Apps for land survey - Property lines

[bdog]

Dodge man - I am trying to locate some property corners. I have found one but not the other three. On the deed it lists distances and bearings. I understand how the quadrant bearings work but what is the north reference - geodetic, magnetic? I want to start at the known corner and navigate to the other three so I can see if I can find the monuments I just am unsure on getting the bearings right.

If I find the monuments and the distances and bearings jive with the deed I think I could feel pretty confident about it.

 

[Diggin It]

I've looked at a few around me and none of them make those kinds of mentions. They're all ...

... from a large oak tree along a field formerly owned by Jimmy John meandering generally westward along the Willie Lou property ...

Problem is, few people alive today remember Jimmy John or Willie Lou.

 

[Jstpssng]

Dodge man - I am trying to locate some property corners. I have found one but not the other three. On the deed it lists distances and bearings. I understand how the quadrant bearings work but what is the north reference - geodetic, magnetic? I want to start at the known corner and navigate to the other three so I can see if I can find the monuments I just am unsure on getting the bearings right.

If I find the monuments and the distances and bearings jive with the deed I think I could feel pretty confident about it.

If your deed doesn’t call for monuments (pins, posts, or...) then the bearings and distances are what you follow. Deeds are generally written in magnetic bearings.

I've looked at a few around me and none of them make those kinds of mentions. They're all ...

... from a large oak tree along a field formerly owned by Jimmy John meandering generally westward along the Willie Lou property ...

Problem is, few people alive today remember Jimmy John or Willie Lou.

The most subjective that I’ve ever read was “ hence to the place where the old cow lays down in the afternoon.” My deed simply says “by the land of, by the land of, by the land of, then down the town road to the point of beginning, containing 21 acres more or less.”

There are pins on my easterly corners and another on my back line, and a fence around the west of it which everyone agrees is the division line. My permanent buildings are 400 feet from any lines so I’m not too concerned.

 

[bdog]

This is what I have to work with:

BEGINNING at a railroad spike, set for the Southeast corner of Section 14, the Southeast and beginning corner of this tract;
THENCE North 0° 01' 20" West, , 376.00 feet to a railroad spike set for the Northeast corner of this tract;
THENCE West, at 60.00 feet pass a 1/2" iron rod, continuing for a total distance of 580.00 feet to a 1/2" iron rod set for the Northwest corner of this tract;
THENCE South 0° 01' 20" East, at 326.00 feet pass a 1/2" iron rod, continuing for a total distance of 376.00 feet to a railroad spike set for the Southwest corner of this tract;
THENCE East, 580.00 feet to the place of beginning.

All I can find is the 1/2" rod in the NW corner. According to this there should be 5 other monuments. If I can find all or most of them and the bearings and distances match I can feel pretty confident they are indeed the markers.

I am building a fence and want to be sure but I really don't want to spring for a survey unless absolutely necessary. If I can't verify the markers I have no choice but I should at least try to check it first.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ You have bearings, distances and rods. I ain't got nunna that.

 

[aczlan]

This is what I have to work with:

BEGINNING at a railroad spike, set for the Southeast corner of Section 14, the Southeast and beginning corner of this tract;
THENCE North 0° 01' 20" West, , 376.00 feet to a railroad spike set for the Northeast corner of this tract;
THENCE West, at 60.00 feet pass a 1/2" iron rod, continuing for a total distance of 580.00 feet to a 1/2" iron rod set for the Northwest corner of this tract;
THENCE South 0° 01' 20" East, at 326.00 feet pass a 1/2" iron rod, continuing for a total distance of 376.00 feet to a railroad spike set for the Southwest corner of this tract;
THENCE East, 580.00 feet to the place of beginning.

All I can find is the 1/2" rod in the NW corner. According to this there should be 5 other monuments. If I can find all or most of them and the bearings and distances match I can feel pretty confident they are indeed the markers.

I am building a fence and want to be sure but I really don't want to spring for a survey unless absolutely necessary. If I can't verify the markers I have no choice but I should at least try to check it first.

At very least, go to your local rental place and rent a REAL metal detector, something like this:

A big fabric or steel tape measure on a reel (at least 100' long) and a compass app on your phone should get you close enough to find the pins with the metal detector.

Aaron Z

 

[bdog]

At very least, go to your local rental place and rent a REAL metal detector, something like this:
View attachment 626792
A big fabric or steel tape measure on a reel (at least 100' long) and a compass app on your phone should get you close enough to find the pins with the metal detector.

Aaron Z

I used to have a Schonstedt but don't anymore.

If I have the distance and bearing I have the tools to calculate and locate the point within an inch. I just am not sure on the bearing.

 

[ericm979]

North blah blah west means blah blah to the west of due north. You need to convert from degrees, minutes, seconds to decimal degrees to use on a compass. Though 0 degrees (due north) minus 1 minute 20 seconds is really close to due north. Probably well within the margin of error of a phone compass.

See Compass Questions

 

[bdog]

I am not using a compass and I know how to do the conversions. It all means nothing though if you don't know the basis of the bearing. Grid north, magnetic north, Geodetic north, etc.

 

[dodge man]

For the last several years, I have put the basis of bearings on my plats, but a lot of times there is a phrase "bearing assumed for descriptive purpose only". Which really is just saying the bearings give you the angle between the corners. If I used GPS, the bearings are usually grid north. Other wise most likely magnetic north, but hard to say for sure. From what you wrote, it was almost surely surveyed. Do you have a plat?

Also when the deed says "60 feet pass a 1/2" rod", I would assume that means there is a rod on line, but at a 60 foot offset from the actual corner. I often set an offset if the actual corner is in a roadway, say set an offset at the back of ditch. I'm not sure about Texas, but Illinois has a monument recordation act. This means we are required to file a monument record for the section and 1/4 section corners. This would be at the courthouse.

Also is Texas a recording state? Illinois is not so at best maybe half of my surveys get recorded, but check at the courthouse to see if a survey exists for your property.

I'll just add unless you are using some kind of survey grade equipment, as you navigate to your next point, you might only get within about 20 feet of where it is. Take that into account when you look for them.