Central New York's Military Tract townships.
Map from the original by Simeon De Witt

The Military Tract in Central New York consisted of nearly two million acres (8,000 km²) of bounty land set aside to compensate New York’s soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Simeon De Witt (1756-1834) was the Geographer and Surveyor-General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Surveyor General of the State of New York for the fifty years from 1884 until his death, a time of rapid expansion into the Indian lands of the central and... Categories: US geography stubs | New York geography ... An acre is a measure of land area in Imperial units or U.S. customary units. ... Bounty can refer to different things: The Bounty a 1984 film with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins A bounty is an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for the capture of a person or thing Bounty is a brand of paper towel manufactured by Procter & Gamble... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ...

The United States Congress had already guaranteed each soldier at least 100 acres (0.4 km²) at the end of the war (depending on rank), but by 1781, New York had enlisted only about half of the quota set by the U.S. congress and needed a stronger incentive. The state legislature authorized an additional 500 acres (2 km²) per soldier, using land from 25 Military Tract Townships to be established in central New York State. Each of the townships was to comprise 100 lots of 600 acres (2.4 km²) each. Three more such townships were later added to accommodate additional claims at the end of the war. The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. ...

The townships were at first numbered (1 through 28), but were later given (mostly) classical Greek and Roman names, along with a few honoring English authors: Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The word author has several meanings: The author of a book, story, article or the like, is the person who has written it (or is writing it). ...

The tract covered the present counties of Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, and Seneca. Most of these township names are reflected in current town names in these counties, but the area of the military townships do not correspond exactly with any of the modern towns, which only cover a fraction of the original townships. Onondaga is the name of some places in North America: Onondaga, Michigan Onondaga, New York Onondaga, Ontario Onondaga County, New York Onondaga Lake Onondaga Reservation, New York Onondaga Township, Michigan Other meanings: Onondaga Native American Iroquois First Nations group Onandaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, Missouri Onondaga Community College in... Cortland may refer to: A kind of apple Cortland is also the name of some places in the United States of America: Cortland, Illinois Cortland, New York Cortland, Ohio Cortland County, New York With a somewhat different spelling, there is also: Courtland, Virginia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Cayuga is the name of a town in Canada and some places in the United States of America: Cayuga, Ontario Cayuga, Indiana Cayuga County, New York Village of Cayuga in New York Cayuga Lake. ... Seneca has several significant meanings: Seneca the Elder Seneca the Younger Seneca tribe Seneca crater Seneca (plant) Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario Places in the United States of America: Seneca, Pennsylvania Seneca, South Carolina Seneca, Wisconsin Seneca County, New York Seneca, New York Seneca Lake Seneca Falls (village), New York Senecaville... A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ...

The names themselves have been attributed to Robert Harpur, a clerk in the office of New York's Surveyor General, Simeon De Witt. Harpur apparently had an interest in the classical literature. Simeon De Witt (1756-1834) was the Geographer and Surveyor-General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Surveyor General of the State of New York for the fifty years from 1884 until his death, a time of rapid expansion into the Indian lands of the central and...

References

• Names of Townships in the Military Tract (http://home.hetnet.nl/~fatcat/military.html)
• History of The Military Tract Of Central NY (http://www.rootsweb.com/~nycayuga/land/mtracths.html)