UNITED STATES PUBLIC LAND SURVEY - NOTES IN GENERAL

The system of public land survey has been followed since 1785 when the rectangular system was inaugurated.  It is based on a system of Townships which are six miles measured North / South and Ranges which are six miles measured on the Southern "Township Line" and are based from one (or more) State Meridian, or origin, points.  In Florida, this central meridian runs through Tallahassee.  In the early years, basically through 1910, these surveys were conducted by private surveyors under contract to the US Government.  From 1910 - 1946 the surveys were performed by the field survey service of the General Land Office and then were taken over by the Bureau of Land Management.  When completed, all field notes, maps, plats, and records were delivered to the Secretary of that state.  The original corners established are considered true corners. Field notes and plat maps are subordinate to the corners as established on the ground.  Errors which may have existed in the establishment of the original corners have been "worked around" since their establishment.  The unit of measurement in these surveys was the "Gunters Chain" and was literally a "chain" 66 feet long consisting of 100 links, each 7.92 inches long.  Measurement was either recorded as X number of chains plus x number of links or in a decimal fashion i.e. "x.xx" chains.  A "Rod", also frequently seem as a unit of measure in early surveys (Also called a "Pole" or "Perch") was 16 1/2 feet in length.

The extent of the Government Land Surveys extended first to Township and Range lines.  While running the Range (N/S) lines, the perimeter section corners would be established at 80 chain (1 mile) increments as would the section corners on the Southern Township lines.  Range lines are true North South lines. They were  laid out using celestial survey observations.  As such, they do converge.  This convergence is accommodated in the western most tier of sections.  Township lines were laid out at "90 degrees" from the meridian lines.  It must be noted that these early surveys were conducted using transits with magnetic compasses for the determination of "bearings",  angular measurements were read to 1/4 degree.  The balance of sections are laid out as "true" one mile squares containing 640 Acres.  The Western most tier of sections, by the layout, are "fractional" sections.  Also, natural boundaries, such as major bodies of water created "fractional" sections.

1800 - Act provided for the subdivision of sections into 1/2 sections (320 Acre parcels)
1805 - Act provided for the subdivision of sections into 1/4 sections (160 Acre parcels)
1820 - Act provided for the sale of public lands in 1/2 1/4 sections (80 Acre parcels) with the dividing lines for 1/2 1/4 sections to be run north south.
1832 - Act provided for the sale of public lands in 1/4 1/4 sections (40 acre parcels) with the dividing lines run east west in the 1/2 1/4 sections.
1849 - The Department of the Interior was created and control of General Land Office was transferred from Treasury to Interior
1910 - The system of private or contract survey was abolished

"Full" parcels of land are identified in this system as sections, 1/4 sections, 1/2 1/4 sections, and 1/4 1/4 sections - within a Township and Range.  Less than "full" parcels were identified as "Government Lots" and are generally identified "West to East" and "North to South" within a section.  The number and orientation of these "Government Lots" seems to have been left up to the individual surveyor.

Generally, submerged lands - both fresh and salt - in Florida are reserved to the State. "Riparian Rights" preserve the right of the land owner for dockage and access to the navigable waters.  Meander (or traverse) lines establish the "mean high water" line along the banks of navigable waters and are defined as "the line along which vegetation ceases".  Historically, this meander (or traverse) line establishes a course "along the sinuosity of the bank" and are not considered a boundary line (but do historically establish the location of - "the bank").  In our case,  "the bank of the Indian River" being established as our Eastern land boundary.  Florida's Coastal Mapping statutes adhere to the common law provisions for Alluvium and Avulsion.  Alluvium is that increase of earth on a bank of a river or the shore of the sea by the force of the water, as by a current or by waves, or from the recession of water in a navigable lake, which is so gradual that no one can judge how much is added at each moment of time.  The proprietor of the bank which is increased by alluvium is entitled to the addition.  Avulsion is the removal of a considerable quantity of soil from the land of one man and its deposit upon or annexation to the land of another, suddenly and by the perceptible action of water.  In such case, the property belongs to the first owner.

I would consider that the erosion of our river bank over time, and its deposit into the submerged lands of the state, has not effected the historic Eastern boundary of our lands as established by the original GLO survey and the traverse of the Bank of the Indian River which identified, and fixed, the "sinuosity of the bank" at the time the land was sold by the Federal (or State) Government.

As stated, the Notes, Plats, and Records created under the original GLO Survey were turned over to the Office of the Secretary of State.  I was very pleasantly surprised to find that these documents have been scanned, indexed, and made available on "the net" at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's - Land Boundary Information System web site.   From these records, it has been determined that the following surveyors were responsible for running the original GLO surveys which established the original "Government Parcel" subdivisions, and land boundaries, of the lands bounding our properties on South Indian River Drive from the South limits of Ft. Pierce to the Martin County line. (See Map,  SIRD - Sections and Govt. Lots)

The "CGM Viewer", available through the St. Lucie County Property Appraisers web site, is needed to view the ".tif.cgm" files in which these original GLO plats and field notes are scanned.

Township 35 South Range 40 East (Township & Range Lines) .... Plat Map
Original Plats & Field notes - Index Page

N - Geo. Houston, 1844-5, Vol. 162
S - A. M. Randolph, 1851, Vol. 99
W - A.H. Jones, 1845, Vol. 75
E - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
      C.F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248

Interiors (Sections)
A. M. Randolph, 1851, Vol. 99
C.F. Hopkins, 1853, Vol. 80
C. F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248
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Township 36 South Range 40 East (Township & Range Lines) .... Plat Map
Original Plats & Field notes - Index Page

N - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
       A. M. Randolph, 1851, Vol. 99
S - Geo Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
      M.A. Williams, 1853, Vol. 108
W - A. H. Jones, 1845, Vol. 75
E -Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80

Interiors (Sections)
C.F. Hopkins, 1853, Vol. 115
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Township 36 South Range 41 East (Township and Range Lines) ..... Plat Map
Original Plats & Field notes - Index Page

N -  Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
        C. F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248
S -  Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
        C. F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248
       R. B. Birchfield, 1890, Vol. 249
W - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80

Interiors (Sections)
Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 85
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Township 37 South Range 41 East (Township and Range Lines) ..... Plat Map
Original Plats & Field notes - Index Page

N - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
      C. F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248
      R. B. Birchfield, 1890, Vol. 249
S - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
      A. M. Randolph, 1851, Vol. 99
W - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
E - Geo. Houston, 1845, Vol. 80
      C. F. Hopkins, 1887, Vol. 248

Interiors (Sections)
A.M. Randolph, 1851, Vol. 99