Land Grants

 

The sources contain information about various land grants, primarily in Pocahontas County and Preston County in West Virginia. These grants involve numerous individuals and locations, and include the transfer of land from the state to private owners. Here's a breakdown of the information:

General Characteristics

• The land grants are recorded in what appears to be a ledger format, including the name of the grantee, the number of acres, the local description, the year of the grant, and the page number where it is recorded in the official record.
• The grants vary in size, from small parcels of a few acres to very large tracts of several thousand acres.
• The grants span multiple years, with many recorded in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, though a few appear earlier and later.

Locations

• The land grants are identified with various local descriptions, often referencing creeks, rivers, mountains, and other geographical features. Some locations include:
  • Creeks: Beaver Lick Creek, Clover Creek, Swago Creek, Stony Creek, Knapps Creek, Deer Creek, Little Creek, Laurel Run, and many others.
  • Rivers: Cheat River, Williams River, Greenbrier River.
  • Mountains: Allegheny Mountain, Brushy Mountain, Brown's Mountain, and others.
  • Other areas such as Old Field Fork, Dry Fork, and various "Wts." (waters) of these features are also common designations.

Notable Grantees

• Several individuals are listed multiple times, indicating they received multiple land grants. Some of these individuals include:
  • Arbogast, Jacob
  • Auldridge, Thomas
  • Blair, William
  • Boggs, William
  • Bruffy, John
  • Cassell, James
  • Clark, Sheldon
  • Edmiston, George M.
  • Gay, Samuel M.
  • Hannah, John
  • Kellison, Daniel
  • Mathews, Sampson
  • McNeil, Paul
  • Sharp, John
  • Wanless, Andrew
• Some grants are made to multiple individuals, like "Arbogast, Jacob H. et al" or "Edmiston, James & George".

Connection to Sherwood Land

• While the land grant documents do not directly reference "Sherwood" land, several of the geographic locations mentioned, such as the Greenbrier River and certain creeks, also appear in the context of Sherwood land. This suggests that the land grants may have contributed to the formation of larger holdings, like those associated with the Sherwood area.

Additional Observations

• The "Sims Index" is a reference to the document's index, which is designed to make it easier to locate land grants by grantee name and location.
• The sources list the acreage of the grants, which could have been used to calculate and record land holdings and boundaries.
• Some grants are noted as "Adj." (adjacent) to certain features or previous land grants. This suggests a process of acquiring or surveying land that was adjacent to previous holdings, allowing for the expansion of land ownership.

In summary, the land grants represent a significant historical record of land distribution in Pocahontas and Preston Counties, West Virginia, involving many individuals and locations. These grants likely played a role in shaping the land ownership patterns and economic activities of the region.