Looks like assessors language to me. I'm guessing here but perhaps the WS references the farmable 36 acres that is West of the Street (WS). If I lived a hundred years ago and farmed 36 acres all the time, then wanted to sell it with a slop description, I could describe my intent by calling out the area farmed west of a street and give lengths in units of rods which would have been a common farm term back then.
>
> First: Some of the calls are Thence South 10 rods, but others are: Thence South of East 10 rods, thence West of South 30 rods etc. Since they have no degrees, I'm not sure what they mean.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Barbara
When the old deed says SOUTH, they usually mean SOUTHERLY (not necessarily exactly south). Figuring out the exact bearing is why surveyors make all the big bucks.;-)
> even those who made incorrect assumptions. 🙂
Sorry about that. My assumption was that (seeing that this was your first post and you had registered just before) one of these guys had registered as a different name and was just trying to stir the pot.
Anyway, welcome to the site. Like others have said, it contains a wealth of information.
Morning Duane,
The O&G industry is very competitive and very secretive. No money to be made is someone else gets into an area of interest before you do, so ethical O&G folks keep their mouths shut about their business. I work for a company that works for large O&G companies and if we want to keep working, we want our reputation to be one of being able to keep quiet.
Barbara
For South Of East Substitute ESE
Thanks, Paul....... this looks something that might work.
Good idea.......no road that I can see on any of my underlying maps, but there might have been one when the deed was done.
Thanks,
Barbara
Perhaps this will help
Thanks, Scott!
I really can't give anymore info about the location of this tract. I will just have to map it the best I can and leave the details up to a suveyor, if this becomes a drill site.
Barbara
Perhaps this will help
Thanks, Duane! Between what others have suggested and this chart, I might actually be able to map this tract. Thanks for your help!
Barbara
Perhaps this will help
Oops......... thanks, Frank!! Sorry about that 🙂
Barbara
Wow....... what a great list. Thanks so much!
Barbara
Perhaps this will help
You're welcome Barbara. It helped me decipher a legal that was written in 1860 that I thought was a little unorthodox also.
sometimes you just have to play with them, and all of a sudden a figure falls into shape that makes sense.
Thank you, David! And my assumption about your assumption was wrong, too. Sorry about that! Where are you in Ohio? I was born and raised in Perrysburg, near Toledo. Moved in 1978 to my current location, but still miss and love Ohio.
Barbara
I don't think it's about the economy as much as being a poor state and the land just passes to family and is not being sold, so surveys are rarely done.
Barbara
> Thank you, David! And my assumption about your assumption was wrong, too. Sorry about that! Where are you in Ohio? I was born and raised in Perrysburg, near Toledo. Moved in 1978 to my current location, but still miss and love Ohio.
> Barbara
I live in Huntington, WV but I work just across the river in Chesapeake, OH.
(due south) 10 rods or 165' South of east means somewhat south of due east, this could mean a varience of up to 45 degrees, who knows. west of south means somewhat west of due south. 1 rod=16.5' not sure what ws means.
WS
> Second: 36 acres WS, SE4 of the SE4 - Any idea what WS means? I might think west side, but this acreage is definitely on the east side of the SE4 SE4
>
> Thanks,
> Barbara
You sure had me curious so I tried googling and looking in reference material. I think it means "Watershed".
According to John Wesley Powell:
"that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community."
See the following site which is where I copied the quote:
It's the best I could come up with anyway. Maybe the whole described site is a watershed area or maybe teh SE4 of the SE4 is a watershed area?
Can you find it on google maps and see if it looks like one? Old original surveys I have looked at often described the quality and potential useage of the land when they laid it out.
Ran into a description once written by a dentist who sold a piece of land, the Section corner was in place and he had a transit. His bearing base was an E-W fence and that is what he used to measure the angles from. E 43° N 660 feet is what was found in the description, took a bit of head scratching to get in harmony with that one. The dentist did not tell me he had written the descriptions until I had rooted out that fact and asked him directly.
jud.
If you could get your hands on the original GLO fieldnotes or copies for that township, you may find an answer to what WS stands for.
If you use google, type into the search box the words
"COMPASS ROSE DEGREES"
The first website has many jpg images of the compass rose.
If yopu look closely, you can spot some of the roses with the calls of S by E, SE, SSE, E of S, etc.
Your calls are not unique in the Colonial States. They are the norm for old deeds.
The rod is usually 16.5 feet, but there are variations, 18 feet comes to mind, and some often overlooked.
Good luck.
I have inserted below the lay out of the Town of Chester, NH, as I copied it from a book entitled "The history of old chester from 1719 to 1869" written by Benjamin Chase, published by the author in 1869. This town was then divided into lots of various sizes, up to 200 acres in size. Those lots are what we have to work with, when searching for old property lines. All lots, of any size, were described by metes & bounds, bearings and distances if we are lucky.
PROPRIETARY HISTORY. 21
THE ROYAL CHARTER.
George by the Grace of God of Great Britain,
France and Ireland, King, Defender of the
Faith, &c. :
"...That Inhabit or Shall Inhabit within the said
Grant within our Province of New Hampshire all That Tract
of Land within the following bounds : (Viz) to begin at
Exeter Southerly Corner bounds and from thence run upon a
West and by North point two miles along Kingston northerly
Line to Kingston North Corner bounds, then upon a
South point three miles along Kingston head Line to Kingston
South Corner bounds, then upon a West North West
point Ten miles into the country. Then to begin again at
the aforesaid Exeter Southwardly Corner bounds and run
seven miles upon Exeter head Line upon a North East
point half a point more Northerly, Then fourteen miles
into the Country upon a west North west point to the
river Merrimack, and from tlience upon a Straight Line
to the End of the afores'^ Ten Mile line ; and That the
same be a Town Corporated by the name of Chester to the
persons afores*^, for ever To have and to hold the said Land,
to the Grantees and their Heirs and assigns forever, and to