Hi Deb, Just a couple of trivial observations to add to the excellent information you have been given: Perhaps this is obvious but just in case it wasn't; the "chain" and "link" measurements were quite literally that. One of the most important pieces of equipment a surveyor would take with him was his surveyor's chain which consisted of (I believe) 100 links (or it could have been 144.) The ones I have actually seen are a bit funny looking for a chain as each link is made up of a piece of fairly stiff wire or rod (1/8" to 1/4" in diameter) with a loop formed on each end. These interlink to give you the exact measurements already described. It is / was a very practical tool as it could be stretched out over the ground (or even through a pond or snow bank) without any fear of damage and then recovered by simply hauling it back in from one end. A tad on the heavy side perhaps but the old surveyors need equipment they could trust to survive! I said "is / was" earlier because I have seen a surveyor's chain being used fairly recently - well - within the last 10 years lets say. My personal favorite of this old system of measure is the "rod, pole or perch" although it has always been a mystery to me: a) why it would have three alternate names and b) why it was named such when it would seemingly be completely impractical to try and use a 5 1/2 meter long measuring stick! Perhaps one of your experts has an explanation for that one? Re, the comment about the "post" in the corner of the lot. Most surveys of land, as Robert so ably described, are based on the location of one "corner" of the lot relative to some larger plan. At that location the surveyor drives a stake into the round, primarily so he can always find his reference point, but also so that subsequent surveys don't need to go through the process of establishing the location on the larger plan - if they can find the stake. If you look at the survey plans of your property you will find reference to a single point and usually there is a metal spike in the ground at that point. This stake is also the origin of the phrase "staking a claim" but that's a whole different discussion. There, more useless information to add to the compost heap. :-) Malcolm Archive CD Books Canada Inc. President: Malcolm Moody PO Box 11 Manotick Ontario, K4M 1A2 Canada. (613) 692-2667 WEB SITE: http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca On 21 Dec, 2007, at 3:02 AM, can-ont-simcoe-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:07:04 +0000 > From: "Deborah Crawford" <orkney5@sympatico.ca> > Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres - oh my > To: can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <BAY111-F30EDFAF667BE47733F9E8C805D0@phx.gbl> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed > > Good morning one & all. A question to any budding or current land > surveyor > experts......... > > I'm in the midst of transcribing conveyancing instructions from a > ledger > housed in the archives at the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum. This > ledger of mortgages, lease agreements, chattel loans, wills, etc > commences > in 1905 to ? (I haven't cheated and peeked at the end of the book > yet!). > One oddity I am encountering has me curious and I thought I'd see > if any of > our listers can explain this - the land descriptions are very > detailed, but > - in land descriptions I see the terms, which I have heard before, > of - > chains, measures, links, feet, yards, rods and acres - all in the same > paragraph or on the same page. It's not a matter of it being > entered by a > different author - these reports were all entered by W.H. HEWSON. > I was > just curious to know if there was any sort of standard which > determined when > various terms were used, i.e. chains, links, etc. Or was it > merely a > matter of Mr. Hewson writing down descriptions perhaps based on > previous > descriptions, or just writing whatever his little heart desired. Any > opinions? Methinks Mr. Hewson just did this, knowing that 100 > years hence > I'd be puzzled over the same...........No?

>From Surveyors Historical Society: " Land Surveyor's Chain - The ordinary Gunter's or surveyor's chain is sixty-six feet or four poles long, and is composed of one hundred links, connected each to each by two rings, and furnished with a tally mark at the end of every ten links. A link in measurement includes a ring at each end, and is seven and ninety two one hundredths inches long. In all the chains which we make the rings are oval and are sawed and well closed, the ends of the wore forming the hook being also filed and bent close to the link, to avoid kinking. The oval rings are about one third stronger than round ones." An in-depth description of each section can be found on this site at: http://www.surveyhistory.org/surveyor's_chain.htm Doreen ======= > From: malcolm@archivecdbooks.ca > Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:08:14 -0500 > To: can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres > > > Hi Deb, > > Just a couple of trivial observations to add to the excellent > information you have been given: > _________________________________________________________________ Introducing the City @ Live! Take a tour! http://getyourliveid.ca/?icid=LIVEIDENCA006