There are a variety of evidences which shed light upon your question, which I will recount shortly. First -- a general statement -- the governor could not issue deeds to anyone. The governor did issue patents, in the name of the King -- which is something very different from a deed which transfers property from one owner to another -- but it is the real starting point for a title to land in colonial Virginia. In the case of Frederick County -- which was part of the Proprietorship of the Northern Neck -- there was a controversy in the 1730's as to whether this was royal land or proprietary land. Hence the conundrum that some of James Wood's initial surveys lead to royal patents from the governor and some lead to proprietary grants from Lord Fairfax. Whichever route they took, they were all legitimized by the final agreement between Lord Fairfax and the Crown in 1745. Now, to your three ancestors: each of them claimed land under surveys made by James Wood made in the fall of 1735 or the winter of 1735-1736, (See "List of grants in disputed surveys since October 1735," British Public Records Office: CO 5/1320:109 ff -- available at LVa on microfilm). Further evidences of these surveys -- only some of which lead to actual patents or proprietary grants can be found in Hudgins, Denis, ed., _Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents_, vol. 4 (Richmond, Va, 1994), and Gray, Gertrude E., ed, _Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants ( 1742-1775), vol. 2 (Baltimore, Md, 1988). You also must consult O'Dell, Cecil, _Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia_ (Westminster, MD, 2007) for an extended discussion, with excellent maps and documentation regarding the Wood's, and other early surveys of the early valley settlements. I hope this gives you leads. Peter V. Bergstrom, PhD Independent Historian Computer & Historical Consultant 336-286-6854 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Madaline Preston Sent: 06 March 2011 3:09 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: 1735 Frederick Co. surveys I have three ancestors with property surveyed by James Wood in 1735 in Old Frederick County. William Chambers, William Hyatt and Abraham Hollingsworth. The Fred. Co. deed books start in 1743. Are these deed....probably from the Gov. of VA... in Orange County. Haven't found them in Fred. Co. Thanks for any input. M. Preston To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html