This is one of the most outstanding records of early emigrants to Virginia. It records under the name of the patentee or grantee, the earliest Virginia land grants and patents from 1623 to 1666, giving the number of acres, locations and dates of settlement, and names of family members, and it further provides references to marriages, wills, and other legal instruments. It also has the names of some thousands who were transported or brought over by the early settlers as "headrights." The index contains the names of about 20,000 persons.