Understanding Land Records

State land states - where the state made the land grants: Thirteen original states, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Public land states - where the federal government made the land grants:The other 30 states.

Legal Land Descriptions in the USA

Graphical Display of the Federal Township and Range System

A detailed example of finding a tract

Metes and Bounds Surveys

Example of Indiscriminate Metes and Bounds

Rectangular Survey System From the GLO website

Geo-communicator Interactive Maps

Retracing the Trails of Your Ancestors Using Deed Records

An excellent article on land records by William Dollarhide, From the GENEALOGY BULLETIN, Issue No. 25, Jan-Feb 1995.