Could someone clarify for me what the word 'patent' means when it says someone patented land? What is the difference between treasury warrants and military warrants? Several of my ancestors had thousands of acres. How could those early pioneers qualify for up to 50,000 acres? He certainly could not live on all of those tracts. Did he have tenants on them? Could he just go around building cabins and planting corn without being a full time resident of the farm? When it says he patented land in someone else's name, what does that mean? I have discussed this with other researchers and they are confused too. Can anyone help us? Kay Withers