Daily AncestorPoint of beginning
The point of beginning is the starting corner of a metes and bounds land description, the spot where the boundary starts and where it must end.
Metes and bounds descriptions run around a tract in order, from a point of beginning and back to the same point, naming distances, directions and markers along the way. The phrase "to the beginning" at the end of a description closes the loop.
With a capital T, The Point of Beginning is also the spot on the Ohio River at Pennsylvania's western boundary where the federal public land surveys started in 1785.
As seen in a recordMetes and bounds deed, 1700s or 1800s
Beginning at a white oak on the east bank of Mill Creek, thence ... to the place of beginning, containing 112 acres
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Point of beginning." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/point-of-beginning. Last checked 2026-10-12.