Glossary

This glossary is a condensed version of the Glossary from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.

Accession Number

On a land patent record, the accession number is a code used to uniquely identify a land patent. An accession number directly relates a document image to the original hardcopy document. Depending on the type of patent, it will assume various formats.

• For a State Volume Patent (for the 13 eastern public domain states), it identifies the state, volume number and page number of the original GLO document .The format is SSVVVV__.PPP where SS is state code, VVVV is the volume number, and PPP is the page number.
• For Serial Patents, it identifies the unique numeric code assigned to each serial patent.
• For Military Warrants, Miscellaneous Volumes and other types of volume-based patents, it generally follows the the format of TT-VVVV-PPP where TT is the type of patent, VVVV is the volume number, and PPP is the page number.

On a plat record, an accession number is a unique number assigned by the GLO and posted on the plat. For Wyoming plats, the accession number is posted in the upper left corner of the document.

Acres

On a land patent record, acres are the total acreage or cumulative totals described in the document. This number is expressed to the nearest thousandths of an acre. Square feet acreage has been converted to the nearest thousandths of an acre for townsites and town lots.

On a survey record, acres are the total acreage included in the survey.

Aliquot Parts

"Aliquot Parts" are a notation used by rectangular survey system to represent the exact subdivision of a section of land. Aliquot parts are described as a half or quarter of the largest subdivision of the section, except fractional lots which cannot be described by aliquot parts. States were divided into townships containing 6 square miles and subdivided into 36 sections, each containing 640 acres. Sections were further subdivided into half sections, quarter-sections, and sixteenth-sections or into lots, until the piece of land was accurately described.

Sections subdivided into halves are represented as N, S, E, and W (such as "the north half of section 5") or quarters of a section are represented as NW, SW, NE, and SE (such as "the northwest quarter of section 5").

Sometimes, several Aliquot Parts are required to accurately describe a piece of land. For example,"E½ SW¼ denotes the east half of the southwest quarter (containing 80 acres), and "SW¼NE¼NE¼" denotes the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter (containing 10 acres).

In general: a section contains 640 acres, a half section contains 320 acres, a quarter section contains 160 acres, a half of a quarter section contains 80 acres, and a quarter of a quarter contains 40 acres, etc.

Irregular tracts of land not generally described by conventional aliquot parts are a lot, a tract, or a small holding claim. It is important to remember that the aliquot parts shown in the patent data usually translate into words found on the land document.

In general: a section contains 640 acres, a half section contains 320 acres, a quarter section contains 160 acres, a half of a quarter section contains 80 acres, and a quarter of a quarter contains 40 acres, etc.

The aliquot parts notation does not apply to cadastral surveys, plats, or field notes.

Block Number

A one-, two-, or three-digit number used to describe a block (or piece) of land within a township. For example, "Block 6 in Township 5 North, Range 12 West". Block numbers apply only to land patents.

Boundary

The boundary is a line of the United States public land surveys; it is given a particular designation, such as section line or township line (N- North, S- South, E- East, or W- West).

Canceled Land Patent

Land documents that were issued and later canceled were marked "Cancelled" across the face of the certificate with either a stamp or a handwritten annotation. Canceled documents were usually replaced by another document. The Comments field for a canceled document will sometimes make reference to the document(s) that were used to replace it.

Canceled Survey

The annulment of a former accepted or approved survey. This action may be taken only by the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. It requires ample justification such as the showing of gross irregularities. The unreasonable distortion of section boundaries in length and direction and/or lines, which are shown on the record without ever having existed in fact, may be deemed justification for cancellation. This action applies to the public land, and has no bearing on the identification of the alienated subdivisions described in terms of the prior survey.

County

The present day name of the county or parish in which the land is located. A single land description or survey record may have more than one county listed.

Document Number

The primary identification number given to the original GLO document. Warrant numbers, certificate numbers, BIA numbers, railroad patents, swamp patents and coal certificate numbers may be used as the document number. In cases where a certificate number is not given you may find the original GLO Serial number.

Duplicate Status

Indicates whether the document held by the BLM Eastern States Office is either an official copy made when the document was originally produced or is a copy/photocopy made at a later date.

The original field notes were returned to the Surveyor General's office where three manuscript plats were prepared for each township, as well as a transcript of the field notes. One copy of the (Original) plat and field notes were retained by the Surveyor General and eventually became the state copy (except for Oklahoma); the second copy of the plat (also known as the Duplicate or Secretary of Interior copy) and the transcribed field notes were returned to the Commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington D.C. (now the BLM-Eastern States); and the third (Triplicate) was used in a local land office where it was annotated with references to specific land transactions.

Fractional Section

A section of land is denoted as a fractional section if it is not a complete section (e.g., less than 640 acres due to a body of water).

Fractional Township

A township containing less than 36 normal sections, usually because of invasion by a segregated body of water, or by other land, which cannot properly be surveyed as part of that township, or by closing the public-land surveys on State boundaries or other limiting lines. Half ranges and half townships are fractional townships by definition.

Geographic Name

A name given to a Lode, Placer or Millsite mining claim which is described on the Mineral Certificate.

Group Number

A filing and record-keeping system whereby a particular cadastral survey project is identified, i.e., Group 123, Wyoming. Since the beginning of the Direct System, all cadastral survey projects authorized under one specific set of instructions have been referred to by their "Group number".

Indian Allotment Number

An allocation of a parcel of public lands or Indian Reservation lands given to a Native American for his individual use.

Issue Date

The month, day, and year that the President signed the land document. On this document you will also find signatures of officers or employees of the GLO. Beginning June 17, 1948, the authority was delegated to the Secretary of the Interior to issue patents on public lands.

Land Description

A sub-part of a legal land description on a land patent. Land descriptions uniquely identify the parcel or parcels of land for which title is given by the land patent. Land descriptions are based on the rectangular survey system.

Land Status Record

The term Land Status Record to collectively refer to Master Title Plats, Use Plats, and Historical Indices. Land Status Records (LSRs) are used by BLM State Offices to document the ongoing state of a township’s Federal and private land regarding title, lease, rights, and usage. For more details see the Land Status Records overview.

Land Office

Name of location (usually a city or a town) where the General Land Office established a district land office to handle various land transactions. Issued patents were bound into volumes by Land Office names. Usually, several Land Offices existed for each state.

Legal Land Description

Each land patent contains a legal land description that describes in legal (survey) terms the land to which title is given. A legal land description in turn consists of one land description for each parcel of land for which title is given by the land patent.

Lot

Fractional or odd-shaped tracts of land not generally describable by conventional aliquot parts. Lots are sometimes expressed as "Lot 12" or "Lot 12a." If a lot is included in a description of land, it will be denoted in the aliquot parts as a one- or two-digit number and may include a lower case alphabet. For example, "Lot 12a of the north-west quarter" is denoted as "12aNW" in the aliquot parts field.

Meridian

An imaginary north-south line. The meridians frequently referenced on this site are principal meridians.

Metes and Bounds

A method of describing a parcel of land by citing the owners of abutting lands and describing the length of each course of a boundary as "along" some apparent line, such as, "along a stream" or "ten paces north from the large oak tree." These surveys do not conform to the rectangular survey system. In modern usage, a metes and bounds description includes the bearings and distances of each course.

Mineral Reservations

Land granted to a patentee was subject to certain vested and accrued rights for mining, agriculture, manufacturing, or other purposes. This data item indicates whether the land described in the document involved the reservation of mineral rights for any of these purposes.

Miscellaneous Document Number

A secondary identification number found on the original GLO document (e.g., Homesteads Application numbers, R&R numbers pertaining to Warrants, IO numbers, and Mineral Certificates). Not all documents have a miscellaneous document number (e.g., Cash Entry Patents and Railroads).

Miscellaneous Volume Patent

Beginning in the spring of 1907, Federal land patents were issued by the General Land Office in Washington, DC instead of the individual local land offices across the United States. There was a transition period of just over a year, through June 30, 1908, where local land office certificate and reference numbers were still reflected on the document. Almost 100,000 patents were issued in this manner until the serial patent numbering system began on July 1, 1908.

Parent Plat

This term is used on a Supplemental Plats when it can be tied back to a "parent" plat for reference. A Parent Plat can be linked to multiple supplemental plats.

Patentee First Name

The first name of the person who received the certificate. In some instances there may be multiple patentees, the names are listed in the order in which they appear on the document.

Patentee Last Name

The last name of the person who received the certificate. In some instances there may be multiple patentees, the names are listed in the order in which they appear on the document. Also, there may be additional names listed on the document, for example, maiden name, alias, heirs, assignees, company name, state or Native American name.

Patentee Middle Name

The middle name of the person who received the document. Middle initial, maiden name, or last name may also appear in this field.

Plat

As used technically by the BLM, the drawing which represents the particular area included in a survey, such as a township, private land claim or mineral claim, and the lines surveyed, established, retraced or resurveyed, showing the direction and length of each such line; the relation to the adjoining official surveys; the boundaries, descriptions, and area of each parcel of land subdivided; and, as nearly as may be practicable, a representation of the relief and improvements within the limits of the survey.

Principal Meridian

The true north and south line extending from an initial point in both directions. Principal meridians are the first north-south lines (meridians) surveyed for an area and form the basis for measuring ranges east and west. Principal meridians used within each state can have numeric names such as "Fifth Principal Meridian" or common names such as "Chocktaw Meridian." Some states have more than one principal meridian, for example, Arkansas has the Fifth Principal Meridian, and Mississippi has five principal meridians: Chickasaw, Choctaw, Huntsville, St. Stephens and Washington.

Range

A row or tier of townships lying east or west of the principal meridian and numbered successively to the east and to the west from the principal meridian.

Range Direction

The Range Direction indicates which side of the principal meridian the township is on. In the example "Township 5 North, Range 12 West," West indicates the direction of the township from the (vertical) meridian. Range directions can be either east or west.

Range Number

A Range Number identifies a township's East or West relation to its principal meridian. In the example "Township 5 North, Range 12 West," the number 12 represents the Range Number used to identify the township that is 12 tiers to the left of the principal meridian.

Rectangular Survey System

A system inaugurated by the Continental Congress on May 20, 1785, for the survey of the public lands of the United States.

The rectangular survey system in a nutshell:

The rectangular survey system (as opposed to the metes and bounds system) uses imaginary "nets" of big rectangles superimposed on the land. The center of a net is anchored at a known geographic position. Two base lines cross at the center, one north-south and the other east-west. The big rectangles of the net, each generally 24 miles by 24 miles, are described according to their position in relation to the base lines. Each big rectangle is then subdivided into smaller rectangles, and the smaller rectangles into even smaller rectangles, and so on.

The north-south base line of the net is called a meridian. The big 24-mile rectangles are called tracts. Tracts are each divided into 16 townships. Townships are divided into sections. Sections are divided into half-sections and quarter-sections. Half-sections and quarter-sections are divided and further subdivided into halves and quarters.

Parcels of land described from the rectangular survey system will use additional terms such as aliquot parts, ranges, and lots (or fractional lots).

A further discussion and an illustrated guide to the rectangular survey system are here.

Section

A section is a regular tract of land, 1-mile square, containing 640 acres, within a township. It is approximately 1/36 of a township.

Section Number

Identifies a section within a township. Sections are usually numbered 1 to 36 but can be higher in some states. Alphabetic characters may be included in the section number. In some instances there are surveys with duplicate section numbers that are identified by a numeric-alpha (e.g., 12 or 12U).

Serial Patent

Beginning in July 1908 with Serial Patent Number 1, serial patents were assigned numbers consecutively, regardless of State, and filed numerically.

Serial Patent Number

A serial number is a unique numeric code assigned to each serial patent. The first serial patent has serial number 1. The highest serial patent number is 1,242,610. In our records, serial patent numbers have eight digits with zeros filled in to the left to make eight places (for example, 00006191).

Small Holding Claim

A small holding claim is a continuous bona fide possession of public lands in the Southwest for at least 20 years, which did not follow the rectangular system and were surveyed as numbered metes and bounds tracts, e.g., Small Holding Claim #523.

State

For a land patent, depending on the context, this is either the geographic name where the lands were located or the administrative name of the land office where the sale was completed. When given in a land patent's land description, it means the geographic state. In most or all other cases, it's the administrative state.

For a plat or surveys, the geographic state in which the survey was performed.

Subdivisional Lines

Subdivisional lines are surveys performed within a township that divide a township into sections.

Subdivisions of Sections

A survey, which subdivides a previously surveyed section into the required aliquot parts or lots, using methods which are legally prescribed.

Supplemental Plat

A plat prepared entirely from office records designed to show a revised subdivision of one or more sections without change in the section boundaries and without other modification of the record. Supplemental plats are required where the plat fails to provide units suitable for administration or disposal, or where a modification of its showing is necessary.

Title Transfer Authority

Refers to the congressional act or treaty that supports the transfer of land from the United States government to private owners. An example of a title transfer authority would be May 20, 1862, Homestead Entry, 12 Stat 392.

Our site has a complete list of title transfer authorities in our Visitors Center.

Township

A township is a major subdivision of the public lands under the rectangular system of surveys. It is a tract of land contained within the boundaries of the north-south range lines. Most townships are 4-sided, measuring approximately 6 miles on each side and containing approximately 36 square miles, or 23,040 acres.

Township Direction

The Township Direction indicates which side (north or south) of the baseline the township is on. In the example, Township 5 North, Range 12 West," North indicates the Township Direction from the (horizontal) baseline.

Township Duplicate or Triplicate

Two (duplicate) or three (triplicate) townships that have the same township and range designation, but are not in the same geographic location (i.e. north of the white river and south of the white river)

Township Number

A township number is identified by its relation to a base line and a principal meridian. For example, "Township 5 North, Range 12 West" identifies a particular township that is 5 tiers up from the base line. In this example, the number 5 represents the Township Number. Some townships may be fractional.

Tract

A tract is a parcel of land that lies in more than one section or that cannot be identified completely as a part of a particular section, e.g., Tract 37. Note: Tracts within a township are numbered beginning with 37 to avoid confusion with section numbers.

Tribe

The band or reservation with which a Native American was associated, i.e. Osage Reserve, Hoopa Valley, Modoc, and Flathead.