According to "North Carolina Research, Genealogy and Local History," Helen F.M. Leary, Editor, p. 43, in North Carolina: "Although a man could buy or be granted land before he was twenty-one, he could not sell it in his own name. "A single woman or a widow could buy land and, if twenty-one or over, sell it herself, but before 1868 a married woman normally could not---all the land a wife owned before marriage or inherited during it came under her husband's control." The book mentions on another page that some cases are known where a grantor was younger than twenty-one. One wonders how people actually established an age at the time. Many of the Revolutionary War soldiers who filed for pensions were not really sure when they were born. This book is usually considered the definitive work on NC genealogical research, but, of course, anyone could be wrong on a point. But it has been used by many genealogists and any errors would likely have been corrected in the current edition. This book is essential for anyone doing genealogical research in NC. You will save a lot of time by reading it first. It will answer most of the questions posed about NC research in a clear and authoratative manner. Since many documents in VA were similar, it is somewhat useful for VA researchers. I haven't found an equivalent work for VA.