which state ceded the land that became kentucky?
Virginia surrendered its claim to the Northwest in 1784, but held on to the rich lands directly across the mountains until the new federal government was in place. That latter area, Kentucky, became a state in 1792, the same year that Virginia formally vacated its claim.
1 New York. In 1782, New York ceded its wispy claim to a large tract (not shown on map) that included much of present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and portions of central Tennessee and western Virginia.  North Carolina. North Carolina attempted to surrender its western claims in 1784.