Township is also problematic...I remember four years ago I was totally confused until some helpful individual patiently explained to me that the neat townships, are in no way directly related to the townships used for census enumerations. The township and range numbers (like the range numbers) refer (almost) always to a strip of land that is six miles wide that runs the length or breadth of the state. I say almost always because the township directly to the south of Dade County in Lawrence County is a little larger because Sections 1-6 are twice as long (2 miles by 1 mile if memory serves), Township numbers define these East to West strips. Range Numbers are the North to South Strips. The squares (usually) created by their intersection are then divided into.... Thirty-six Sections make up one parcel identified by a Township/Range combination. Within this combination, the Sections are ordered the following way as you can see by the maps, beginning in the upper northeast corner proceeding west 1-6, then going directly south proceeding east 7-12, and so on. Like the game Chutes and Ladders (which surely almost all of us are familiar). Remember the original land grantees for these plots, if you know them, can be found at the Bureau of Land Management Website. You can search by County, by any smaller group of Section, Township, Range, etc. Doing this you can figure out who the original neighbors were by going through them section by section. This is an excellent substitute for deeds to get clues and you can examine it in the comfort of your home. You should know that the dates shown on the certificates you can access there are the dates that they were issued, not when the purchase was made. The originals of those documents are at the National Archives in Washington DC for Missouri. Usually the land was actually purchased from 1 to 4 years before certificates were issued. That website is here: www.glorecords.blm.gov (Think www.General Land Office Records.Bureau of Land Management.Government). Good Luck! Janet Hunter In a message dated 8/26/2002 5:21:44 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > Range > > Townships run north and south >