Looking at Virginia Colonial Abstracts on Ancestry

Question

What does this mean:

'Col Edward Hill Esqr hath proved right to 1100 acres of land for the charge of importacon of 22 persons underwritten"  mean?

I understand the word is "importation" but what does it mean to import people?  Is this for those who are being indentured, purchased as slaves?  Parcelling the land among the 22 people?

Thanks!

Betty

Answer 1

Hi Betty,

Headrights, first described in the so-called Great Charter of 1618, awarded 100 acres of land each to planters who had been in the colony since May 1616, and 50 acres each to anyone who covered the cost of transporting a new immigrant to Virginia.

Source: http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Indentured_Servants_in_Colonial_Virginia

Comments

Thank you Rob!  Sorry it took me a while to get back to you.  I appreciate your help very much!

The link has some great information.

Betty

Answer 2

I'm not familiar with text you mention. However, I read several other texts from colonial Virginia. I believe the term can mean any of the classifications of people you mention. It simply means bringing people to the land. So, iIt really depends on the context in which it is used. At least that's how I intepret it.

Comments

Thanks Douglas.  All of a sudden I was seeing that phrase everywhere and I have never noticed it before.  Blinders I guess. :)  Thank you for taking the time to help me with my question!

Betty

Answer 3

In researching another ancestor in VA years ago, I found that he received a certain number of acres for each person he paid the cost of bringing tthem over.  They then had to work for him, indentured, for a set amount of time before they could have their own land.  It was unclear if he gave them some acreage or eventually willed some to them.