Judy, I don't know the details or exact law but settlers had a right to a certain parcel or acreage of land if they settle on the land, cleared it and grew crops on it. Once there was something called a 'corn right' which meant they got 'x' amount of land for every acre they planted in corn. I hope someone very knowledgable can give detailed explanation. -eddie Can anyone tell me what the following excerpt from a 1796 Wythe County land grant indicates? " . . .Know ye that by Virtue of a Certificate in Right of Settlement given by the Commissioners for adjusting the Titles to unpatented lands in the district of Washington and Montgomery. . . " Judy ==== SW_VA Mailing List ==== #4 Chain letters, gossip, non-genealogical notes, commercial ads, pleas for help, etc. are PROHIBITED on this List. Violators will be promptly locked out. -sysop