A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE WARS FRENCH & INDIAN WAR: About 1754, when the French & Indian War broke out, a new challenge faced Virginia. She needed more men to serve! Many of the citizens either ignored or refused this plea by Govenor Dinwiddie as they couldn't see how it involved them. So, Virignia came up with an "offer they couldn't refuse." Virginia offered land to its soldiers with the re-quisite that they served honorably. Sounded better - even if it did also require service until the end of the war. As a result of this offer, most of the surveys made in Kentucky up until 1775 were for military bounties in the French and Indian War. There is a book, availability unknown, entitled "A Calendar of the Warrants for Land in Kentucky for Service in the French and Indian War, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1867. It contains data from the original surveys and plats that are housed in the Kentucky Land Office and gives the number, name of soldier, rank, acres surveyed, by whom and a brief description of the land. SOURCES: Taylor, Philip Fall "A Calendar of the Warrants for Land in Kentucky Granted for Service in the French and Indian War, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1967.(number, rank, acres, by whom surveyed, description). Rev WAR: Kentucky land once more came to the rescue of the Virginian government some twenty years later. The Revolultionary War had just ended and along with it a huge military debt caused by Virginian's inability to pay its troops. All states suffered basically from this problem ... have you ever heard the expression "not worth a Continental..."? Money - script - had lost its value. So, Virginia resorted to the land for service technique again and "paid" its officers and military men with land. In Vol 10, page 56 of the Hennings Statutes it says: "...Bounded by Green River and a southwest course from the head thereof to the Cumberland mountain; with said mountains to the Carolina (now Tennessee) line, with the Carolina (Tennessee) line to the Cherokee or Tennessee River, with the said River to the Ohio River, and with the Ohio to the said Green River..." There were, however, some grants west of the Tennessee River as granted by An Act of Kentucky Legislature, which was approved Dec 26, 1820. (Sessions Acts, 1820, Chapter CLV, pp.197-200). This was after the Jackson Purchase. It is interesting to note that rank determined acreage. A private received 100 acres; an officer received 1,000 acres. A volunteer soldier who had served under General George Rogers Clark originally received 100 acres; troopers of cavalry who would enlist in defense of the eastern frontier, 100 acres. Land set aside for the men of Gen Clark's were on the southeast side of the Ohio upon the waters of the Cumberland River and between the Green and Tennessee Rivers. If this proved to be insufficient land, then any deficiencies would be paid in good land between the Rivers Scioto and the Little Miami. BUT, VA ran into problems laying off this land ...Indians. In 1784, when the laying off of the land began, this Indian Country caused immediate problems for the settlers. So the VA Legislature stopped. VA feared any further encroachments into this area would cause serious Indian uprisings. In October 1784 the VA Legislature authorized the Governor to suspend the work, this held under January 1785. This left the VA soldiers and officers in a state of limbo. They had the paper saying they would get the land - but now he couldn't claim it. So, in 1786 the Treaty of Hopewell was enacted. The government guaranteed the Cherokee Indians that (1) All the lands below the Tennessee River was theirs and theirs alone - for hunting and habitation. (2) That if ANY citizen - anyone who was not an Indian settled on this land, the Indians would be allowed to punish them as they saw fit. Now, in 1792 - here comes Kentucky as an independent state. We were no longer a part of Virginia ... what about the land grants? The KY General Assembly stepped in during the late part of 1810 and made a definite ruling that allowed the settlers a longer period of time to present their plats and certificates to the Register's office. March 1812 saw the last ruling of extension. As a result of all these difficulties, many of the warrants were never located, resulting in approximately 650,000 acres of warrants unlocated by 1844. SOURCES: Jillson's books (1) "Old Kentucky Entries and Deeds: A Complete Index To All the Earliest Land Entries, Military Warrants, Deeds and Wills of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and (2) The Kentucky Land Grants: A Systematic Index To All Of The Land Grants Recorded In The State Land Office At Frankfort, Kentucky 1792-1924. The National Genealogical Society published in 1966 an Index of Revolutionary War pension and Bounty Land Warrants which will give the researcher some help. There were codes used which the reader needs to understand: An "S" before a pension number indicated Survivor. "W" meant widow; "R" meant rejected; "DIS" means disabilities for which the veteran is being pensionse and "B L W" refers to Bounty Land Warrant. The National Archives has microfilms of these pension records. Quissenberry, Anderson Chenault, "Revolutionary Soldiers in Kentucky", Baltimore: Southern Book Co, 1959. "Register of Revolutionary Soldiers and patriots Buried in Kentucky with an Index of Women's Names" - located at the Duncan Tavern Library, Paris, KY. Sons of the American Revolution, Kentucky Society, "Year Book of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1894-1913 and Catalogue of Military Land Warrants Granted by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolution"; "Revolutionary Soldiers of Virginia" by H J Eckenrode, Richmond, VA, 1912. WAR OF 1812: The war against England bought out the best of Kentucky's men. Approximately 25,000 answered the call for troops and about 1,200 of its finest died during same. Some of the major battle sites included Ft meigs, River Raisin, Battle of New Orleans, Tipecanoe, Battle of Lake Erie and Fort Stephenson. Records of the soldiers who served in the War of 1812 are fragmented, lost, scattered, however, there are some lists and rosters in the office of the Adjutant General at Frankfort. The KY State Legislature published, in 1891, "Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky: Soldiers of the War of 1812. Later editions contained an index thankfully. Another book, published by Mrs Carl W McGee included not only the War of 1812 soldiers but the Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War as well. It was entitled "Kentucky Pensioneers of the Revolultionary War, War of 1812 and Indian Wars, Washington, D C. I have never been able to locate this book. The researcher needs also to look within the county of residence where the soldier served. Many counties still have such lists, usually in loose paper form; many of Barren County lists exist and many counties' records have been published. OTHER SOURCES: George Rogers Clark Papers, VA State Library, Richmond, VA (Filson Club has most); "Notes on Kentucky Veterans of the War of 1812 by G G Clift, Anchorage, KY: Borderland Books, 1964. MEXICAN WAR: In 1889, the Kentucky Adjutant General's Office printed a book listing the veterans of this war. "Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, Mexican War Veterans, 1846-1847. It shows name, rank, enlistment date,when and where mustered, years served, when and where mustered out. The Ky State Historical Society and the Filson Club in Louisville have an index to this book. The Genealogical Society Library at Salt Lake has microfilmed indexes also and these can be ordered. CIVIL WAR: Although Kentucky was neutral during the horrible war, its people were split in sentiment. Many of our Kentuckians in the northern part of the state were loyal to the Union and crossed the Ohio River to enlist. (The 6th Ohio showed a goodly amount of Kentuckians). Those Kentuckians sympathetic to the South joined the famous "Orphan's Brigade." The State of Kentucky has Confederate Pension records. There are approximately 4,800 applications, they are indexed, but it is almost impossible to find where the applicant lived from these forms. Many lawsuits were filed by drafted Kentuckians because the US government failed to refund the monies promised for communation or providing substitutes -they had been drafted anyway. You can find these suits in the records of the Court of Claims in the National Archives. Another interesting event of this era ... many of the southernly located Kentuckians professed loyalty to the Union, but were secretely Southern sympathizers. They also presented claims before the Commission for property losses, etc. and had to prove their loyalty. If the Commission found out that you had paid confederate taxes, loaned a horse to a Reb, sold goods ... ouch! A total invasion of privacy resulted ...newspapers from the claimant's area hunted for damaging evidence, pollbooks were checked to see how a person voted, court records were attached, witnesses called. Here are some of the questions asked of the applicant for pension: Name, age, residence, how long a resident there, occupation. How are you related to the claimant if you are not the claimant? Where were you born, if not in the US, where and when were you naturalized (papers required as proof). Where were you residing when the war broke out, what was your business for six months before the outbreak, where did you live and what was your business during the war. If you moved, why, where and when. On which side were your sympathies and did your sympathies change during the war. Did you ever do anything for the Union cause - if so, what, when, where, names of persons aided and were they your relatives. Do you have relatives in the Union Army or Navy - if so, what company, regiment, vessel, service dates, how did they leave service, produce discharge paper. Were you in the service for the Union - if so, when, where, etc. Were you ever threatened with damage or injury because of your sentiments - if so, details. Were you in the service of the Rebel government - if so, when, where. Did you take an oath of allegiance to the Confederate States - when, why, where and nature. Do you have any near relatives in the Confederate service - all details if yes. Have you been pardoned by the President? Did you take any amnesty oaths before, during or after the war? Was any of your goods taken by the government because of your sympathy to the Confederats (if applicable). Do you belong to a vigilanty committee or any other type of organization like this? If you were testifying for an applicant you were asked: In whose favor are you here to testify? How long have you known the person, did you live near him during the war? If so, how far away. What was his reputation for loyalty or disloyalty to the US? What did other people think or say, what was his public reputation? Who were the most well- known Union people in the neighborhood during the war, will they testify for him? And on and on and on. IF you were fortunate enough to be the wife ... you got it both barrels too. Married or single, when were you married? Was your husband loyal to the Government throughout the war? Where does he now reside, why hasn't he joined in this petition? Children - names, ages, and were any of them in the Confederate service? If you're a widow, when did your husband die, did he leave any children, was he loyal? Names and ages and proof. Did you ever belong to any sewing society making clothing for soldiers for confederate soldiers or their families, did you make any flags for them? If you were a black soldier - Were you a slave, if so, when did you become free? Were you free or a slave at the beginning of the war? If you are free, what business do you follow? Do you own property now, did you then? How did you obtain your freedom? If you own property, how did you find the money to pay for it? Is your former master still living, what is his address? Will he be a witness for you; do you live on his land or did you buy land from him? Are you in debt? Wasn't easy was it? OTHER SOURCES: Edwin Porter Thompson's "History of the Orphan Brigade", Louisville, 1898. Quisenberry's "Kentucky In the War of 1812, with an Added Preface by Glenn Clift and an added Index by the Kentucky Historical Society, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1969. Kentucky Historical Society Register, Vol No 32, "Kentucky Militia 1789. National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol 16 "Kentucky County, Kentucky Militia Rolls." G G Clift "The Corn Stalk Militia of Kentucky, 1792-1800, Frankfort, Kentucky Historical Society, 1959. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus