Thank you very much to all those who responded to my questions about assignees, warrants and Commissioner's Certificates, especially Renee, Bob & Wm. You have all given me a much better understanding of land and deed records. I have spent a little time looking at Library of VA website but obviously I have many more hours of reading in their Patents & Land Grants area ahead of me. I have a direct ancestor who was awarded a land patent (under the Homestead Act) in northern Michigan in 1881 for a piece of property that he and neighbors certified was improved by him over 5 years that he lived there. Because of this I believe I was looking at the process for acquiring land in a pretty narrow light. Thanks for opening that up for me, I appreciate all your input and suggestions. Linda ----- Original Message ----- From: FORDREDJ@aol.com To: VAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com Cc: rebailey53v8@wowway.com ; gc-gateway@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 10:00 PM Subject: Re: [VAWASHIN] Commissioners Certificates In a message dated 1/16/2008 2:17:13 PM Pacific Standard Time, rebailey53v8@wowway.com writes: << Is this certificate the same as a land warrant? >> Mary B. Kegley, in her book "Early Adventures on the Western Waters, Volume II, pages 98 - 101 give a good explaination on Commissioners Certificates and the reasons behind them. "Many of the early adventurers on the Western Waters had been able, under the colonial system, to claim their land by means of a survey, live on and improve it, and when the money was available pay the necessary fees in order to obtain the patent or grant. However, the years of war -- first the skirmishes with the French and Indians (1755-1761), next with the Shawnee Indians (1774), and then the onset of the American Revolution -- caused great confusion, many delays, and much uncertainty regarding the status of their land claims." ... "However, an exception was made for the "great numbers of people" who had settled "in the country upon the western waters." They had been prevented from obtaining patents or legal titles by the Proclamation of 1763, by the change of government, and by the Revolutionary War, although they had in many instances lived on their lands for as many as fifteen to twenty years. For those who risked losing their lands, the Virginia lawmakers made allowances. For all persons who "had bona fide settled themselves or their families" on the Western Waters prior to January 1, 1778 on lands which no other person claimed, the allowance was 400 acres (or less if they chose) which would include that part settled by them. ..." It's difficult to compress all Mary wrote on the subject to a simple explaination, but basically Commissioners Certificates were an additional form of land claim and were not warrants, but were another way of acquiring up to 400 acres of land where it could be proved that the "family" had made a "crop of corn" on the land or resided on the land at least one year. All Commissioners certificates were dated 1781 and 1782. The commissioners had designated districts, Washington and Montgomery Counties being one district. Four commissioners were appointed to each district, but they could not live in that district. The district clerk was James REID. Bob Ford ************** Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489