This subject can become quite complicated. A land "patent" and a land "grant" are essentially the same thing - a document that conveys unappropriated land from a government unto an individual. Virginia law calls them "patents" prior to 1775 and "grants" after 10 October 1779. (from 1775 to 1779 I don't know what the legal status was!). A "patent" was issued by the King of Great Britain through his agent, the colonial Governor. A "grant" was issued by state through its agent, the Governor of the state. A military warrant (in Virginia/Kentucky) was a document issued by the state to an individual who qualified for land on the basis of prior military service. The warrant was addressed to the surveyor of military lands and directed him to survey a certain amount of land in the military lands area for that person. A treasury warrant applied to all other types of land acquisition. Warrants could be purchased from the government (40 pounds for 100 acres), they could be issued on the basis of having built a cabin and raised a crop of corn, they could even be obtained on credit. The rules also changed quite often. The people who obtained huge grants or patents generally did so by buying up many smaller entries, surveys or warrants, then consolidating them and having the grant issued for the large tract. Land rights could be bought and sold at any point of the patenting process. Person "A" could sell his warrant to "B" - "B" could make the entry and sell it to "C" - "C" could have the survey done and sell it to "D" who returned the survey and entry to the land office and eventually obtained the grant. "Patenting land in someone elses name" - not knowing the context where this was stated, I can't be sure what it means. An example may be where someone in Virginia with a land warrant who could not actually come to Kentucky, may have paid someone else (in money or with land) to take care of the patenting process for him, since he was unable to do it himself. Hope this mess helps. Volumes could be written on land acquisition in Kentucky. Rick Johnston PS - the military warrants used to obtain land in Central Kentucky were NOT Revolutionary war warrants, they were warrants issued by the authority of the King for service during the French and Indian War. I think the lands reserved for Virginia Revolutionary veterans were south of the Green River (in Kentucky) and in Ohio.