Florida Townships & Ranges

In Florida the legal property description is based on a rectangular grid  (6-miles by 6-miles) of townships and ranges with a meridian (center-point) passing through Tallahassee.  Each township and range is subdivided into 36 square mile subdivisions (1-mile by 1-mile) termed sections.  The sections get further divided into aliquots.


There is a better explanation on a website called Section, Township & Range, at genealogy.about.com/cs/land/a/public_lands.htm.  There is another good explanation on Wikipedia as Public Land Survey System at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Land_Survey_System


I have two "simple" online ways to local these coordinates.  One is to use the Official DOT County Maps of Florida, at www.dot.state.fl.us/surveyingandmapping/countymap.shtm.  You can view and download the maps as pdf-files (the border have T[township] and R[range] with the sections in boxes on the map.)  The other (less simple) involves using Google Earth downloading a kml-file and executing it to apply the township-range-sections to the Google Earth map.  The kml-file is available from Earthpoint at www.earthpoint.us/Townships.aspx.  When you open this webpage, simply click the box labeled: View on Google Earth in the BML Township, Range and Section section.  The kml-file will be downloaded, you don't have to register.  Open your free copy of Google Earth, then find EarthPointTownships.kml in your downloads and double click on the file to temporarily install it on your Google Earth.  It is an intensive program and will slow down Google Earth so turn it off for other projects.


The Thomas Register for Florida, a large book in the Reference Section of your larger public Florida library will contain a township and range map as well.


Okay it isn't real simple, but it ain't rocket science either.  With a handle on the legal description of a piece of land, you will be able to find it on a map and likely on the road in front of it.

Spanish Land Grants

In 1821 Spain ceded Florida to the United States government. Prior to that date the Spanish King had granted land grants to individuals in Florida. This created a problem for the United States government that wanted to sell unowned parts of Florida to encourage development and recover some of the cost of purchasing Florida. In 1822 Land Office Commissions in St. Augustine and Pensacola were established to review the validity of the land grant claims and identify the land owner.

The claims files include a wide variety of documents that were submitted to the Land Office Commissions. Some of the files are in Spanish, but the are often accompanied by translations. The claims were finally sent off to Washington, but the State of Florida has microfiche copies in the State Archives in Tallahassee, and they have put the images online.

Sad to say most of the Pensacola claims have been lost.

Spanish Land Grant Claims documents can be founds at:
http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/SpanishLandGrants/index.cfm

There are 14 listed with the SANCHEZ surname, but if you are searching a maternal line check the husband's surname.

As a bonus check out "Maps: Past and Present." These are examples of the old land grant maps, the early survey maps, and modern USGS maps. Plus example #1 Map is the San Felasco grant in Alachua County; Francis Roman Sanchez' ranch.