Virginia Land Rights
Old Kentucky Entries & Deeds by Willard Rouse Jillson, page 7
Virginia also recognized and gave preferred rights covering certain quantities of land, usually 400 acres, to those settlers who prior to January 2, 1778, had made "a crop of corn or had resided in the country upon the western waters for at least one year."
There were secured in the same manner pre-emption rights to not exceeding 400 acres per person. If prior to January 1, 1778, settlers "had marked out or chosen for themselves any waste or unappropriated lands, building a house of hut or made other improvements thereon" or pre-emption rights were allowed covering any reasonable quantity of land including improvements but not to exceed 1000 acres.