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Let us look for a moment at the chain of titles to the lands of Warren County, taking one tract as an example, and tracing its title to its origin.
The lots on which the court house and jail stand were conveyed to Warren County in trust, for the purposes for which they are devoted, by William Sinnard, Abraham Wambaugh, Paul Egbert, Daniel Skinner and their wives, by deed of gift dated September 7, 1820.
The above named grantors derived their title from Samuel Manning by deed dated October 2, 1808.
Samuel Manning derived his title from Benjamin Stites, who conveyed to Manning the west half of Section 30, or 320 acres in consideration of $320, by deed dated October 10, 1797.
Maj. Benjamin Stites
derived his title from Jonathan Dayton, who conveyed
to Stites about ten thousand acres in the third or military range, including
the sections on which the east half of Lebanon stands, by deed dated May
14, 1795.
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The United States derived its title from the State of Virginia by deed of cession, signed by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe, delegates from the commonwealth of Virginia in the Second Colonial Congress, authorized by an act of Virginia passed October 20, 1783, entitled "An Act to authorize the delegates of the State in Congress to convey to the United States in Congress assembled, all right of this commonwealth to the territory northwest of the River Ohio," the deed of cession being dated March 1, 1784.
The State of Virginia derived its title from James I, King of England, by charter dated May 23, 1609.
And Great Britain derived its title by right of discovery of Sebastian Cabot in 1498.
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