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Land grant for military service to William and James Taylor signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, 1897
MS.559  
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Description
Land grant for military service from the United States government to James Taylor, assignee of William Taylor, for seven years of William Taylor's voluntary service in the U.S. Military. The document is dated 1807 and is signed by Thomas Jefferson and his Secretary of State, James Madison.
Background
Virginia began to raise troops in 1775, raising 15 regiments in the Virginia Continental Line (referred to in the land grant as the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment) by 1777. William Taylor joined the Second Virginia Regiment sometime in 1775 as a private and continued his service through the end of the war, at which time he had advanced to the rank of major (see attached testimonials regarding his military service). Virginia awarded bounty lands to soldiers who had enlisted for at least 3 years in the Continental Line, State Line, or State Navy. Heirs could apply if the soldier died. The amount of the grant was dependent on rank and amount of time served. The process of applying and proving service was lengthy and required proof of service. The documents supplied by soldiers to support their claims are held in the Virginia State Library. Facsimiles of the documents relating to William Taylor are included here. After examining and approving documentation of Revolutionary War military service, the governor issued a certificate on which the Land Office register subsequently issued a warrant for bounty lands; these documents are also held by the Virginia State Library, and can be requested on microfilm via inter-library loan. Once the bounty was approved, the land was surveyed and a grant was issued. All land grants were in Ohio and Kentucky; records of the Ohio surveys and grants are held by the Ohio Historical Society.
Extent
1 folder (1 document)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.