ABSTRACT
There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps.
Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet
One of the more recent writers of legal articles summarized the relationship between title and boundaries in 1960 while contrasting the basic concepts of retracement and apportionment. Robert J. Griffin published Retracement and Apportionment as Surveying Methods for Resurrecting Lost Property Corners.* In a few pages, concentrating on proper principles, practices, and legal sources, Griffin detailed the legal basis of property corners, descriptions and the location of title lines. He began with a discussion of title, then proceeded to the surveyor’s role in the process, finally emphasizing that retracement is paramount, and apportionment a process for use only when the former fails to produce the location of a corner. The remainder of this book will detail many of the concepts with their significance to the boundary location process.
