Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, GREETING: Know ye, That, in consideration of military service performed by William Taylor (a Major for the seventh year of his service) to the United States, in the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment, and in pursuance of an Act of the Congress of the United States, passed on the day of August in the year 1790, intituled “An Act to enable the Officers and Soldiers of the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment, to obtain titles to certain lands lying north-west of the River Ohio, between the Little Miami and Sciota;” and another Act of the said Congress Passed on the 9th day of June, in the year 1794,__________amendatory of the said Act, There is granted by the United States unto James Taylor assignee of the said William Taylor a certain tract of land, containing Eight Hundred and Eighty nine acres_____ ______situate between the Little Miami and Sciota Rivers, north-west of the River Ohio, as by survey, bearing date the fifth day of December in the year one thousand Eight hundred and three. and bounded and described as follows, to wit: Survey of Eight hundred and Eighty nine acres of land on a Military Warrant No. 4947, for a like quantity in favor of the said William Taylor. On the Stonelick fork of Miami Beginning at a Walnut buckeye and two ashes on the east bank of the creek where the most eastwardly line of John Linton’s Survey No. 681 strikes the bend of the creek, thence S34.E444 ½ poles to a white oak, and three beeches thence S56W320 poles crossing a small branch to two beeches an ash and dogwood thence N34, W444 ½ poles to four ashes in Linton’s line thence N56E320 poles with his line to the Beginning.

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.

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