The Corn Crop

Virtually all of the early settlers of Kentucky were anxious to get a crop of corn in the ground and harvest it. Taking possession and getting clear title of the land in many early land grants required the person to actually settle the ground, and the way the person proved he was there, and had settled there, was to raise a crop of corn on it. Raising a crop of corn was frequently specified as a requirement. Because so much of the early exploration of Kentucky, by Boone, Kenton and their peers, was to stake out land claims, that first corn crop was vital, and could be used in a court as proof of residence, where dozens of claims for the same piece of ground were ultimately decided.