Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-03-02
OF INTEREST TO MANY.
East Tennessee's Surveys and Land
Titles.
BY N. A. PATTERSON.

|
of surveys and the origin of land titles
in upper and lower East Tennessee.
While Tennessee was territory OF
North Carolina, titles were granted by
that State for large as we'll as
smaller areas of land, most of which
were irregular in shape. This form OF
title grants was made for lands as fal
down as the French Broad, and thence
with the Tennessee river to the Alaba-
ma State line, but not to land south
and east of the river boundary stated
(embracing what was later called the
Hiwassee and Ocoee districts), as those
lands were then held by the Indians
under treaty stipulations. When the
lands of those two districts were open
ed to entry and location, surveys were
made in regular form. First a merid
ian line was run south from the june
ton of the Clinch and Tennessee rivers.
called then Southern Point" Then
parallel lines every six miles east and
west of this meridian were run until
] the river was reached to the west and
the North Carolina line to the east.
Then east and west lines were run ev.
cry six miles, dividing the whole area
into school districts, as they were call
ed, each embracing thirty six square
miles, the central section being reserv.
ed for the use of public common schools
The remaining sections were divided
into quarter sections of 100 acres each,
and made subject to entry or purchase
to be matured into titles by special
grants from the State. Hence in all
that section of lower East Tennessee
the holdings were regular in form, ex-
cept where the approaches to the river
or the North Carolina State line left
fractional districts, sections or quar-
ters. Sometimes these fractions were
very small. l know of one fraction
some sixty miles above Chattanooga
that was 80 small no one has ever en-
tered it. When was boy l learned
OF it from an old surveyor and deter
mined to enter it and have a small riv.
er farm of my own; but investigation
proved it to be triangle of only few
rods on steep cliff that hung over the
river.
The islands however in the two rivers
were the subjects of grants from North
Carolina, and the conflict of titles, ow-
ing to double or tapping grants yielded
bigger crop of lawsuits than have the
titles to half or all the lands of the Hi
wassee and Ocoee districts.
North and west of the river boundary
extending out oyer the mountain area
to the west, and north and east to the
Kentucky and Virginia State lines, the
same class of conflicts followed in carv-
ing out smaller holdings from the large
and irregular entries and grants. Most
of these land contests were long since
ended at the expense of costly litiga-
ton ,.Or the causes of action buried by
the statutes of limitation; but the
present generation and those to sue
ceed them will inherit serious class
of disadvantages because of the irreg-
ular form of original surveys. Few, if
any farms can be found in all central
or upper East Tennessee that lay square
with the world or anything else. The
little surveys made in carving small
areas from the large ones have been
as irregular as the first, and often even
more 80.
To illustrate. l know OF many farms
in Washington County. embracing
from 100 to $50 acres, bounded by from
10 to 20 different lines; while under
regular survey four lines constitutes
the boundary. About this there is but
one good thing: it is good for survey
ors as they are paid by the line, and as
much for short one as long one.
The owner of the largest amount of
land in upper East Tennessee under
those immense North Carolina and
Virginia grants was. Gen. James r.
Taylor, the grandfather of Bob and
Alf; but he sold most of his land at an
early date and for merely nominal
sums. One of his Virginia sales con-
sisted of 100, 900 acresfo 800 horse
just one tenth of cent an acre. That
100000 acres now embraces the best
part of the great Virginia coal fields,
and If put up for sale at public auction
would not sell for less than ten or
twenty millions of dollars.
A similar sale of valuable land was
made at later date in Polk County. I
A man sold quarter section for a pet
bear. That quarter section is the best
part of the Ducktown copper mines.
Two women with famous names are
daily seen in Santa Clara, Cal. One is
Mrs. Winchester, widow of the inven-
tor of the celebrated Winchester rifle,
and the other, Miss Sarah Brown,
daughter of old John Brown.
"The Blood is The Life,"
Runs the old saying, and everything
that ever makes part of any organ of
the body must reach its place therein
through the blood. Therefore, if the
blood is purified and kept in good con
dition by the use of Hoods Sarsapa-
nlla, it necessarily follows that the
benefit of the medicine is impaired to
every organ of the body. Can any
thing be simpler than the method by
which this excellent medicine gives
l.. n