Resume: Milton E. Denny,PLS 3001,Inc. the spatial data company P O Box 2242 Tuscaloosa,Alabama 35403 205t 507 0552 [email protected] Milton E. Denny is a registered surveyor in six states, and a veteran of surveying,mapping and GIS. His specialinterest has always been in project development and managementof firms. He is a past president of the Alabama Sociefy of ProfessionalLand Surveyors,a Fellow in the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and served for many years on the Board of Direction. Mr. Denny is the author of many manualsdealing with surveying, mapping and GIS. He is a nationally known speakerand lecturer "The on thesesubjects and writes a column called BusinessSide" for a trade magazine.He was instrumental in the starting of a new member organrzation in the American Congresson Surveyingand Mapping called the Geographic and Land Information Society.He servedas the first president. Mr. Denny has been providing training for surveyors and engineers throughout the United Statessince 1979. The seminarsinclude training in "Construction Surveying",Management and Marketing of the Surveyingand EngineeringFirm","Land Boundariesand Legal DescriptionWriting", and "Modern Survey Technology".He is consideredan expertin the field of new technologyas it appliesto surveying.Milton is also a sfudentof the history of surveying and the only manufacturerof antiquereproduction survey chain equipment. He is a leading authority on the survey chain as used in surveying for over three hundred years. He also does a first person presentationof the colonial surveyorAndrew Ellicott. Milton is Vice Presidentfor project developmentwith the finn 3001, Inc. This firm is a major provider of PhotogralnmetricMapping and Geographic Information Systems. The firm has many offices throughout the United Statesproviding theseservices. Mr. Denny is currently writing a book on the "surveying history of surveying measurementcall The Land: Survey MeasurementDevices 1620 to 1920." History of the Rectangular Land Svstem GLO Including Alabama & Mississippi Milton Denny, PLS P OBox2242 Tuscaloosa,Alabama 35403 [email protected] 1"t<;.262. Detcrrrrirrirrg llrr-: I.t'trilllr of ;t lioo,l. Determining the Length of the Rood, Rod, Perch or Pole 16 r/zFeet A. The King of England gatheredtogether 16 men of averagesize after church on Sundaymorning, lined them up left foot to left foot to determinethe length of the rood. B. The rood being 16 % feet becamethe basisfor the English perch and later the pole or rod as usedin the rectangularland system. C. The measurementof 16 lz feet,was one fourth of a English Gunter chain. The chain was one eightiethof an Englishmile which contained5,280 feet. D. The systemin use in England.rp until this time, used wooden poles of different length dependentupon the value of the land. Rootsof Surveying A. Magna Carta (original in Latin) June 15, 1215 B. Lays the groundwork of land ownership C. Leads to the English Estate Survey D. Edmond Gunter English mathematician E. Developsthe first practical survey chain F. 100links, 7.92inches G. 25 links per pole or perch, 16.5 feet H. 66 feet in chain,80 chainsin English mile I. English mile establishedas 5280 feet A. I consider the Magna Carta as the start of our modern land system. B. Allowing private land ownershipset in motion our modern land system. C. The first private surveyswere English Estatesurveys, these original documentsare very elaboratedocuments showing not only the boundaries,but also tenantfarmers, cattle and crops. D. The 4 pole Gunter chain contained25 links per pole, or 7.92 inchesper link. At eachten links was a tally that was attachedto the chain to allow the surveyorto know his location on the chain when measuringpartial chain distances. E. The original surveyorsof the rectangularland systemdeveloped systemsto keep track of the eighty chainsin a mile. The device was known as a tally counter and was attachedto the survey compass. l it{M4t-. ar^n--*-, _=***,:-JE=,*W,fce.yieugr. f .:' ,{ \ l"C/rorir-ar, \!ar,-aA1i (hrzrrz (4 roas or 66{eet zonq). English Estate Surveyor A. The estatesurveyor played an important role in early Englishlife. B. The 16 Y,foot pole was madeout of wood and carried to thejob siteby the surveyor'shelper. C. The surveyorpictured, most likely, was an officer of the King. He was relied upon to not only surveythe land, but to set the value of the estatefor tax purposes. D. Note the surveyorsin the backgroundusing a Gunter's chain.Not only was the chain usedby laying it on the ground, it was stretchedusing poles. E. The systemof measuringalong the surfacecontributed to inaccuraciesof original surveys. 4 Surveyors with 2-pole 33 foot suryey chain State of Georgia About 1780 A. Colonial surveyorsin Georgia.This image was copied off an original plat of surveyfrom 1780. B. Thesesurveyors are using a two pole chain. A two pole chain was more popular than a four pole chain, because they could suspendthe chain betweenthen and not have it dragging on the ground. C. The men chaining are moving forward very rapidly, the chainingcrew could cover four to six miles in a day. In someconditions maybe as much as eight miles. D. They are carrying metal pins that they throw into the ground to mark the length of the chain. The rear chainmanremoves the pins as they move forward. They then count the pins to keep track of the distance. Colonial Surveying Metes and Bounds Survey To Nearest Degree and to Nearest Pole Plain Compass Two Pole Chain Only Survey the Best Land Many Surveyors Part Time Occupation A. Thecolonial system of surveyingwas closely related to the Englishsystem used by the estatesurveyors. The Englishsystem was called Butts and Bounds. This was to becomethe colonialsystem called Metes and Bounds. B. The first surveyswere performed using very basic equipment,consisting of a plain compassand survey chain. C. Many colonialsurveyors learned the tradefrom other surveyorsor by working asan apprenticeto a surveyor. D. In manycases the work wasnot full time work, many surveyorsworked as instrument makers, in the legal profession,orstore keepers during the winter months. A. City surveyingplayed an important role in the developmentof the colonial cities. Many early American cities were laid out in lots and blocks, with a plat of the city, drawn by the surveyor and kept on file in city hall. This conceptis different than many English cities, in most casesthey do not have a completeplan or map of survey. B. A good exampleof the methodused in the colonies, is the 1698 map of the City of Philadelphiaby the Surveyor Thomas Homes. Once held this map in my hand. William Pennincluded with the plat, rules of developmentfor the City of Philadelphia, included requirementsto plant treesand constructand maintain the roads. C. Many colonial cities were surveyedunder a survey measurementstandard different than our curent standardas requiredby our currentNational GeodeticSurvey. D. Theseolder standardsmake surveyingin colonial cities very difficult. requiri earsofexoeri accessto the orisinal surveyrecords. Only certaintrained surveyorsare allowed to survey in Philadelphia. ColonialSurveying B. Land Lots and Land Grants Grants from the King Colonial Land Lots Land Patent C. Instrument Makers Rittenhouse Brothers Andrew Ellicott Goldsmith Chandlee A. Influential peoplereceived land grantsfrom the king. Many of thesegrants overlapped each other and endedup in the courtsof Englandto determineownership. B.Many grants were so vague that only a deterrnination of their location by the courtswould allow a surveyorto map the land. C. The land patent was an American original, whereby the governmentwould guaranteethe title and location of the land. D. Working with brasswas a skill developedafter the revolutionary war in the colonies.This skill allowed for the developmentof surveyinginstruments specially suited for surveyingthe undevelopedland in America. E. Someof the features,included the ability to adjust for declinationfrom magneticNorth, and a tally counterto keep track of distancemeasured. These features were unique to American made compasses. English Compass used in the Colonies A. Before the revolutionarywar all brasscompasses were brought to the coloniesfrom England,France or lreland. Today theseare refeffed to asplain compasses,because they lackedthe featuresnecessary to survey in the colonies. B. Many of thesecompasses lack any designationas to the maker or date of manufacturer,to instrumentcollectors thesecompasses have a very limited value, comparedto elaboratelyinscribed compasses made in America after the revolutionarywar. C. English compassesdesigned for estatesurveys would only readto about one half of one degree,this accuracy was unacceptablefor surveyingin the colonies. ThomosJelferson Father of the Rectangular Land System A. ThomasJeffbrson was the visionary neededfor the expansionof the newly formed United Statesof America. B. After the revolutionarywar most coloniesclaimed land to the MississippiRiver. C. One of the first problemsfacing Jefferson,was to get the original coloniesto give up their claim to the westerlylands. D. Jeffersonsaw the westerly land asthe key to the future. Theselands could benefit the country in two ways, the first, as a place to add populationto the coloniesby providing a place for immigrants coming into the country. The secondpart was even more important, that is a tax or income sourceto pay off war debt. t0 General Land Office (GLO) A. Benefits of Rectangular System 1. Economy 2. Simplicity of Description 3. Deeding by Patent 4. Ready to Sell