Daily AncestorFractional section
A fractional section is a survey section smaller than a full square mile, usually because a lake, river or irregular boundary cut into it.
A regular section holds 640 acres. When a body of water or an odd boundary got in the way, the section came out short, and its irregular parts could not be described as neat quarters.
Those odd parts were numbered as lots instead, such as "Lot 2 of Section 6," with acreages like 37.85. A land patent for a numbered lot may mean the tract touched a river or lake.
As seen in a recordFederal land patent, 1840s
Lot No. 2 of fractional Section 6, containing 37.85 acres
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Daily Ancestor. "Fractional section." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/fractional-section. Last checked 2026-10-10.