division of a ROD

[Harold Dendy]

Today, I ran across another interesting distance measurement concerning our old familiar measurement of a rod measuring 16.5 feet per rod.

The deed stated, "......run thence North for 11-3/7 rods....."

I encounter these odd measurements occasionally, and I am stumped as to WHY and HOW a rod is divided into 7 parts. ???

1/7 rod is 16.5 feet divided by 7 equals 2.357 feet per each of the 7 parts. What....how.....why.....where do they get 7 parts?

In trying to decipher the old measurements, how do they come up with dividing a rod into 7 parts? The only thing that I could guess is that it may be equal to one step of about 2.375 feet per step, or 4.714 feet per pace, which is about right for a standard short pace. Therefore, one chain will be about 14 paces. Sound legit? Therefore, one half chain, or 2 rods would equal about 7 paces. One rod would equal about 3-1/2 paces. Odd way of measuring land by pacing for a legal description land record!

I am looking for a better insight on a measurement such as this. Converted, 11-3/7 rod calculates to be 188.57 feet, so here I go with my fancy measuring instruments trying to find a corner marker set at 11-3/7 rods by some method unknown as of now.

What are your thoughts as to how in the world the original measurement was done using sevenths of a rod????

 

[Nate The Surveyor]

I have come across deeds written in rods... and sevenths of a rod. And, I do not know why. Pi is 3-1/7th. So, maybe a math professor was having fun? I don't know. Tell your rodman to "Go left one seventh". See how well that works!!

 

[ken larson]

Someone on the interweb on Reddit "A pace is approximately one seventh of a rod, or 22 thumbs. Think of it as close to three quarters of an elne, or about three shaftments, give or take a barleycorn"

Seems like you are on the right track with a pace....maybe I will get creative with my next legal description

 

[Harold Dendy]

I have come across deeds written in rods... and sevenths of a rod. And, I do not know why. Pi is 3-1/7th. So, maybe a math professor was having fun? I don't know. Tell your rodman to "Go left one seventh". See how well that works!!

Hmmmmm….
The diameter of a circle with a circumference of 1/7 rod, or 2.357 feet, yields a wheel diameter of 0.75 feet, or 9 inches. Nate, you may have solved that problem. They probably used a 9-inch measuring wheel and figured 7 complete revolutions per rod. I was trying to figure out a linear subdivision, but a measuring wheel makes more sense. I have also run across a rod divided into 11 parts In a legal description. Probably used a wheel there, too. Intriguing!

 

[Jim Frame]

1/7 rod is 16.5 feet divided by 7 equals 2.357 feet per each of the 7 parts. What....how.....why.....where do they get 7 parts?

While maybe not germane, it's worth noting that 2.354' is 1/2 standard railroad gauge, and a standard add tape (e.g. Lufkin Pioneer) has a marker at the half-gauge point, as I recall.