Almost certainly Gunters... but you never know.

In 1785 the Public Land Survey Ordinance required the use of Gunter's chain in all surveys of public land. It's successor, the Public Land Survey System which grew from that used Gunter's and Gunter's is specified in the 1851 PLSS manual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Land_Survey_System#Survey_execution:_measurement


So you can say with great certainty that Gunter's chain was the industry standard though that still doesn't answer your question.

________________________________
 From: Lyle E. Browning <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 9:45 PM
Subject: [VA-HIST] Hotchkiss Length Unit
 

I've run across a rather interesting 1848 creek straightening plat done by Jed Hotchkiss. It has no scale, but the metes and bounds are given in chains.

The standard Gunters surveyors chain based on the English measure is 66 feet.

However, the Engineer's chain sometimes used in the USA in 100 feet.

Has anyone any info on which Hotchkiss may have used?

Thanks in advance,

Lyle Browning
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