The biggest problem for landowners and boundary disputes or questions regarding boundaries occurs in the original colony states as they are all "meets and bounds" measured. In other words, " from the large oak tree east of the twin forks of Smith creek, go westerly 234 paces to the large granite rock.....", you get the picture. Whereas after it was apparent that this was not a great survey system, the "Government" survey using Section, Township and Range was used and all new states were surveyed as such. The Feds contracted out every Township in every new state with "meridians" identified and measured from that starting point. This system was much easier to work with and much more accurate, certainly at the time most of the surveys were made. Don't forget that the Feds bid all of these surveys out and, you guessed it, the low bidder got the jobs. Some of these surveys are very interesting to say the least. That being said, section corners marked and found are the gospel that modern surveyors must use to calculate any sub-section surveys. Government survey markers are installed and classified to make sure that therre is no movement from that exact location. I feel sorry for, and hate to work in those original colony states as the boundary descriptions are usually very vague. Title companies have gone to so many loop holes that their policies are almost worthless. The registered surveyor has a horrendous chore to adequately survey and put his E&O on the line as they are the ones that will eventually go to court and defend their work in the case of a boundary dispute. I don't envy them.
