Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-11-15
TIE LAND DEPARTMENT. OF PENN
HELYAHFA.

HARRIsRuaa. NnYember !


Ispccial rorrea5 5onslsHco Of The Press.
HABRIsBUBg, November l. 1867.
The operations and duties connected with
the Land Department, or Surveyor Gener-
all Office Of Pennsylvania one Of the most
important departments Of the State gov
egnment, arc but little under TODD by the
people at large.
The system Of disposing Of lands Inaugural
ted by William Penn and the PrOpri0ty
and Of necessity continued by the Common
wealth, IS one surrounded by many ohiec-
tlonab!e features, as the lands, instead Of
! having been previously surveyed by the au-
thouIes, and their location definitely ascer-
tanned and afterwards sold, warrants for va
cant land were granted, the surveys on
which were often made years after, In
/ many instances, fol the officers Of the land
/ department could not know what land was
/ vacant, conflicting warrants were issued, to
4 that in some localities several sets or war
/ rants were laid upon the same land This
/ has produced much litigation throughout
4 the State, and, although titles in the cider
/ countries have been generally settled, there
/ are and VIII continue to be for years to
! come, eases for adjustment by the Courts;
and IN order 70 establish titles innumeTable
copies OF applications; warrants, surveys,
! . -. f1 80 -. - ~ %-- a'''
/ Under our land system the 0pptcati1R
and lcar.aat are the INCEPTION If tie title,
/ and parties desiring information in regard
/ to any tract Of land hould give the nsmos
{ of tne fCFiTUifee, uHte 1f JcalTdHf. au9
1 county it ,rhicb Il ig4s located, and then all
subsequent proceedings. as whether survey
/ las been returned, patented or hot aud the
/ he as.srta;ral
/ Now that tba raeI rs,e.e op iha C,,ar,or-
/ r-s.ltI ;sr, 49,, t,,.9 efr,rts gLa,,Ii 10
-, -. ;,, -, ,,-.,, g., III IL
~ 80 so,.ress a,.j 80. 49, 9,,,,, :
! 4,n fb,. Siqfe an aroor,nt If ,,5G,,j.J mn
cLase mona, flr lands saf Dofeats9 9aILc
/ 7olrr, GrwqpEs The fJo5g,5t 0glgac1f gf Hese
I c{,t55s mn 5Eg r17,1lii iio-. of tj{cs Tbe
I Tsr;sl,t,,-a has from ti,ra tn limo wifb;n
ms last f1rtv wears. uassed stringent laws
( for their coliecticD. h6t OWING 10 t6e bereu-
/ lean task ;Dposal On the deuaet48ert IN GET
TING ont t,rs,. claims r.arl.- a.,,, s.-aa..,t
involving the closest examination Of appli-
/ cation Warrant survey Vouchers, 0iotters,
] day boQk-' Journals ieageTs' ana maps 10
I ascertain ne location OF the laDd against
winch the hen Is entered. Ihe several acts
/ were never carried ogt according 70 their
Ert and meaning. iue last act Cn the
subject, pas ea ln 1lay, l-eA, requires these
/ accounts To be made out, and liens therefor
/ entered MP 10 tae several countess and 1t
/ WgGr. be patl l0l those interested 10 make
! a uote of it. for General Jacob u. Camp
/ bell, OF Cambria county, the present sur
/ yey0f General, ana VINO IS thorough oasl-
I ness man a8l most eiHc.-n- oacer, military
ana civil has nearly completed the calcu!a-
t J
/ tracts upon which surveys have been ie
/ turned When comulated and entered I'D
/ as liens I'm the several counties az G8dig0H-
/ M fe OF IRE dollars in each ease win be
/ charged Many persons seem to labor un-
! der an erroneous impression that when the
{ liens are entered up they can settle them ut
/ iha respective county seats But this is
/ naf The fgct. everything relating TO them
must he transacted through the land de-
Dartment-tha object ia entering them up
! being probably to prevent alienation Of
1~nrartv urtd this lust debt Is paid the
! Connonweglth.
The laws relating to this important de-
/ naffuenf Of tbe State government are so
/ numerous. in many cases conflicting, and
! ip aflars tleir arrlication so obscure that
/ ~ psvf legislature hquld pass q carefully
revised act. covering the necessities that
/ hsyn grown up. and more clearly defining
rrs-ent laws la doing this the law max
! he mower should avail itself Of this sugges-
/ lions of the Surveyor General as it re
ouires much experience in the department
/ to make one acquainted with its necessities
and vet protect existing rights under for
NOR laws and customs.
/ Tn the same department are many old,
rae. and curious dGcUments-some older,
/ tbsn tLe dafe of TIC frst colony under the
e11T,dar If the urovinces-and many have
On tbon f1s Stamps that formed one of
S1r grjevaDces against the Mother Coun-
frv Much TO connect the past with the
n-o.cnt is here found: much to remind one
! IF the hardships and perils of the brave pio-
gsers who first made homes 10 our dense
forests and p9ved the way for the high
1T III. nrosnerifv and civilization enjoyed
by fbrir descendants. A regular set Of
iooks consisting of day book, Journal, and
iieaoer. have been kept from the year 1919,
nd me IS1nd to be ia remarkable state of
,.rsse,yati6n. These. together with large
talios, "a which patents have been recorded,
fll fbe Greater Tart of the shelving Of the
second H9or. From these records we ascer-