Reel 791)

Volume 28: Index to Virginia Military Entries, Book A. (Miscellaneous Reel 791)

Volume 29: Index to Survey Books A and B (numbers 4790-12385) (Miscellaneous Reel 791)

Volume 30: Index to Survey Volumes 1 and 2, A. Latham (380-4772). (Miscellaneous Reel 791 and Miscellaneous Reel 792)

Volume 31: The remaining division on this reel are concerned with Federal Lands. They include surveyor's field notes, plats and descriptions of some townships, and letters from the General Land Office giving instructions concerning surveying. (Miscellaneous Reel 792)

Volume 32: Virginia Military District - Index of Surveys Showing County Locations, v. 2 (continued from a reel that was not received). The volume begins with 7411. Includes survey number and name. (Miscellaneous Reel 793)

Volume 33: Virginia Military District, v. 3. This volume includes no names. (Miscellaneous Reel 793)

Volume 34: The remainder of this reel consists of field notes for various sections of Congressional lands which have been surveyed. (Miscellaneous Reel 793)