Ah, yes - the McLaren-Lake-Grubbs leases. I remember that, since McLaren is in my Adams line. Had other fish to fry, though, so I haven't done anything on that. Any questions you have are fine, but I'm not sure I can help you much more than what I put in that "brief". Marty is the better one to clear the fog in that area. OK, Marty, so clue us in...!! -Nancy -----Original Message----- From: joslake@attglobal.net [mailto:joslake@attglobal.net] Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 2:24 AM To: 71561.634@compuserve.com; VAFAUQUI-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: 1815 Land Owners Nancy ..... thanks much for the excellent discussion (& a whole "bunch" of typing) of the VA Land matter under discussion the last two days. It gave me background and info that I should have had for the past 15 years. I sorta' had an intimation of a few of your points, but had not figured out the logical title tracing procedure which you outlined. I have kept coming back to those 1787 Massie leases (by Vincent Lake, Benage Grubbs and Archibald McLaren, witnessed each others leases, all signed on same date) but never making further progress (McLaren stayed in Fauquier Co c1800; Grubbs bought land "on the slope of Moores Mtn," in Culpeper c1800; Lake, who moved to now Rappahannock near Chesters Gap, never owned land that I have found altho he lived in Fauquier Co., formed 1759, from c1754). In any event I really enjoyed your solid material, as well as the whole discussion. I'll re-read tomorrow and perhaps have a question or two, if you will be so kind. Thanks very much. Joe Lake ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nancy Upshaw" <71561.634@compuserve.com> To: "'Joseph E. Lake'" <joslake@attglobal.net>; <VAFAUQUI-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 9:28 PM Subject: RE: 1815 Land Owners Joe, I think this forum is a great place to have this discussion. It is a more complicated subject than appears on the surface, but is one that needs to be understood better by all of us if we are to successfully find and analyze the records pertainig to these properties. My ancestor family which received a 3-life lease from Denny Fairfax in 1792 (actually recorded in a Frederick County deed book) never left the land until about 1942. I'm still not exactly sure how the transition from lease to fee simple occurred, but some research I did tonight gives some clues.