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Rectangular Surveys: Difference between revisions
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'''Content.''' Tract books show the type of land entry, its legal description (numbered section, township and range), acreage, price, entryman's name, application date, and (if applicable) patenting date and numbers.<ref name="Haw5" /> | '''Content.''' Tract books show the type of land entry, its legal description (numbered section, township and range), acreage, price, entryman's name, application date, and (if applicable) patenting date and numbers.<ref name="Haw5" /> | ||
''' | '''Determine which tract books to search.''' The following sources can help narrow the number of tract books to search. | ||
Or, if you have access to the National Archives in Washington, DC, use the '''''Index to Tract Books, RG 49, MLR# UD2321''''',<ref>Index to Tract Books, RG 49, MLR# UD2321, maps arranged by state. Copies of these maps are available for consultation in room G28 of the National Archives Building, Washington, DC, as cited in Hawkins, page 6.</ref> to each state's tract books which allows researchers to identify the tract book number that covers the area in which they are interested.<ref | *'''''Coverage table'''''. Use the description of the townships and ranges covered in each tract book as described in the [[United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)|'''Tract Books Coverage Table''']] to narrow down the volumes you will need to view to find an ancestor's land entry. ''For example:''<br> | ||
:::::[[Image:Tract books coverage table example.png|center|Tract books coverage table example.png]] | |||
In addition, "Appendix A" in ''Land and Property Research in the United States '' lists each present-day federal land state and county together with its farthest north-, east-, south-, and west- township and range for that county, and the meridian(s) that applies.<ref>Hone, 213-67.</ref> This information can help you narrow down the number of tract books you will need to search. | *'''''Index'''''. Or, if you have access to the National Archives in Washington, DC, use the '''''Index to Tract Books, RG 49, MLR# UD2321''''',<ref>Index to Tract Books, RG 49, MLR# UD2321, maps arranged by state. Copies of these maps are available for consultation in room G28 of the National Archives Building, Washington, DC, as cited in Hawkins, page 6.</ref> to each state's tract books which allows researchers to identify the tract book number that covers the area in which they are interested.<ref>Hawkins, 4.</ref> | ||
*'''''Townships and ranges in each county'''''. In addition, "Appendix A" in ''Land and Property Research in the United States '' lists each present-day federal land state and county together with its farthest north-, east-, south-, and west- township and range for that county, and the meridian(s) that applies.<ref>Hone, 213-67.</ref> This information can help you narrow down the number of tract books you will need to search. | |||
Tract books for some states, such as Alabama and Ohio are organized by land office. Others are organized for the whole state. "Appendix B" in ''Land and Property Research in the United States '' shows the varying land office boundaries in each state over many years.<ref>Hone, 269-497.</ref> | *'''''Land offices'''''. Tract books for some states, such as Alabama and Ohio are organized by land office. Others are organized for the whole state. "Appendix B" in ''Land and Property Research in the United States '' shows the varying land office boundaries in each state over many years.<ref>Hone, 269-497.</ref> | ||
'''Tract book arrangement.''' Tract book volumes are organized by state, in some states by land offices, and then by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Townships_and_Ranges|township number and range number]]. Within each tract book volume, the land entries are in order by their legal land description<ref name="Hone" /><ref>Hawkins, front inside cover, and page 6.</ref> (section, township, and range). Typical tract books list the land entries for anywhere from one to 30 townships; about five townships per tract book seems to be the most common. Within most townships the order is usually by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Sections|section number]]. | '''Tract book arrangement.''' Tract book volumes are organized by state, in some states by land offices, and then by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Townships_and_Ranges|township number and range number]]. Within each tract book volume, the land entries are in order by their legal land description<ref name="Hone" /><ref>Hawkins, front inside cover, and page 6.</ref> (section, township, and range). Typical tract books list the land entries for anywhere from one to 30 townships; about five townships per tract book seems to be the most common. Within most townships the order is usually by [[Rectangular surveys#Numbered_Sections|section number]]. | ||