People sand me interesting things. Yesterday's mail included a stack of old "Bluegrass Roots-Quarterly Journal of the Ky Gen Soc" Vol 24 No 3 Fall 1997 page 109 "Bryant Reports on Bryan's Station" "The Bryan family acquired some 13,000 acres in,and around the area that would become Bryan's Station.However,by a strange quirk,the land on which the Bryan's decided to establish their settlement was not theirs. Instead,the land belonged to Col Wm Preston,of Va. Never the less,mthinking the lands theirs,the Bryan's errected a number of cabuins on the site." A worthy and intersting quote from a notable magazine. And partially wrong. 1773 land surveyors like Douglass,Bullitt,Lee appear in Ky. The British government finally gives land companies like Ben Franklin's,and Phineas Lyman's western tracts. 1774,the land surveyors return to Ky,this time officially aides to Col Wm Preston, surveyor of,what? Fincastle Co,Va. The Quebec Act of the British government over rules the 1773 grants,in part. Lord Dunmore's War. And the troubles begin with the Boston people and the British military occupying them. April 19,1775 are the battles of Lexington and Concord,Mass.And Dec 9th,1775,is the 1st battle in Va between Loyalists and Rebels. Jan-feb[?],1776 is the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in NC.And the expedition vs the Cherokee,and Col Nathanial Gist. So,the early surveys,and settlements of Harrodsburg and Boonesboro are before the early 1776 date when one must choose sides. On the Yadkin in NC, perhaps because of oaths given King George III by the defeated Regulators at Alamance,NC in [?] 1771, was an area where many became Loyalist. And the Loyalist leaders of NC included Col Samuel Bryan ,and Capt Joseph Bryan, and the Bryan husband of Col Jonathan Hunt's dau,who m 2nd Rev John Gano. Anyway,Col Wm Preston was informed in mid 1776,by his Ky surveyor asst, John Floyd,that a 'bunch of Tories are settled on your land,and have 60 acres of corn planted. They say they will buy it,if you will name your price.' I've seen Samuel Bryan's plat,and all but 27 acres of the 1000 acres was located atop an earlier survey to Col Wm Preston's bro-in-law. [But,who would have had the better claim if the British had won the Rev War?] Only 13 of the 20+ British colonies in North America rebelled. The men like Washington,Lee,Mason,Franklin,Henry lost their claims to land companies. But Ct's Gen Phineas Lyman's land company was in the Loyalist colony of West Florida,near Natchez,on the Mississippi. His land company's claim remained good. Wm Thompson,of Carlisle,Pa was in Ky surveying in 1773 for his fellow French and Indian War officers land claims. He became,1775,a Whig General,and was captured at Quebec,and died later from his exposure-little known. He had surveyed 16,000 acres in Ky for his friend,and fellow British officer,Rev Wm Barton. Barton ministered the Episcopal church in Lancaster,Pa til 1777,when he fled within British military lines. His New York city will of 1780-82 [occupied by the British til Nov,1783, mentioned his 16,000 acres on Elkhorn,in Ky. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.