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Under the Virginia Land Law of 1779, residents of the Kentucky District could purchase Certificates of Settlement and Preemption Warrants if they met certain residency requirements. Persons in Kentucky County prior to January 1, 1778, who had made an improvement and planted a crop of corn, were eligible for 400 acre Certificates of Settlement for the land they had improved. They could purchase an additional 1000 acres, adjoining the Settlement tract, under a Preemption Warrant.

Anyone in Kentucky County, Virginia, after January 1, 1778 and before May 1779 (when the Land Law was written) was eligible for a 400 acre Preemption Warrant for the tract on which they had made an improvement and planted a corn crop.

A Land Commission was appointed to hear testimony from Kentucky County residents and their witnesses; the Commission then decided who qualified for Certificates of Settlement, 1000 acre Preemption Warrants and 400 acre Preemption Warrants. The Commission for the Kentucky District consisted of William Fleming, Edmund Lyne, James Barbour and Stephen Trigg. The Commission conducted their hearings in Harrodsburg, St. Asaph (Logan's Fort), Boonesborough, Bryants Station (near Lexington), and the Falls of Ohio (Louisville).

These certificates are for my 5th and 4th great-grandfathers, Samuel Merrifield and Richard Merrifield. However, it is possible those for Samuel Merrifield are for his son, Samuel, since Samuel Merrifield Sr. is reported to have died 25 Feb 1781 and these documents are all dated after that date.