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What is a Surveyor's Entry?
My ancestor filed an Entry in the Lincoln County, Virginia, Surveyor's Book. Doesn’t that indicate he owned the land?
Where was Lincoln County, Virginia?
Are all the Entries for the Lincoln County, Virginia, territory on your database?
The county seat for Lincoln County is now Stanford. Why do maps show the county seat of Lincoln County, Virginia, as Harrodsburg?
How many Entries are there in the Lincoln County Entry Book?
Who filed the first Entry in the Lincoln County Entry Book?
How do I research the Pauling Entry further?
I am a naturalist researching early Kentucky. How will this database help me?
Who filed the last Entry in the Lincoln County Surveyor’s Entry Book?
Are Entry Books available for all 120 counties?
What is the meaning of the abbreviations “S”, “W” and “A”?
Can you provide a statistical analysis regarding the number and types of warrants used?
Can you provide a statistical analysis regarding marginal notations, such as “Surveyed”, “Amended” and “Withdrawn”?
Your database offers a search option by book and page. What book is being cited?
Where can I research Entries for early Kentucky County, Virginia?
Where can I research Entries for Fayette County, Virginia, and Jefferson County, Virginia?
Are there plans to put the Fayette, Jefferson, and Kentucky County Entries online?
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What is a Surveyor's Entry?
An Entry is the second step in the land patenting process. After a Warrant is obtained, the prospective landowner files an Entry with the county surveyor reserving land considered unappropriated and available for patenting. The county surveyor and his team then go to the field to perform the actual Field Survey, the third step in the patenting process. After the Survey is complete, the Warrant, Survey and proof of Entry are sent to the Land Office where the Governor’s Grant is prepared for signature. (For more information on the patenting process, see Section V of “Virginia Land Law A” and Section III of “Virginia Land Law B” in the Reference Library-Legislation section of this website. Also see KRS 56 for the role of the Entry in today’s process of patenting land.)
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My ancestor filed an Entry in the Lincoln County, Virginia, Surveyor's Book. Doesn’t that indicate he owned the land?
No. Entries merely set aside land for patenting. Entries are subject to Amendment or Withdrawal if it appears all or part of the land is already taken.
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Where was Lincoln County, Virginia?
Lincoln County was one of three counties formed in 1780 from Kentucky County, Virginia. (The other two counties were Fayette County, Virginia, and Jefferson County, Virginia.) Lincoln County covered one-third of the former Kentucky County, Virginia.
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Are all the Entries for the Lincoln County, Virginia, territory on your database?
No. The Military District, located from the mouth of South Green River to the Cumberland Mountains and along the Tennessee border and up the east side of the Jackson Purchase, is excluded. Entries for that area were filed with the Principal Surveyors of the Military District.
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The county seat for Lincoln County is now Stanford. Why do maps show the county seat of Lincoln County, Virginia, as Harrodsburg?
When Lincoln County, Virginia, was formed in 1780, Harrodsburg was named the county seat as it seemed the most centrally located. The first (county) court ever held in Kentucky was for Lincoln County; it was organized in Harrodsburg on January 16, 1781. In February 1781, Col. Benjamin Logan offered ten acres of land at his station (or St. Asaph), including the Buffalo Spring, for building a courthouse and other public buildings. He donated an additional fifty acres “so long as the court of Lincoln county shall continue there”. At the May term, 1786, the court ordered “that the courthouse and prison be removed to the town of Standford” (now Stanford) “on the lands conveyed by Benjamin Logan to the court.” (Ref: “Collins’ History of Kentucky”, Vol. II, pp 475-476.) When Mercer County was formed in 1785, it was decided the county seat (for Mercer) would be Harrodsburg.
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How many Entries are there in the Lincoln County Entry Book?
Our database includes information for 4763 Lincoln County Entries recorded in two oversize volumes.
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Who filed the first Entry in the Lincoln County Entry Book?
Henry Pauling, assignee of Julius Saunders, filed an entry November 3, 1779, on Boones Mill Creek under the authorization of Saunders’ Certificate of Settlement.
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How do I research the Pauling Entry further?
Go to the “Certificates of Settlement and Preemption Warrants Database” on this website and search for Saunders. You will see Saunders’ Certificate of Settlement authorized Virginia Patent 7656. The patent file may be requested from the Secretary of State’s Land Office or the Kentucky History Center. Staff of the Secretary of State’s Land Office are currently colorscanning all patents in the Virginia Patent Series. The entire file for Virginia Patent 7656 should be online by Fall 2005. By using the Gazetteer in the Reference Library, you will see that Boones’ Mill Creek is in Madison County. Use the County Formation Table, also in the Reference Library, to determine which county records to access regarding subsequent property conveyances.
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I am a naturalist researching early Kentucky. How will this database help me?
Complete information for all Lincoln County Entries was indexed for this site. This allows a variety of search options. For example, if researchers are interested in elk, buffalo or cane, go to the “Watercourse” function and key in those search requirements. Be sure to use a variety of spellings as the records were indexed as they were spelled in the Entry. For example, search for cane, cain, canebrake or cainbreak and other variations. The same applies for searches for Mills, Salt Works, and other locations. If it appears the Entry was involved in a patent authorized by a Certificate of Settlement or Preemption Warrant, the patent file may be available on the “Certificates of Settlement & Preemption Warrants” database. If the Entry states another type of Warrant was used, the researcher may need to access publications for the Virginia and Old Kentucky Patent Series to verify the Entry went to patent.
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Who filed the last Entry in the Lincoln County Surveyor’s Entry Book?
James Bryant, Jr., assignee of James Dupuy, withdrew his Entry of 500 acres on April 19, 1792. Lincoln County Entries after that date are recorded and filed in Stanford.
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Are Entry Books available for all 120 counties?
Many of the County Surveyors kept their Entry Books in their homes if an office wasn’t available. Contact the County Surveyor for the area in which you are interested and see what Entry records are extant. We also suggest you contact the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives, Coffee Tree Road, Frankfort, KY, to see if the Surveyors’ Entry Books may have been sent to Frankfort for storage and preservation.
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What is the meaning of the abbreviations “S”, “W” and “A”?
Marginal notations were placed in the Surveyors’ Entry Books when the Entry was surveyed or if the Entry was withdrawn or amended. S = Surveyed; W = Withdrawn; and A = Amended.
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Can you provide a statistical analysis regarding the number and types of warrants used?
According to our database, 3366 Entries were authorized by Treasury Warrants; 560 Entries are authorized by “Unknown” Warrants; 389 Entries were authorized by Preemption Warrants; 232 Entries were authorized by Certificates of Settlement; 213 Entries were authorized by Military Warrants (most for service in the French & Indian War); 1 Entry definitely stated the Warrant was issued for service in the French & Indian War; 1 Entry was authorized by a combination of Military & Treasury Warrants; and 1 Entry was authorized by a “Road” Warrant. (Types of Warrants may be researched on our database by using the drop-box option.)
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Can you provide a statistical analysis regarding marginal notations, such as “Surveyed”, “Amended” and “Withdrawn”?
According to our database, 3155 Entries had no marginal notations; 1292 Entries were withdrawn; 218 Entries were amended, 88 Entries were surveyed (Note: Additional Entries were probably Surveyed but no marginal notation was made); 5 Entries were amended and withdrawn; 4 Entries were surveyed and withdrawn; and 1 marginal notation indicates the Entry was amended and surveyed.
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Your database offers a search option by book and page. What book is being cited?
Jillson’s “Old Kentucky Entries & Deeds” has three sections for early survey entries—a section labeled “Fayette Entries”, a second section labeled “Lincoln Entries”, and a third section labeled “Jefferson Entries”. Researchers having access to Jillson’s publication may enter a book and page reference from the “Lincoln Entries” section to search our database. (Fayette County Entries and Jefferson County Entries are not included on this database.)
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Where can I research Entries for early Kentucky County, Virginia?
The front pages of the Jefferson County Entry Book list Entries for Kentucky County, Virginia. Dates range from November 3, 1779, to October 31, 1780, when Kentucky County, Virginia, was divided.
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Where can I research Entries for Fayette County, Virginia, and Jefferson County, Virginia?
Microfilm of Fayette Entries and Jefferson Entries (with Kentucky County Entries) is available at most research libraries specializing in Kentucky History. Books containing Lincoln and Fayette Surveyors’ Entries are housed with the Secretary of State’s Land Office; the Jefferson Surveyors’ Entry Books are housed with Jefferson County Archives in Louisville.
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Are there plans to put the Fayette, Jefferson, and Kentucky County Entries online?
The long-range goal of the Secretary of State’s Land Office is to preserve all records in digital format thus allowing internet access.