Although Tennessee is not a federal land state, meaning none of its land was owned by the federal government, some North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans received bounty land in the state. Bounty land is land the federal government set aside as a reward for those who served in the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian Wars.
Modern day Tennessee was once part of western North Carolina. However, in 1784 North Carolina gave the lands back to the United States to create a military reserve. This land was to be used for land grants to North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. North Carolina did not use any of its own land for bounty land grants.
Revolutionary War bounty land grants and warrant records can be found in the major online genealogy databases. Remember, just because a man’s name was on a warrant does not mean he was in the war. Many grants were sold to individuals other than the veteran and there was a lot of cheating in the grant process. It is wise to search a roster of soldiers in the Revolutionary War to verify that the name on a warrant was a veteran. One such list is contained in this digitized book, Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution.
Modern day Tennessee was once part of western North Carolina. However, in 1784 North Carolina gave the lands back to the United States to create a military reserve. This land was to be used for land grants to North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. North Carolina did not use any of its own land for bounty land grants.
Revolutionary War bounty land grants and warrant records can be found in the major online genealogy databases. Remember, just because a man’s name was on a warrant does not mean he was in the war. Many grants were sold to individuals other than the veteran and there was a lot of cheating in the grant process. It is wise to search a roster of soldiers in the Revolutionary War to verify that the name on a warrant was a veteran. One such list is contained in this digitized book, Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution.
Ancestry.com: North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843
