Research Tips

This file contains all documents recorded in the Land Office regarding this patent. Subsequent conveyances of the property are recorded in deeds and wills filed with the county clerk�s office. Many county records are also available from the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives in Frankfort.

Determine the county (in which the patent was located) by researching the watercourse cited in the patent. If no watercourse is identified, the researcher may have to study patents issued to adjacent property owners. After the watercourse is determined, access the online �Gazetteer of Early Kentucky Land Locations� to identify the county. Access the online �County Formations Table� to determine when the county was formed and the identification of mother counties. (The date the grant was issued will help you determine which counties need to be researched. County records do not transfer �out of the county� when a new county is formed.)

County tax lists are a valuable tool for determining who patented land, how long they resided on the property, and properties they owned in other Kentucky counties. Soldiers, their heirs or assignees, were not exempt from the Kentucky Tax Rolls. Tax Lists may be researched at the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives or the Kentucky History Center Library, both in Frankfort. See the Land Office Journal for an article regarding the significance of tax list research.