From the July/Aug 2001 LVA newsletter: "DATABASE ALLOWS SEARCHES OF LAND OFFICE PATENTS AND GRANTS The Library of Virginia's Digital Library Program has completed the creation of a fully searchable database to the Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants Collection. The database consists of 161,467 records and links to the digital images of the original documents. To use the database go to the Library's Web site (www.lva.lib.va.us) and click on Digital Library Program then on Land Records. The database consists of entries from two major collections found at the Library of Virginia plus a small collection of field notes and plats of tracts surveyed by Guy Broadwater in 1749. The Colonial Land Office Patents, 1623-1774, contain the title of the sovereign or protector under whom it was issued, the consideration for which it was issued, the name of the patentee, the size of the tract, the county of location, a description of the land, any reservations for the crown and the date the patent was signed. This collection includes the patents recorded by the office of the Secretary of the Colony. The records of the Virginia Land Office, 1779-1993, contain recorded copies of grants issued from the establishment of the Land Office in 1779. Grants issued after 1993 are not part of the on-line collection but are available on microfilm. These records include the name of the grantee, a description of the land granted and the date on which the grant was signed. After 1779 the surveys also were also recorded in the Land Office. These documents have been microfilmed but are not part of this on-line collection. In 1948, the records of the Land Office, which were then in the custody of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, were transferred to the State Library and, by act of Assembly, March 5, 1952, the duties of the Register of the Land Office were transferred from the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the State Librarian. Following the reorganization of the Land Office, the localities were charged with the issuing of titles to vacant lands, primarily for non-payment of taxes. The online collection consists of digitalized images of recorded Land Office patents and grants, recorded Northern Neck grants and recorded Northern Neck surveys (1786-1874). There are no pre-1779 Land Office surveys. Only original documents exist for the Northern Neck plats and certificates at present." Maynard