Land records · Parcel maps · October 7, 2026
Headright Land Grant: Colonial and Texas Land
What a headright grant was: land given to settlers based on the number of people they brought or their status, used in colonial Virginia and in Texas.
Headright land grant refers to a system of granting land to people based on the number of individuals, or heads, they brought to a colony, or based on their status as settlers. In colonial Virginia, starting around 1618, a person who paid for someone’s passage could claim 50 acres per person. Similar systems were used in Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia. In the Republic of Texas, headright certificates granted land to settlers based on when they arrived and whether they were heads of families. Headright records are key sources for colonial and Texas land history. This page is general land-records background, not legal advice.
Colonial headrights
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Amount | Often 50 acres per person transported |
| Who claimed | Person paying passage, often planters |
| Process | Proof of importation, then patent |
| Records | Land patents and importation lists |
Headrights helped wealthy settlers accumulate large holdings by paying passage for servants and others.
Texas headrights
The Republic of Texas issued headright certificates in classes based on arrival dates. Heads of families arriving earliest received the largest grants, often a league and labor, while single men received less. Certificates were located on vacant land and surveyed, leading to patents.
Records
Colonial headright patents are held by state archives, such as the Library of Virginia. Texas headright files are held by the Texas General Land Office. These records may include names of people transported, which helps genealogists.
Related grants
Other early land sources include Spanish land grants, bounty land warrants, and later federal land patents.
Why it matters today
Many properties in Virginia, Texas, and other states trace title back to headright grants. Old surveys based on headrights can explain irregular boundaries.
Example
A 1650s Virginia patent grants 500 acres to a planter for transporting 10 people to the colony. The patent lists the names of those transported. Modern deeds in the area trace back to this patent.
Research tips
Search state archives and land office databases by name and county. Abstracts of colonial patents are published in book form.
Fraud
Headright systems were sometimes abused, with the same person claimed multiple times. Texas also had problems with fraudulent certificates.
Surveys and boundaries
Headright lands in the colonies were surveyed by metes and bounds, often using trees, streams, and neighboring tracts as markers. That is why boundaries in Virginia and other original colonies are irregular, unlike the rectangular sections in public land states. Retracing these lines today relies on old surveys, later deeds, and physical evidence.
Land office terms
Texas records may refer to first-class, second-class, third-class, and fourth-class headrights, each tied to arrival dates and conditions. The class affects the size of the grant.
Bottom line
A headright grant gave land based on the number of people transported or settler status, used in colonial Virginia and other colonies and in the Republic of Texas. Records at state archives and land offices help trace titles and families. Explore historic counties via the Platbookmapper map.
Headright land grant FAQ
What was a headright?
A land grant based on people transported or settler status.
How much land was a headright?
Often 50 acres per person in colonial Virginia.
Did Texas use headrights?
Yes, the Republic of Texas issued headright certificates.
Where are headright records?
State archives and the Texas General Land Office.
Can headrights help genealogy?
Yes, they may list names of immigrants.