Washington, D.C., August 15, 1805. Single sheet, 15 1/2 x 12 3/8 in. (394 x 314 mm). Partially-printed land patent on vellum, signed by President Thomas Jefferson, granting Capt. Thomas Pemberton of the Virginia Line of the Continental Army 666 2/3 acres of land "situate between the Little Miami and Sciota Rivers, north-west of the River Ohio" in the Northwest Territory; counter-signed by Secretary of State James Madison; manuscript on verso, signed by Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, additionally signed on same by secretary Christopher S. Thom; docketing on verso. Paper seal intact in bottom left corner. Creasing from old folds; scattered spotting.

A handsome land patent signed by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison, granting Revolutionary War veteran Capt. Thomas Pemberton of the Virginia Line of the Continental Army over 600 acres of land in the Virginia Military District (in present day Ohio), in the Northwest Territory.

The Virginia Military District (or Lands) were a body of land comprised of about four million acres in the Northwest Territory, lying between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, bounded by the Ohio River on the south, and Auglaize, Hardin, and Marion Counties to the North. Originally part of the Virginia territory as granted in its 1609 royal charter, Virginia agreed to relinquish all claims on western land, including this territory, to the general government upon the condition that it be used specifically for land grants in lieu of cash payments for Virginia soldiers and officers who fought in the Revolution. In 1790, the first United States Congress passed “An act to enable the officers and soldiers of the Virginia line on continental establishment, to obtain titles to certain lands lying north west of the river Ohio, between the Little Miami and Sciota”, allowing Virginia to use this land, and by 1794 the region was opened for settlement by Virginia soldiers like the above who were granted land bounties. 

Captain Thomas Pemberton (ca. 1756-1828) served as a commander of Light Dragoons within the Virginia Continental Line. Commissioned in 1776, he was stationed at Valley Forge, where he assisted in foraging and reconnaissance operations. He became a first lieutenant in 1778 and was promoted to captain of the 1st Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons on June 12, 1779. His unit participated in campaigns in Northern New Jersey, provided security for Philadelphia, endured the siege of Charleston in 1780, and fought alongside the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia and at Yorktown. Upon the war's conclusion, Pemberton retired from military duty and received land grants in recognition of his long service. He further distinguished himself as one of the original members of the Society of the Cincinnati in Virginia.