Barbara's response nicely summarizes the difficulties inherent in using land patents and headrights for genealogical purposes. The larger historical significance of the system is pretty clear, though. The idea was to reward--with land grants--those immigrants who paid for their own passage to the colony and for that of others, whether family members, servants, or (for several decades, at least) slaves, at the rate of 50 acres per person transported (self plus others). Those whose passage was thus paid did not get the land, except for a spell in certain other colonies, such as Maryland where it was part of a servant's freedom dues (until 1683, if I remember correctly). For most of the colonies, including Virginia, the headright system rewarded the wealthiest with even more wealth. In Virginia, it helped build a landed elite that, conveniently, was rewarded for bringing more labor into the colony. Political conflict in the decades before and after 1700 revolved, much of the time, around the abuses and inequalities that the practices of land distribution entailed. Anthony Parent's recent book, Foul Means, treats some of this story in detail. Doug Deal History/SUNY-Oswego To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html