Daily AncestorTownship (survey)
A survey township, or congressional township, is a block of public land about six miles square, holding 36 sections, in the federal survey.
A survey township, also called a congressional township, is a square of land about six miles on a side, divided into 36 one-mile sections. Each is numbered north or south of a base line, as in Township 6 North.
Do not confuse it with a civil township, the local government unit. The two often share boundaries, but the census and tax lists use civil township names, while deeds and patents use survey numbers.
As seen in a recordLand description in a federal patent
Township 6 North, Range 3 West of the 5th Principal Meridian
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Daily Ancestor. "Township (survey)." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/congressional-township. Last checked 2026-10-01.