Understanding Terminology used in
Texas' "Original Land Patent" Surveys

SURVEY

A survey is a certified measured description of a piece of land. The term sometimes refers to the land itself. In Texas, "original surveys" were performed as part of the patenting process whereby land was transferred from the public domain to a recepient. These "patent surveys," recorded at the Texas General Land Office, constitute an official land grid for the State and are the basis for subsequent land surveys.

BLOCK

A block is a defined set of original land surveys. A block has an identifying name and/or number, and surveys within it are usually consecutively numbered, mile-square sections. Land grants from the State of Texas to railroad companies were often patented in blocks and sections. The term block is also used as a unit of a subdivision, i.e., subdivision/block/lot.

SECTION
A section refers to a square land survey measuring exactly one mile on each side. Some of the land transferred from the public domain by the state of Texas was surveyed and patented in units of square miles. The Texas General Land Office officially considers these units to be "sections". Also, it was common that larger land grants, such as school lands and capitol lands, were subsequently surveyed into square mile units for the convenience of sale; these surveys are also called sections. In addition, the term "section" is commonly used to describe surveys in a group that have been assigned consecutive survey numbers, even though some of them do not have the proper shape or size to truly be sections.

ABSTRACT

In Texas, the term abstract refers to an original land survey describing an area transferred from the public domain by either the Republic of Texas or the State of Texas. These surveys are recorded in the "State Abstract of Land Titles," which is maintained by the Texas General Land Office. Each survey so recorded is assigned an abstract number, which is unique within the county in which the survey falls. Because Texas has never performed a uniform statewide land survey, these original surveys called "Patent Surveys" constitute the State's Official Land Survey System.

GRANTEE

The "Grantee" named on the Certificate is the Person or Concern to whom the land was actually awarded.

MEASUREMENTS

League = 4,428 acres
Labor = 177 acres.