Hi Todd, For an excellent description of how land was distributed in the United States, check out the article History & Use of Land Records by Linda Haas Davenport. She gives an excellent description of how our ancestors staked their claims. You can view the entire article online at: http://www.obcgs.com/searchland-rec.htm Hope this helps! Diane S. Diane Eileen Davis Simpson Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 Researching - Broughard, Brouhard, Brohard, Dunbar, Laird, Davis, Bishop, Sawyer, Sheets, Moats, Gellinger. VA>OH>IN>IA A family tree can wither if nobody tends its roots.