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Preface xvii
Chapter 1 History and Concept of Boundaries 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Significance of Boundaries 3
1.3 Boundary References 4
1.4 Terminus: The God (or Goddess) of Boundaries 6
1.5 Disputes and Boundaries 7
1.6 Role of the Surveyor in Boundaries 9
1.7 What is Being Created? What is Being Located? 13
1.8 Original Written Title 15
1.9 Rights and Interests in Land are Composed of a Bundle of Rights 16
1.10 Role of the Court 20
1.11 Real and Personal Property 21
1.12 What Constitutes Real Property 22
1.13 Nature of Modern Estates 25
1.14 Taxes on Land and Tax Maps 25
1.15 Easements and Licenses 26
1.16 Servitudes, Restrictions, Covenants, and Conditions 30
1.17 Actions on Boundaries and Easements 31
1.18 One Unique Parcel or Boundary 32
1.19 The Original Boundaries are Sacred 32
1.20 Conclusions 33 Bibliography 34 Notes 34
Chapter 2 How Boundaries are Created 36
2.1 Introduction 36
2.2 Definitions 37
2.3 Classification of Boundaries 40
2.4 Methods of Boundary Creation 41
2.5 Who May Create Boundaries? 45
2.6 Sanctity of the Original Survey 48
2.7 Original Lines Remain Fixed 49
2.8 Distinctions Between the Original Boundary Survey, the Retracement Survey, and the First Survey 49
2.9 Original Technological Methods of Boundary Creation not Relatable to Modern Methods 51
2.10 Original Lines may be Redescribed as a Result of a Retracement 51
2.11 Conclusions 52 Notes 53
Chapter 3 Ownership, Transfer, and Description of Real Property and Accompanying Rights 54
3.1 Concepts of Boundaries, Land Ownership, and Land Descriptions 54
3.2 Overview of Boundaries 56
3.3 Public and Private Lands 59
3.4 Sources of Title 60
3.5 Voluntary Transfer of Real Property 61
3.6 Chain of Title 61
3.7 Torrens Title System 63
3.8 Unwritten Rights or Title to Land 63
3.9 Methods of Voluntary Transfer of Title 64
3.10 Deed or Description 65
3.11 Title or Lien 66
3.12 Deed of Trust 66
3.13 Mortgage 67
3.14 Escrow 67
3.15 Title assurance and Title Insurance 67
3.16 Abstractors 69
3.17 Attorney''s Opinion 69
3.18 General land Descriptions 69
3.19 What is in a Description? 70
3.20 Measurements 71
3.21 Magnetic Directions 75
3.22 Reference Datums 77
3.23 Elements of Land Descriptions 78
3.24 Types of Descriptions 79
3.25 Conclusions 81 Notes 81
Chapter 4 Boundaries, Law, and Related Presumptions 83
4.1 Introduction 83
4.2 Constitutional Law and the Surveyor 84
4.3 Jurisdiction 85
4.4 Federal Jurisdiction 85
4.5 Federal Government, Agency, or Officer as a Party 86
4.6 Sovereign Immunity 87
4.7 United States as a Defendant 87
4.8 Disposing of Federal Lands 87
4.9 Color of Title Act 88
4.10 Public Law 120 88
4.11 Small Tracts Act 88
4.12 Researching the Laws 89
4.13 Court Reports 90
4.14 Legal Research 90
4.15 Judicial Notice 92
4.16 Evidence 93
4.17 Presumptions 94
4.18 Common Presumptions 95
4.19 Survey Systems Present in the United States 97
4.20 Conclusions 100 Bibliography 100 Notes 100
Chapter 5 Creation and Interpretation of Metes and Bounds and other Nonsectionalized Descriptions 102
5.1 Introduction 102
5.2 Methods of Creating Metes and Bounds or Nonsectionalized Descriptions 106
5.3 Metes Descriptions 106
5.4 Bounds Descriptions 109
5.5 Combination Metes and Bounds Descriptions 110
5.6 Strip Descriptions and Stationing 111
5.7 Descriptions by Reference 112
5.8 Aliquot Descriptions 112
5.9 Other Means of Creating Boundaries in Descriptions 114
5.10 Nomenclature in Metes and Bounds Descriptions 116
5.11 Adjoiners 124
5.12 Deed Terms for Curves 124
5.13 Lines and Their Elements 126
5.14 Tax Descriptions and Abbreviated Descriptions 133
5.15 Subdivision Descriptions 135
5.16 Parcels Created by Protraction 137
5.17 Features of Platting Acts 137
5.18 Writing Land Descriptions 138
5.19 Early Surveys 139
5.20 Priority of Calls in Metes and Bounds Surveys 141
5.21 Applying Priority Calls 142
5.22 Conclusions 144 Notes 145
Chapter 6 Creation and Retracement of General Land Office (GLO) Boundaries 146
6.1 Introduction 146
6.2 Original Surveys and Corrective Surveys 149
6.3 Law, Manuals, and Special Instructions 149
6.4 Effect of Manuals on Resurveys 150
6.5 History of The Public Land Survey System 151
6.6 Testing Ground: The Seven Ranges 153
6.7 Act of May 18, 1796--Clarification of 1785 157
6.8 Acts of 1800 159
6.9 1803--The System Explodes 162
6.10 Act of March 26, 1804 163
6.11 Act of February 11, 1805 163
6.12 Land Surveys After 1805 166
6.13 Survey Instructions 167
6.14 State Instructions and Statutes 172
6.15 Instruments Used 180
6.16 Field Notes 181
6.17 Nomenclature for Sections 181
6.18 Meandering 182
6.19 Resurveys and Retracements 183
6.20 Defective Boundaries Encountered in Resurveys 183
6.21 Sectionalized Surveys and Innovations 184
6.22 Irregular Original Government Subdivisions 184
6.23 Townships Other than Regular 185
6.24 Locating GLO Records in State Archives 185
6.25 Summary of the GLO System 187 Notes 190
Chapter 7 Federal and State Nonsectionalized Land Surveys 191
7.1 Introduction 191
7.2 Early New England and Other Colonial-ERA Surveys 195
7.3 Ohio Company of Associates 195
7.4 Donation Tract 196
7.5 Symmes Purchase 197
7.6 Virginia Military District 197
7.7 US Military Tract 198
7.8 Connecticut Western Reserve and Firelands 199
7.9 Moravian Tracts 199
7.10 Florida Keys Survey 199
7.11 Donation Land Claims 200
7.12 Exchange Surveys and Their Status 200
7.13 Prior Land Grants from Foreign Governments 201
7.14 French Grants in the Louisiana Purchase 201
7.15 Mississippi Townships 205
7.16 Soldier''s Additional Homestead 206
7.17 Indian Allotment Surveys 206
7.18 National Forest Homestead Entry 206
7.19 Tennessee Townships 207
7.20 Florida: Forbes Company Purchase Surveys 208
7.21 Georgia Lot System 209
7.22 Land Tenure Systems of Texas 213
7.23 General Comments 214
7.24 Hawaiian Land Laws 214
7.25 Puerto Rican Land Surveys 217
7.26 Federal Mineral Surveys: General Comments 220
7.27 Water and Mineral Right Laws 220
7.28 Land Open to Appropriation of Minerals 221
7.29 Veins, Lodes, or Ledges 221
7.30 Extralateral and Intralimital Rights 222
7.31 Mill Sites 224
7.32 Tunnel Locations 224
7.33 Size of Claims 224
7.34 Discovery 225
7.35 Locations 225
7.36 Possession 226
7.37 Annual Expenditures 226
7.38 Requirements for Patent 227
7.39 United States Mineral Surveyors 227
7.40 Survey of the Claim 227
7.41 Conclusions 228 Recommended Reading 229 Notes 229
Chapter 8 Locating Easements and Reversions 230
8.1 Introduction 230
8.2 Rights Granted 233
8.3 Fee Title or Easement Right 236
8.4 Three Easement Descriptions and Three Boundaries 237
8.5 Ownership of the Bed of Easements 237
8.6 Surveyor''s Responsibility as to Easements 238
8.7 Requirements for Locating Easements 238
8.8 Centerline Presumption 239
8.9 Conveyances with Private Way Boundaries 240
8.10 Use of Easements 241
8.11 Revival of Public Easements 241
8.12 Creation of Easement Boundaries 241
8.13 Dividing Private Street Ownership 244
8.14 Words Used in Centerline Conveyances 245
8.15 Apportioning Reversion Rights 246
8.16 General Principle of Reversion 246
8.17 Reversion Rights of a Lot on a Curved Street 247
8.18 Lots Adjoining Two Subdivision Boundaries 249
8.19 Lots at an Angle Point in a Road 249
8.20 Indeterminate Situations 250
8.21 Exceptions to the Rules of Apportionment 251
8.22 Describing Vacated Streets and Easements 252
8.23 Litigating Easements 254
8.24 Conclusions 254 Notes 254
Chapter 9 Riparian and Littoral Boundaries 256
9.1 Introduction 256
9.2 Ownership of the Seas 2 260
9.3 Ownership of the US Territorial Sea 261
9.4 Ownership of Interior Tidal Waters of the United States 263
9.5 Landward Boundary of Tidal Waters 263
9.6 Ownership of Nontidal Navigable Waters 267
9.7 Landward Boundaries of Nontidal Waters 268
9.8 Significance of Public Land Survey Meander Lines 27 269
9.9 Ownership of Non-Publicly Owned Submerged Lands 270
9.10 Swamp and Overflowed Lands 272
9.11 Navigational Servitude 273
9.12 Public Regulation of Riparian and Littoral Lands 273
9.13 Shoreline Changes and Water Boundaries 274
9.14 Apportionment of Riparian and Littoral Rights 276
9.15 Emergent or Omitted Islands 282
9.16 Water Boundaries Other Than Sea 282
9.17 Major Recognized Areas 283
9.18 Conclusions and Recommendations 283 Notes 283
Chapter 10 Retracing and "resurveying" Sectionalized Lands 286
10.1 Introduction 286
10.2 Areas