Kentucky.gov

Kentucky Secretary of State
Michael G. Adams

Virginia Treasury Warrants

In May 1779 the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation that expanded the land patenting process to include acquisitions by Treasury Warrants. From October 15, 1779, the first date Treasury Warrants could be sold, to December 24, 1783, the final date in Treasury Warrants Register II, over 23082 Treasury Warrants were purchased from the Virginia Land Office or authorized by the Virginia General Assembly by special Act or Resolution. For the complete text of Land Law B, Chapter XIII, see Land Office Reference Library, Legislation, Virginia & Old Kentucky Patents on this website. 

This database includes information for all entries in the Virginia Treasury Warrants Registers, Vols. I & II, as copied by Edmund Thomas, Register of the Kentucky Land Office, and certified by William Price, Register of the Virginia Land Office. Patents authorized by these Warrants have been identified, entered, and scanned by the Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State. Patent Series include Patents in Kentucky, i.e. patents issued prior to Kentucky’s statehood in 1792, and Old Kentucky Patents. 

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Summary

This database includes information recorded in the Virginia Treasury Warrants Register, Vols. I and II, housed in the Kentucky Office of Secretary of State. This index includes:

  1. the name(s) of persons purchasing Treasury Warrants;
  2. immediate assignees;
  3. acreage allowed under the warrant;
  4. price paid in pounds, shillings and pence;
  5. date of warrant purchase; and
  6. Treasury Warrant number.

Patents within Kentucky that were authorized by these Treasury Warrants are listed in the “Authorized” field. Patents identified in the “Virginia Patents in Kentucky” series are encoded as “VA” followed by the patent number. Patents identified in the “Old Kentucky Patents” series are encoded as “OK” followed by the patent number. An asterisk (*) indicates the Treasury Warrant is included with the cited patent file. Many patent references link to scanned color images of patent files maintained by the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Land Office in Frankfort.