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The Northern Neck of Virginia comprises all of the territory between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers. The "headright" system, widely used for acquiring land in Virginia was never recognized in the Northern Neck. People wanting to acquire land there had to purchase a warrant and obtain a survey before they were issued a grant. The original Grant Books, now on microfilm, were used in making this collection of abstracts, and they generally provide the following information: the name of the grantee, dates of warrant and survey, date and location of grant, amount of acreage, names of former owners/occupiers, names of adjacent property owners, and often the names of heirs and other family members. Altogether, in more than 2,000 abstracts, over 5,000 early Virginia residents are cited, all of them easily located in the index.

See also the following volumes:
Volume II (1742-1775)
Volume III (1775-1800)
Volume IV (1800-1862)