French Grant

The French Grant (also known as the French-Grant Estates) was a land tract in the Northwest Territory, present day Scioto County, Ohio, that was paid out by the U.S. Congress on March 31, 1795. This was after a group of French colonists were defrauded by the Scioto Company of purchased land grants which rightly were controlled by the Ohio Company of Associates. Not all of the settlers took the grant, some preferring to stay on the East Coast others preferring stay in Gallipolis, Ohio in Gallia County. (Gallia and Gallipolis were named for Gaul, the ancient Latin name of France.)

The First Grant extended from a point on the Ohio River 1.5 mi above and opposite the mouth of Little Sandy River (Kentucky) in Kentucky, and extending eight miles (13 km) in a direct line down the river, and from the two extremities of that line, reaching back at right angles sufficiently far to include the quantity of land required, which somewhat exceeded 4.5 mi. Of these 24000 acre, 4000 acre were awarded to John Gabriel Gervais for having pursued the grant; the remaining 20000 acre were split into 92 lots of 217.4 acre each.

Another 1200 acre additional were granted on June 25, 1798 called the Second Grant. These 150 acre lots adjoined the first Grant towards its lower end. This grant was for eight Gallipolis residents who did not receive a portion of the First Grant.