DEED-MAPPER-USERS-L Archives
Archiver > DEED-MAPPER-USERS > 2010-05 > 1273847213
From: Lee Hoffman <>
Subject: Re: [DMU] Thinking of buying...newbie here...soliciting feedback onthe software
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 10:27:04 -0400
References: <770735.23837.qm@web54102.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <770735.23837.qm@web54102.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Penelope Athey wrote:
>I am new to the process and need some kind of software which will
>allow me enter the coordinates and will then show me where this land
>is on the map.
>
>OK, am I in the right place?
>
>Is this state of the art software (or better, is it just plain good
>at giving you wnat you want from it)? Can I enter property from
>various owners and see them maped in conjunction? Ease of use?
>Smart keying shortcuts?
As Greg has indicated, the main purpose of DeedMapper is to allow you
to take deeds (or similar related documents) and create plots
(outlines) of the property that is described. Using that (those)
plot(s), you can then arrange it (them) to see where it fits on a map
perhaps with other plots or points of interest. A point of interest
may be a river, highway or some other geographic entity. Thus, _you_
have to know (from the deed and other adjoining deeds) where that
plot should be placed. In many cases, you can be exact about the
placement and in others you may only be close pending other more
exact plot placements.
What it sounds like you have and want is to find where a certain
coordinate is located. That is you have a coordinate like 38 degrees
03' 51.14" N and 83 degrees 56' 27.77" W and want to know where that
is located. Or you have a call like: NE quarter of SE quarter of
section 4 Township 33 N Range 13 W and want to know where that is
located. In the first case, a program like Google Earth (free?) will
allow you to enter the latitude/longitude coordinates and will center
the map on that location.
As for public domain calls (the second example above), I am
unsure. My understanding is that you need to find a map of the
appropriate state that includes the prime meridian and includes an
overlay of the lines designating the sections, townships and
ranges. Then you would go backwards and find the range, township,
and section. Finally you would locate the specific parcel of land
within that section.
Similar to the public domain system, if you have a deed calls using
the metes and bounds method, then you need to find the geographic
point of origin that is used as the beginning point of the
description. This is often a tree (usually one that has been gone
for a couple hundred years), a creek or river (again often covered
over or moved many years before), or some other point (again probably
no longer existing). Even with the vagaries of this method, one can
usually locate the property fairly accurately using research of
adjoining land and later deeds.
In other words, for other than the latitude/longitude coordinates,
you will need to do the placement manually on a paper or digital
map. Of course, once you have found the placement of one point, you
can fairly easily place other adjoining points and calls.
Hope this helps -
Lee Hoffman/KY
TMG Tips: <http://www.tmgtips.com>;
My website: <http://www.tmgtips.com/lhoffman>;
A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)
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