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] >