Land Grant to Thomas Bradford and Thomas Learning Jr.

Letter

Patrick Henry's Red Hill

Name/Title

Land Grant to Thomas Bradford and Thomas Learning Jr.

Entry/Object ID

2025.2

Description

Ink on vellum. Virginia land grant giving 1,000 acres in Montgomery County, Virginia, to Thomas Bradford and Thomas Learning Jr., assignees of Michael Gratz, James Wilson (1742–1798), Levi Hollingsworth, Dorsey Pentecost, Bernard Gratz, and Charles Willing. Signed by Patrick Henry, February 8, 1786. Bears the Great Seal of Virginia in wax on the obverse left.

Collection

Patrick & Dorothea Henry Collection

Transcription

Patrick Henry Esquire, Governor of the Commonwealth of VIRGINIA, TO ALL TO WHOM these Presents shall come, Greeting. KNOW YE, that by virtue and in consideration of a land office treasury warrant number eighteen thousand and ninety nine and issued the twenty sixth day of July one thousand seven hundred and eight three— there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said Thomas Bradford & Thomas Learning Junr assignees of Michael Gratz, in his own right as well as being the assignee of James Wilson, Levi Hollingsworth, Dorsey Pentecost, Bernard Gratz, & Charles Willing a certain tract or parcel of land, containing one thousand acres by survey bearing date the thirteenth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty four, lying and being in the county of Montgomery on the waters of Guyandotte Creek and bounded as followeth, towit: Beginning at a black oak about one pole from the south corner of their survey No. 119. Thence South forty five degrees west four hundred poles to a Hickory. Thence North forty five degrees west four hundred poles to a white oak Thence North forty five degrees East four hundred poles to an oak, Thence South forty five degrees east four hundred poles to the Beginning With its Appurtenances: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said tract or parcel of land with its Appurtenances, to the said Thomas Bradford & Thomas Learning Junr and their Heirs and assigns forever IN WITNESS whereof the said Patrick Henry Esq Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, hath hereunto set his hand, and caused the letter seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond, on the eighth day of Feby in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Six and of the Commonwealth the Tenth. P. Henry

Language

English

Dimensions

Width

11 in

Length

15 in

Provenance

Notes

This land grant documents the transfer of a 1,000-acre tract in Montgomery County, Virginia, to Thomas Bradford and Thomas Learning Jr. The land was conveyed by a company of wealthy businessmen from Pennsylvania and Virginia and was assigned on February 8, 1786. It is signed twice by Virginia Governor Patrick Henry during his fifth and final term in office. In the post-Revolutionary War era, Virginia began expanding westward by distributing land through the Virginia Land Office, established in 1779. Land acquisition followed a structured process. The land was supplied as a treasury warrant, followed by a claim, survey, and ultimately awarded as a land grant. This particular grant is part of a larger acquisition totaling 32,000 acres, divided into thirty-two 1,000-acre parcels. These lands were situated along the Guyandotte River, south of the Ohio River. The purchase was convened by Founding Father James Wilson, in partnership with Michael and Bernard Gratz, Levi Hollingsworth, Dorsey Pentecost, and Charles Willing. Wilson, wary of Virginia's potential monopoly over settlement along the Ohio River, partnered with the Gratz brothers to market the land warrants in Pennsylvania and northern regions. Their agreement aimed to attract investors, with plans to conduct surveys once adequate capital was secured. Montgomery County, Virginia, named for Revolutionary War Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who died in the 1775 Battle of Quebec, was formed in 1776 from Fincastle County, Virginia. It became a key region in the nation’s westward expansion, particularly through migration routes like the Wilderness Road. Over time, portions of Montgomery County were used to form new counties, including areas that are now part of present-day West Virginia. The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased this land grant from University Auctions on March 12, 2025.