Another Hanover Stone Found

[Teegate]

All,

As you must know I have been researching the Hanover Furnace property line, and for the past few weeks I have been striking out while trying to find any of the stones in the pines along the property lines.

So this morning I thought things would follow the same trend, and at first I was correct. A mile walk for the second straight weekend in the woods turned up nothing, even though I was certain my calculations were correct. The good news at this location is that I am on the verge of hopefully getting the information I need to find this thing.

So after returning to my car we decided to try one more location where I calculated a major stone should be. This one was reported to have the letters C.N. (Clayton Newbold) etched into it.

We arrived at a familiar place, since I have been there with members of this site before, obviously not knowing anything about the Hanover Stones then. Within a few minutes our luck had changed, and I had one less stone to look for.

This stone is I believe well into the ground. I was not able to find the letters C.N. inscribed in it, but will return later with some water to clean it off more. It was completely covered in moss before these photo's were taken.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/871-1/IMG_5975.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/876-1/IMG_5977.jpg

Before we left I covered it over to look as it did when we found it.

Here is a description of the stone. I have edited it to hide it's location. Some info was hard to read or missing.




Stone lettered C.N. by the east side of a pine stump and distant about 40 links (26.4 feet) from the receivable of the road formally called --- between the ??? known by the so ?name? of the Old Half Way. Stone being distant about 90.00 (5940 feet) measuring along the road from Old Half Way which stump and stone is the original SE corner of the Hanover Furnace tract Surveyed and returned to John Weiss. And also the last or closing corner to William McKnight's Greenwood Forest Tract, Surveyed and returned to Clayton Newbold, and is also the NE corner to (and) including Survey usually called the Jones Mill Tract, Surveyed to Abraham Jones. The above described stone is also the beginning corner............missing info.

Thence agreeably to ???? ??? Jones, William McKnight, and Charles Stewart establishing the line between Hanover Furnace, Greenwood Forest, and Ferrago Tracts dated Jan 4th 1840.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

Neato Guy. Good find. McKnight of the Greenwood Tract, eh? First time I have heard that name.

"I know thou art galled by our jesting, but we are all equal here in
the greenwood, for there are no bishops nor barons nor earls among us,
but only men, so thou must share our life with us while thou dost
abide here."

Project Gutenberg's Etext of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle

 

[Teegate]

In the past few days I have finally come full circle, and have learned how to read, decipher, and plot on a map info from survey maps. I have been working on this for years, and with a tip from a man online this week, I have learned quite a bit in the past few days.

Unfortunately, it has uncovered some of my flaws and mistakes, and I now can say that the stone in this post is not what I thought it was

In any event it is a property marker which may be of importance.

Guy

 

[RMICKLE]

1876 Hanover Tract area map

Here’s an 1876 map of Hanover Tract area. It’s from Scott’s 1876 Atlas of Burlington County. I merged a portion of New Hanover and Pemberton Townships. It’s interesting to see Hanover Tract line shown on the map.


http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=346&pos=0


I know it’s not going to help with finding stones but it is still interesting nonetheless.

Roy

 

[Teegate]

Again, thanks for the map. It is always nice to see other views.

Much of that is federal property so I have mainly concentrated on the southern portion in Lebanon (Brendan Byrne) and in the Greenwood Forest. I know so much about that portion, but have become frustrated with my results. Many of the inscribed stones most likely have been taken by people long before I came along, and the sandstone stones that stuck up have either deteriorated, been shot at, or removed. Plus, even though the link and chain surveying is amazingly accurate, the "magnetic position of the needle" can be frustrating.

In a few more weeks with the absence of vegetation I may do much better. We shall see.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

Here’s an 1876 map of Hanover Tract area. It’s from Scott’s 1876 Atlas of Burlington County. I merged a portion of New Hanover and Pemberton Townships. It’s interesting to see Hanover Tract line shown on the map.


http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=346&pos=0


I know it’s not going to help with finding stones but it is still interesting nonetheless.

Roy

That is a fine map Roy. Do you have another atlas of Ocean County, particularly Bamber and Dover forge? I'd love to see that.

 

[RMICKLE]

That is a fine map Roy. Do you have another atlas of Ocean County, particularly Bamber and Dover forge? I'd love to see that.

Sorry but I only have Burlington County. Actually that uploaded map came from a reproduction of the original atlas. I got it at Buzzby’s store in Chatsworth yesterday. I also have an original that’s been in my family for years but it getting fragile and is too large to scan. I just wish the original atlas (and reproduction) had included Washington, Randolph (now part of Washington), Bass River and Little Egg Harbor Townships, I guest they figured that there wasn’t a need or enough people to make it worth while.

Roy

 

[RMICKLE]

...even though the link and chain surveying is amazingly accurate, the "magnetic position of the needle" can be frustrating.

Guy

Those old deeds can be pretty good but most of the time they are hundreds of feet off (extreme case) by time you get back to the beginning point. In the old days, the marker was the corner and the bearing and distance was a guide for the surveyor to help him to get from one point to the next. After all some of the early compasses may only have been capable of measuring down to a quarter degree. I don’t know too much about the equipment, but I read the deeds all the time at work.

One trick that may help with the magnetic declination is if your deed has a bearing along a road or something that is on a current map. Just subtract the two bearings (or azimuth) and make the adjustment to all the bearing shown on your deed.


Another thing that may help is this link, one third of the way down the page.

http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/LatLong.html

You can enter in the location of a known marker, then enter a azimuth and distance (km) to calculate a “look†point for the next marker.

I hope this helps,
Roy

 

[Teegate]

You can enter in the location of a known marker, then enter a azimuth and distance (km) to calculate a “look†point for the next marker.

I hope this helps,
Roy

Roy,

I have conquered how to use an azimuth and distance to locate a destination, in fact that is how I found the two county markers today. I have learned how to convert links and chains to feet or meters to calculate where a stone will be that is mentioned on field notes of a surveyor from the mid 1800's.

I found the location of one of the stones mentioned, and converting the links and chains I move forward or backward with the notes. The problem is that if the next stone is not there I will search forever because I am never certain of the magnetic angle.

So what I do is calculate every angle to every stone from 5° to 18° and throw all of the locations on the mapping program I have, and look over the terrain. You probably know that it is amazing how the property lines of today in the pines are still effected by the Hanover Furnace tract. Many of the roads in Ocean and Burlington County in the Lebanon and Greenwood Forest are there because they were survey lines that people turned into roads.

So after looking the location I calculated over, I can see where in the Greenwood Forest that deforestation took place along the exact lines of one of the angles I used. The points almost exactly meet the map I have of the Hanover Furnace Tract. So feeling confident I have searched and searched for the stones with disappointing results. I guess 150 years has taken it's toll on them in many ways.

Many good things have come out of this though. I have found other stones unrelated to the Hanover Tract, and have so much more understanding of the Greenwood Forest and the Old Half Way and Union Clay Works area. And my surveying skills are greatly improved and I am not a surveyor.

I picked up the pace on this in the summer which was a problem, but winter is coming and obviously I can see much more then. The coming months will make or break me on this project. Time will tell.

Thanks for the input. I currently am using "Forward" on the USGS site which does the exact same thing as that script.

Guy

 

[RMICKLE]

The coming months will make or break me on this project.

Sounds like you’re getting the hang of it. The more you do the better you’ll become.

Let me know by PM or email if you need a second opinion on a location.

Roy