Rectangular Surveys

United States Land and Property Rectangular surveys

It will be easier to find and understand the land records of ancestors if you learn something about the Public Lands Survey System and its records. In the United States, depending on the state, one of two main survey systems have been used to determine the borders of property:

• the older metes and bounds primarily used in state land states
• the newer rectangular surveys (also known as Congressional township rectangular surveys) primarily used in federal land states

The Land Ordinance of 1785  established the Public Land Survey System. Land was systematically surveyed into square "Congressional" townships, six miles (9.656 km) on a side. Each of these townships were sub-divided into thirty-six sections of one square mile (2.59 km²) or 640 acres. These sections could then be further subdivided for re-sale by settlers and land speculators.

Principal Meridians and Base Lines

The rectangular survey system is based on principal meridians  and base lines  determined by precise scientific measurements. As each territory or state opened new public lands, the government identified a meridian (running north and south) and a base line (running east and west) to guide all future land surveys in that area. Each color-block in the following map shows the states, or part of a state, surveyed using that area's principal meridian and base line.

For a larger version of this map, click here, and then click again to further enlarge it.

Numbered Townships and Ranges

Numbered townships were laid out in tiers north and south of the baseline; numbered ranges were laid out east and west of the meridians. The intersecting strips of townships and ranges formed a checkerboard or grid of townships.

With careful examination for grid markers, the federal-land-state townships and ranges usually can be identified in a Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide found at most large libraries. Each township has a range strip and a township strip. Together they create an address for that township within the boundaries of their principle meridian  and baseline. Begin counting where the principal meridian and baseline intersect. If the township address is T2N R3E, it means that the township is two units north of the baseline, and three units east of the principal meridian. Similarlly, a township address of T3S R1W would be three units south of the baseline, and one unit west of the principal meridian.

Numbered Sections

The basic unit of the rectangular survey system is the section. A section contains one square mile (640 acres). Thirty-six sections in a square pattern, (6 miles by 6 miles), makes up a township. The following diagram shows how standard sections are numbered starting in the northeast corner of a township:

6	5	4	3	2	1
7	8	9	10	11	12
18	17	16	15	14	13
19	20	21	22	23	24
30	29	28	27	26	25
31	32	33	34	35	36

One of the center sections of a township was often reserved for community property such as a school or fire station.

Section Subdivisions

Each section is usually divided into subdivisions of varying size, usually with rectangular (square) shapes. The sections can be further subdivided into quarter sections of 160 acres. The quarters can be divided into half-quarters of 80 acres or into quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres.

Internet Map Tool

Earthpoint: Tools for Google Earth displays a Google Earth map based on BLM township, range, section, and quarter-quarter section if you zoom in close enough (most, but not all areas have quarter-quarter sections mapped). The tool can also convert township, range, and section to latitude and longitude, or vise versa.

Rectangular Survey Land Records

Access. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository for records documenting the transfer of public (federal) lands to private ownership. They preserve the case files of over 10 million individual land transactions called land entries. They also house tract books and various name indexes to help access the case files. NARA has all the land entry files for all 30 of the federal land states. NARA has the successful land entries that received patents (original private titles) before 1908. For the same period they also have the unsuccessful entries that did not finish the process, cancelled, or relinquished their claims and did not receive a patent.

Content. Land records, depending on the time period, may show an applicant settler's (entryman's) age, birthplace, citizenship, military service, economic status, and family members. They could also show land title, land use, rights of way, land surveys, crops, improvements, and conflicting claims.

Arrangement. The National Archives keeps land entry files arranged by:

• military bounty land warrants  by year of the act authorizing them
• pre-1908 land entry files  by state, land office, type of entry (credit, cash, homestead, timber, or mineral), and final certificate number
• post-1908 land entry files  by serial patent number

Indexes

Seven states index. Seven states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada and Utah) have an entryman name index for pre-1908 case files both patented and unpatented. This index is available at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Online index. An important computerized index of patented land entries 1820-1908 for all federal land states (except  Montana, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) is available on the Internet at the BLM Land Patent Search site.

Obtaining patented case files

All the land entry case files are indexed for ancestors who completed the application process and obtained a patent (original title) for their land. The indexes provide the information needed to request a copy of the case file.

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Obtaining unindexed case files

An unfinished, rejected, or otherwise cancelled claim will nevertheless have a land entry case file. These files, especially when contested, can provide more detailed genealogical information than cases which were readily accepted. Unfinished, rejected, or cancelled files are indexed for only a few states. Nevertheless, they still can be found by researching tract books for the area where an ancestor started the claim. Tract books can also be used to find information for pre-1820 cases.

Tract books

Tract books serve as a comprehensive reference to the millions of land entry case files held at the National Archives in Washington, DC. However, they are arranged according to the land description  (township, range, and section) rather than the name of the claimant. They include all applicants for federal land, including those whose claim failed to receive a patent because it was unfinished, forfeited, rejected or cancelled.

Finding unpatented entry information. If you know (or can guess) the state and county where an ancestor started an unfinished, forfeited, rejected, or cancelled land claim, you can search page-by-page through each of the tract books for that county looking for the ancestor's name. When you find an ancestor's name, the legal land description and land office listed in the tract book is usually enough to order a copy of the unpatented case file from the National Archives.

Access. Original tract books, Internet digital versions, and microfilms exist:

• Originals. The National Archives in Washington, DC has the original tract books for 16 western states. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern State Office, 7450 Boston Blvd, Springfield, VA 22153 has custody of the tract books for the 12 eastern federal land states (AL, AR, FL, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MN, MS, OH, and WI). The tract books for Alaska and Missouri are lost.
• Internet. Digital copies of each federal-land-state's tract books (except  Alaska  and Missouri) are available in FamilySearch Historical Records online at United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908
• Microfilms of tract books are also on 1,265 films for each federal-land state (except  Alaska and Missouri) at the National Archives in Washington, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• United States Bureau of Land Management, Tract Books (Washington, District of Columbia : Records Improvement, Bureau of Land Management, 1957). At various libraries (WorldCat) 1,265 FHL Films starting with 1445277.

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.

Preparing to use tract books. The National Archives in Washington, DC has a map index  to each state's tract books which allows researchers to identify the tract book number that covers the area in which they are interested.

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. 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.

Tract book arrangement. Tract books are arranged by the present-day state. In some states tract books are also divided into groups by land office. Each tract book is arranged by the legal land description of the section, township, and range.

The townships and ranges covered in each of the 2,325 tract books is listed at United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records).

For Further Reading

• Range Maps for Dummies in RootsWeb (Ancestry.com).
• Range Map Tutorial in "Attala Historical Society, Kosciusko, Mississippi" at RootsWeb (Ancestry.com).
• E. Wade Hone, Land and Property Research in the United States (Salt Lake City, Utah : Ancestry Pub., c1997), chapters 8 and 9. At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 R27h.
• United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books (FamilySearch Historical Records) Wiki articles about the tract book collection.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.