>I tried to answer this , but it didn.t show up...too long I expect...I'll >try to chop up the parts...Maryellen > > Okay, from the GA side of the coin, there's lots to learn....For an > introduction: (The state of GA no longer offers this at their site so I > have > taken it from a Google cache...thus some of you might have the funny > colors.) Maryellen > > Georgia Bounty Land Grants > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > By Alex M. Hitz > [Reprinted from the Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4 > (December, > 1954), and published with permission of the Georgia Historical Society] > > Very little that is authentic has been written about the land grants given > by the State of Georgia immediately following the close of the American > Revolution, and many erroneous ideas have developed during the years > since. > There appears to be prevalent a belief, subscribed to by many of the > patriotic societies, that every man who received a "Bounty Grant" was a > Revolutionary soldier and a hero, whereas, actually the majority were not > in > either category. Very unfortunately this error was perpetuated by the > publication in 1920 of a book by a former historian in which he listed as > veterans all persons for whom land was surveyed, without recognizing any > distinction between the various classes of grants.1 > > A most able and accurate historian has written that, at the start of the > Revolution, Georgia " had about 18,000 whites and 15,000 Negro slaves. If > every Georgian has cast his lot with the Revolution, she could not have > afforded more than 3,000 fighting men."2 It is a recognized fact that a > very > large percentage of the Georgia colonists continued to be loyalists or > Tories up to the evacuation of Savannah by the British in 1782. A later > writer has laboriously counted 1,458 warrants issued for bounties to known > fighting men, and 2,923 warrants issued for bounties to citizens as a > reward > for not plundering or distressing the country.3 > > Before studying the background and history of the bounty grants, let us > consider the conditions and temper of the time during which they were > being > issued. The Executive Council, in its minutes of July 15, 1784, recorded, > "It being suggested there are many frauds committed in the surveys of land > in the two new Counties4 can there be any general rule made in regard to > the > stopping all grants for lands in the said Counties until the meeting of > Assembly? The Council are of opinion, that there can be no such general > rule > made.."5 And again, by section IX of the Act of February 22, 1785, the > General Assembly enacted: "And whereas, it is apprehended that great > abuses > have happened in regard to bounties, Be it therefore enacted. That in > future.."6 Hundreds of vouchers or preliminary certificates intended to > induce the issuance of warrants were signed by former officers, who then > bought those warrants and had grants issued thereon to themselves. There > are > on file in the Georgia Archives petitions containing the names of twenty > or > more men, all in the same handwriting, alleged by the certifying officer > to > have been entitles to bounty, praying that their bounties be granted to > that > officer. Among the worst offenders who thus acquired thousands of acres > were > Peter Carnes, Elijah Clarke, Leonard Marbury, Horatio Marbury, John > Gorham, > Edward Telfair, Ignatius Few, Zachariah Philips, Micajah Williamson, and > Richard Call. > > Moreover, entirely apart from such planned frauds, there occurred in the > office of the secretary of the Executive Council, on May 29, 1784, the day > appointed for the numbering and distribution of warrants f or survey, such > riotous and disorderly conduct that the clerks were overrun and the > warrants > were forcibly removed and scattered outside. Many duplicate warrants were > signed to replace those so removed, and afterwards grants were made to the > same man on both the original and the duplicate. Under such confusion, it > would not be surprising that the fearful clerks should put through many > unauthorized warrants for the most aggressive of the rioters. Read the > words > of the man who actually received the petitions and distributed the > warrants, > "Speculation, as I hinted before, has certainly extinguished in many men, > passing for gentlemen, every spark of probity and integrity. Many have > sworn > that instead of 287 ½ acres of land, for which their warrants were made, > they were entitled to 575 acres, and for others, on second thought, have > deposed that they petitioned or meant to petition for the other Bounty, in > both of which cases that warrants were taken up and new ones made > accordingly."7 > > The original acts and resolutions pertaining to bounties allotted to each > rank of each class a specified number of acres of land which would be > exempt > from tax for ten years. But Section XV of the Act of February 25, 17848 > increased the respective amounts by fifteen per cent and made the land > subject to tax. Inasmuch as the first warrants were dated May 15, 1784, > they > all conformed to that act, regardless of the lesser amount written in the > governor's certificates. The bounties were awarded as follows: > > Rank Acreage Rank Acreage Rank Acreage > Private in Georgia Line 230 Lieutenant in Militia 460 Major in > Georgia Line 920 > Private in Minute Battalions 287 ½ Lieutenant in Minute Battalions > 460 Refugee Captain in Militia 977 ½ > Private in Militia 287 ½ Lieutenant in Georgia Line 460 Lt. Colonel > in Georgia Line 1035 > Refugee Private in Militia 287 ½ Refugee Private in Militia (also > Citizen) 575 Lt. Colonel in Militia 1035 > Seaman in Galleys 287 ½ Captain in Militia 575 Lt. Colonel in Minute > Battalions 1035 > Citizen 287 ½ Captain in Minute Battalions 575 Colonel in Militia > 1150 > Deserter from British 287 ½ Refugee Sergeant in Militia (also > Citizen) 632 ½ Colonel in Georgia Line 1150 > Sergeant in Minute Battalions 345 Captain in Georgia Line 690 > Refugee Major in Militia 1207 ½ > Sergeant in Militia 345 Refugee Lieutenant in Militia 747 ½ Brigadier > General in Militia 1955 > Sergeant in Georgia Line 345 Major in Militia 920 > Refugee Sergeant in Militia 345 Major in Minute Battalions 920 > > > > > >

Just an aside...the Ignatius Few mentioned below seems to be the brother of James Few. This James Few was murdered on the field by Governor Tryon at the Battle of Alamance in 1766. Tryon then hung more of the leaders and confiscated the land of those men and many more.It seems as I track my own cluster of families, that many who had already moved from VA to MD to NC were Regulators. After Alamance, they moved into SC for the duration of the Revolution. They are very hard to track as they were now near penniless. Thus , they had no land.When GA went "on the block" you see many Rev War Vets moving into the territory starting in 1784/5.Several in my family bought land from Few. I think the rates were reasonable. Perhaps that means they were with the family at Alamance...perhaps he just went with a volume discount to all...I don't know. Somewhere someone has printed broadsides of these land offers. One day an owner will realize what they have and we'll see it on Antiques Roadshow. Remember, GA started as a Trusteeship. 13 men on a panel decided to put up venture capital and fund the area as an investment...it did not start as a Colony. Oglethorpe was one of the Trustees. He put his body where his money was. He was actually good at the job. He marketed the state like a modern pro. Of course, after a while he sorta overlooked buying the land from the Creeks and Cherokees,,,The climate was so hot and unhealthy for the unprepared English settlers that they died like fleas. Thus, it took the desperate Rev Vets who had lost or never owned a farthing to run to the brilliant if fraud-ridden land hand out and finally make Georgia a viable community. Maryellen The Quote from Hitz: Hundreds of vouchers or preliminary certificates intended to >> induce the issuance of warrants were signed by former officers, who then >> bought those warrants and had grants issued thereon to themselves. There >> are >> on file in the Georgia Archives petitions containing the names of twenty >> or >> more men, all in the same handwriting, alleged by the certifying officer >> to >> have been entitles to bounty, praying that their bounties be granted to >> that >> officer. Among the worst offenders who thus acquired thousands of acres >> were >> Peter Carnes, Elijah Clarke, Leonard Marbury, Horatio Marbury, John >> Gorham, >> Edward Telfair, Ignatius Few, Zachariah Philips, Micajah Williamson, and >> Richard Call.