See this site for states with Sections, Townships, and Ranges. This is a "Search Site". Some of my ancestors who owned land in Alabama, I found their land records in Mississippi. May have been because they lived in an Alabama county adjoining Mississippi: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ Jimmie Charles L. Dibble wrote: > Deborah - > Very helpful. One small correction. As I recall, a chain is 66 feet (not > 100 feet). The importance of this measuring unit is its relationship to an > acre. The measurement is derived from an acre [or perhaps it was vice > versa]. But in any event ten square chains equals one acre. Example: 66' > x 660' = 43,560 sq.ft = one acre. > > I believe my g-grandparents' home place sat on a lot that measured two > chains [on the street] by twenty chains ... or 132 feet by 1,320 feet. > Those four acres left enough room for the house and the buggy house and the > various barns ... and a persimmon tree, a scuppernong vine, a few fig trees > etc. > > Thanks too for clarifying that such terms as Sections/Townships/Ranges are > found not along the East Coast but to the west. Straight lines without > regard to natural landmarks. This is common in Mississippi and farther > west... but alien to South Carolina. > > cld > -----Original Message----- > From: Deborah Byrd <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Date: Tuesday, June 30, 1998 08:45 PM > Subject: [SCSUMTER-L] Metes and bounds > > >Since I haven't seen a discussion on surveying techinques with the thread, > >I'll step into the discussion. > > > >When researching land records in the original 13 colonies, and I believe > >Texas since it enter the Union as an independent Nation, the land will be > >defined using Metes and Bounds. The land corners were the places of metes > >and the bounds defined the lines. The metes could be anything that was > >found in the natural landscape, trees, creeks, hill, etc. some times rock > >cairns were built to locate the corners or turning points in lines. The > >boundary lines are marked by bearing lines. The lines are established > using > >compass bearings so you'll get a number like S89 45 15 E which means South > >89 degress, 45 minutes, 15 secs east. The measurements were cut the North > >or the south with the easterly or westerly direction add at the ends. The > >length of boundary lines were measure in feet, chains, and rods. Chains > are > >100 feet in length, I can't remember what a rod measures, but the number 16 > >feet hangs in my mind. (Been too many years since beginning surveying to > >recall). > > > >After the acquistion of the old northwest territory in 1789, the states of > >Illinois, Indiana, and others, a ordinal system was established to survey > >all newly found land in the United States. The system established > baselines > >call meridians usually one or two per state. From the meridians Range and > >Townships were established. Range were the east - west grid numbers and > the > >Townships were the north - south grid numbers. For example R(ange) 18 > >E(ast) T(township) 10 S(outh) Provided a base coordinate. This area > defined > >a square. Inside the square is divided into Sections 36 sections. Each > >section contains 640 acres and is 1 mile square. The sections are > quartered > >and then the 1/4s are quartered. So you get the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of > >Sec X. R x Tx. > > > >Hope this clarifies the land surveys used in the south > > > >Deborah Byrd > >[email protected] > >