Western Settlement
Independence opened a vast western territory to settlement, most of which belonged to Virginia. Managing the land as hoards of settlers migrated west was difficult as Indian Tribes, lingering Redcoats, squatters, and treaty negotiators clashed with veterans coming to claim the only thing Virginia and Congress were able to pay them with: land.
The New Dominion
Gabriel Neville
"Part One: Virginia's Bounty Land" (JAR) Virginia organized three land reserves for distribution to its veterans. It was the only compensation many soldiers ever received. The reserves are now in the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
"Part Two: The Land Lotteries" (JAR) Virginia gave warrants for western bounty land to its veterans. Those hardy enough to brave the wilderness got the best territory.
"Part Three: Virginia's Land in the Northwest" (JAR) Postwar management of western land involved Indian treaties, squatters, Redcoats that refused to leave and eventually war.
Veterans and Virginia Bounty Land
“Before Kentucky: Croghan and the Clarks in the Revolution” (Gabe Neville, RV) William Croghan and brothers Jonathan and George Rogers Clark performed important military service before moving to Kentucky.
“The 8th Virginia and Kentucky" (Gabe Neville, Kentucky History Channel) Gabe Neville returns to the Kentucky History Channel to tell stories of the 8th Virginia in the war and postwar Kentucky.
The Pre-War Frontier
"Pennsylvania Germans in the Virginia Line" (Gabe Neville, RV) Pennsylvania Dutch settlement extended southwest into the Shenandoah Valley, changing Virginia and producing many soldiers for the Revolutionary War. Gabe Neville presents to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum.
Early Settlement of Kentucky
“Initial Land Acquisition in Kentucky” (Neal O. Hammon, KY.gov) How the earliest Kentucky settlers got title to their land.
“Pioneers and Profiteers: Land Speculation and the Homestead Ethic in Frontier Kentucky” (Stephen Aron, Western Historical Quarterly) Winners and losers in the unruly race for Kentucky land.
