Kent
I have been considering this for a few days, especially in regards to the research parts of this guide.
While many of the parts might be very specific to one local then I think that it could aid greatly to those trying to find all the parts to the puzzle.
While Lawton is pretty small in relation to places like Austin, we still have a huge amount of resources available if you know where to look.
The deed room is full of valuable information, but one floor down is the dungeon where all the JE's (Journal Entries) are stored. Most don't think to look in them when they find a gap in the record but often these court proceedings fill in the gaps but fail to get recorded upstairs.
We also have records stored at the City Clerks office which may even be signed deeds that failed to make it to the courthouse.
I am thinking that just mentioning all the places might spur some to seek out more places than just the courthouse.
I have found out a lot just by spending time in the library looking through the genealogical records.
While mine are Lawton specific, the general ideas can be applied anywhere.
How is the Handbook shaking up? Have you found a host yet or decided on the format?
I think it has promise.
Best Regards,
Deral
I think it's relevant to remark here that many if not most of the posts on RPLS.COM and now here seemingly assume that State Laws and Regulations are uniform in all States. I just don't find this to be true at all. If we're not going to create separate Subject Tags for each jurisdiction on the planet, I think it would be good manners for posters and sections of "The Surveyor's Handbook" to clearly remark what jurisdictions remarks and passages the opinions apply to:-)
Steve
Did you respond to the wrong post? Your post seems fitting below in the legal issues. I was just speaking about resources in general and places to search out when looking for information.
In particular, when we have a survey along a highway then we go to three different places looking for ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation) maps and documents. Some are in the map sections of ODOT, some in the right of ways department and some in our local files.
I think a lot of these types of searches will be common throughout the country.
Deral
I'm actually working on getting the handbook wiki setup and ready to go, but it may be a couple more weeks before I can go live.
Deral:
I think a handbook for your specific area is a great idea.
In my "home" area, it was almost ten years before I knew how to look in every nook and cranny location to find information. I'm still finding new places to search.
Usually, the information we seek is available, it's just knowing WHERE TO LOOK.
I generally try to stay in my "home" area for that very reason.
I really see the research parts of the Handbook being general in nature at times. Where I, or you, might find a gem may be of use to those in other geographic areas.
I have even found signed easements in our planning department attached to a plat that were for some off site infrastructure improvements. They did not bother to file these so the only record is sometimes in an obscure place.
I think all the ideas of where to search would be useful to many.
Some of our records are even stored in Texas and we have made a trip or two to the national archives to get needed records.
Deral
