Caveats were filed to halt a land patent in progress until a court could determine if the land had been previously patented. Caveat papers often include references to the dates of settlement by the claimant, the claimant’s county of residence, and other information deemed necessary to prove a prior claim. Caveat papers may include the court judgment affecting the issuance of the Grant.
By accessing the drop-box list on this page, researchers can study caveat papers pertaining to patents in the Virginia Patent Series (VA), Old Kentucky Patent Series (OK), Kentucky Land Warrant Series (KLW), and West of Tennessee River Military Series (WTRM). In some cases the patent numbers have been assigned due to an association with a warrant number or an associated patent file.