Thousands of Virginia's early settlers arrived in the colony as a result of the headright system. Under this system, anyone who paid his way (or someone else's way) to Virginia received fifty acres of land. In order to receive a land patent under the headright system, an individual would petition the county court for a "certificate of importation." The certificates were then recorded in the county court minute books. For genealogical purposes, these records can help establish relationships and approximate arrival times in the colony. This data set presents much such valuable information, along with other records of land acquisition.
In addition to land record abstracts, you will also find lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants (including the first census list, compiled in 1623-1624). These records are important because few reliable lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants exist.
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