How do you know your "apparent corner" isn't a closing corner for the section south of the standard parallel?
"Apparent" corner? There's no such thing. The corner is either 1) existent, 2) OBLITERATED, or 3) lost.
It would appear that you are accepting section corners which were once OBLITERATED, but have been restored and are now accepted as determinate of an existent corner. That's according to the Manual. Once an OBLITERATED corner is restored in accordance with the best available evidence, it is thereafter considered and treated as an existent corner.
Relying upon those corners, you find evidence near the location where part of the evidence (bearings and distances) leads you to. I hear you saying that the b/d, so far, appears to corroborate the physical evidence you've discovered. That's one step in the right direction and is a required step from the Manual. At that location you discover EVIDENCE that tells you the corner is less likely lost, but more likely OBLITERATED. That leads you to search for more evidence (title records, survey records, testimony of local surveyors and owners) to corroborate the position of the OBLITERATED corner. Once you've completed that task and have restored the OBLITERATED corner position, then you can start your survey by relying upon the existent corner.
JBS
In this case the jog is about 1300 feet.
JB
Thanks, I guess that is the reason that I did not understand this "apparent" corner, as they do not exist!
It was a new term and I thought I had heard it all!
Keith
The term "apparent corner" has been used locally to describe what appears to be the accepted corner by adjoiners. In this case, an old tree row with very old barbed wire fence running to the north and the middle of a county road that was intended to be centered on the section line. Anyone driving along that road would assume that point to be a half mile from the section corners. This is prior to any kind of measurement being made or knowing where a straight line between section corners would suggest a surveyor start searching for a monument.
I specifically brought up this case because it fell on a standard parallel. Keith and others swear that these most definitely were run with the utmost of care along the latitudinal curve. Here, the road bends 10 feet to the north, suggesting the original monument was misplaced or, over time, said location became obliterated and the road gradually moved off line by 10 feet. It is impossible to know for sure which event happened. The stake and pits supposedly set in 1865 are long gone and the road supposedly came into existence in 1866. I say supposedly because there were very, very few settlers in the area at that time and fewer towns.
The Standards were run with greater care and double chained and it would seem unlikely that a corner along the Standard would be off line by 10 feet?
Someone mentioned a closing corner? That might be possible that a closing corner was set that far off the Standard and then was erroneously accepted as a monument on the Standard?
I guess if I was driving by and my odometer was at a half mile and see the fence line, I might think it was an "apparent" corner, but that is only the first look and with very little evidence of the actual corner which would have been destroyed by the road, most likely.
Keith and others swear that these most definitely were run with the utmost of care along the latitudinal curve
Shoot; I've seen them where they look like the path of a trout swimming upstream. 😉
Would that be identical to a "bee line" or the way "the crow flies"? Not many trout in this part of the world. We do have 100+ pound catfish though.
> The Standards were run with greater care and double chained and it would seem unlikely that a corner along the Standard would be off line by 10 feet?
>
In theory, yes. I'm seen quite a few that were off by more. But, maybe in the flatlands the GLO took the time to do the survey correct. However, 13 minutes of angle isn't much, at least in these parts.
> Someone mentioned a closing corner? That might be possible that a closing corner was set that far off the Standard and then was erroneously accepted as a monument on the Standard?
>
I would highly doubt a closing corner from the south would happen to fall that close (in longitude) near a quarter corner for the section north of the line. But I'm sure stranger things have happened.
> I guess if I was driving by and my odometer was at a half mile and see the fence line, I might think it was an "apparent" corner, but that is only the first look and with very little evidence of the actual corner which would have been destroyed by the road, most likely.
Yepper, but one should look deeper. Are there any adjoiner deeds/occupation in the area that would substantiate or contradict the latitudinal position of the centerline of the E-W county road?
[sarcasm]Just be sure and re-subdivide each affected section to get things where they were supposed to be!![/sarcasm]
[sarcasm]Or I guess you could re-trace both townships (or heck, why stop there, go back to the initial point) and perform enough mathematical gymnastics to determine the "true" position. Oh, never mind, you are probably not in Texas anyway[/sarcasm]
