The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-03-11
Written for the Spirit. |
4 Brief Ilist0ry Of tile Original
Survey Of Monroe County.

4 Snrvry Of Monroe County.
ED: SPIRIT: Perhaps a brief histor,
of tue original survey of lands in Mon
roe, County maybe offntefest 70 man!
of your readers, being the first survey
made by the United States Government
OF the public domain into ranges. town
ships, and afterwards into sections.
Our county, embraces part OF the .'flrs
seven ranges in the territory norlhwes
OF the river Oaio." The survey wa.
commenced on base line at the Ais,
| degree of latitude running west from the
Pennsylvania line. Thg ranges were
formed by running meridian ]ines south
from said base, parallel with the Penn.
sylvania line, six miles apart, and mum.
bering west from to 7. These ranges
were divided into townships by running
parallels of latitude at right angles of
SIX miles, thus forming townshipslof 80
square miles. except the townships Dor
aerihg on the river, which, owing to tile
diagonal course OF the river, caused them
to be fractional OF parts of townships. i,
The townships were enumhered in each
range by numbering from the south end
lof each range, beginning at l, 2, 3, &c,
north to the base line. The seventh
Nrafge terminating at the Ohio River
above Marietta. The first two ranges
Terminated before reaching Monroe
C.9ntv, hence only ranges 3, 4, 5. 6 and
z are within Tie limits of our county =
These RANGES. and townships were sur
veyed in l7S6 by the following survey
ors:
Range by Isaac Sherwood, of Con-
necticut; range A Ivy E,enezer Sproat, of
Rhode Island ;range by Absalom Mar
Tin, of New Jersey range 6 hy James
Simpson, of MARYLAND; range Z bv Is
RE Ludlow of the Territory now Ohio.
In 1902 these townships were divided
into two mile sduare blocks of four
square miles in each, OF nine squares in
eicii fitl township This survey was
made by the following surveyors:
Townships 2sand three, range 8; towr-
ship 3, range 4; township 4, range 4,and
townships 4 aud s. range 8, by Elnathan
Schotieid, of Ohio Township l, range
8, townships Land 2, range A; town
ships 2 and 3 range 5; townships 8 and
4. range 6, bN Ebenezer Buckingham, of
Zanesville. Townships and 6, range
g.; townships 5, 6 and I, range7, 6y
Levi Barber. of Ohio. g r
In 1905 these blocks were subdivided
into sections of one mile square, Ivy run.
ming lines from corners previously fixed
on the lines OF thg two mile blocks, d.
right angles, and fixing the center post,
common to four sections, upon these
lines the quarter section corners were es-
lablished; hence only two quarter posts
are established to each section. These
subdivisions were made by tile following
deputy surveyors:
Levi Barber, Joseph Wood, Elnathan
Scolie!d and Philip Green.
The SECTIONS were numbered from to
36, beginning at The southeast corner Of
the town hip north to 6; then beginning
at the sonlh side of the township again
north to IL, and so on closing with Sec
tion 36 in the northwest range of The
township. The fractional townships ale
numbered so as to place the same num-
har in tho same position "a of n fn,l
t wpship !. These sections were intended
to contain just GAO acres, but owing to
the unduIating surface causing irregu-
larity, in the claiming, they vary consd-
erably in qusntity,especially the western
tier of sections in township. are gene.
rally much narrower east and west
caiised by the jnaccuracy Of claiming and
the convergeny Of meridians.
NoLL.