Land & Deed Terms

Acre- Unit of area containing 43560 square feet, or 10 square chains or 160 square poles. A square mile is composed of 640 Chain - Unit of length equal to 66 feet, or 4 poles. A mile equals 80 Chains.

Hectare - Area measurement equal to 2.47 acres.

Pole - May also be called "rod". Equal to 16.5 feet. An acre equals 160 square poles. When used to measure area, it was equal to a square with each side one pole in length.

Vara - Often found in Spanish land transactions and is equal to approximately 33 inches.

Call - The feature, measurement, or landmark noted in surveys, such as, for example, " three black walnut trees on Smith;s line" is a call.

Corner - the point of beginning, change, or end of a survey line.

Meander - refers to the natural run of a land feature, such as the turns of a river or stream. Often stated as, "...with the meanders of the creek..."' etc.

POB -Point of Beginning - the starting point of a survey.

Section - a one mile by one mile square, containing 640 acres and used as the basic unit of the township and range land measuring system.

Township - consists of 36 sections, measuring 6 miles by 6 miles, and numbered beginning in the uppermost NE section, then numbering west to 6, then along the west boundary to the next section, then east, etc. Used in the township and range measuring system.

Range - townships received ranges by measuring east or west of a " Principal Meridan".

Range lines - Township boundary lines running north to south.

Township lines - Towship boundaries marked by lines running east to west.

Base line - Beginning point for the measurement of north or south towships.

Principal Meridian - Beginning point for measuring east or west ranges.

Dower - the wife's interest in the property of her husband.

Escheat - Land ownership reverting to the government or the estate due to lack of heirs.

Executor - the individual named in a will to handle the settling of the estate of the deceased.

Fee Simple - Ownership of land which is inheritable, i.e., to own "in fee simple".

Grant - The transfer of title to property by the governig body to the first owner of that property. May als be called a "Patent".

Grantee - The individual receiving the property by grant or by sale.

Grantor - The individual or government transferring the property by grant, or selling it.

Patent - Usually seen in crown grants and other early transfers. Same definition as "Grant".

Quitclaim Deed - A deed in which the seller gives up any claim to rights on the property in question, but does not guarantee that the title to the property is clear from any other claims.

Warrant - An order by a government authorizing an action. In land transactions, it most often refers to an order allowing a surveyor to survey land for an individual in preparation for the issuance of a grant.