More or less…
Almost every patent or deed written in colonial times contained that inevitable little caveat “more or less”. X amount of acres, more or less. So many poles, more or less. The surveyors meant it… and for a reason.
Note that the Colhoon jigsaw puzzle piece just won’t “snuggle” it’s way into its slot. And just like a modern Jigsaw Puzzle you can’t just take a scissors and snip the puzzle here and there and force it to fit.
Compare my modern rendition (below) of the Haywood patent of 1760. The segment of the survey next to it is from 1758. They match almost exactly.
The surveyors were pretty damn accurate when they wanted to be. But when they wanted to “fudge” a bit they made no bones about it.
In their survey map above they draw that “missing” leg almost due west… but note the dotted line. They are clearly letting everyone know they are fudging. And look what they do with the last leg of the survey with the metes and bounds…
I tried to foolishly “fix” their “mistake”. I just did not know how to play the game by their rules. I am just now beginning to figure it out… more or less.
I really cannot explain it in simple terms… the best I can do is use the term Art & Mystery of surveying… its why you call a plumber to plumb and a blacksmith to hammer that horseshoe.
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