Standardized directions?
singhals
The 1833 document says the man lives on "Elm Street between Smith
and Main." [Street names are fictious for the exercise.]
An 1833 map shows Elm and Smith, but not Main. Smith is between two
other streets whose names on the 1833 map match the names on the
2009 map.
I thought perhaps there was a convention that covered the order in
which the streets would be named, but after trying several
acquaintances and a couple total strangers, I don't think so.
The question now becomes -- which is more likely
A: that the clerk names the streets as if he were moving out
of the center of town
/or/
B: that the clerk names the streets as if he were coming into
the center of town?
I already /know/ there's no way to tell with certainty without
finding Main street on a map; I'm looking for a bread-crumb.
All help appreciated.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
Bob Melson
Hmmm. Dunno if it applies here, but the military convention is to
"read right, up": from a given point, read to its right (east),
then up (north). While this has to do more with map grids, it can
also apply to locating objects in relation to a known start point.
That said, I'd also ask which way the streets on the map run and
whether they're in a N-S/E-W grid. Might not help, given the vague
description in the document, but ...
Steamin' Ol' Bob
(but it's a DRY heat!)
--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
A government big enough to give you everything you want is big
enough to take away everything you have. Thomas Jefferson
Bob Melson <amia...@mypacks.net>
Keith Nuttle
Is there a Main street? If not did Main Street get renamed since
the map was drawn.
With my ancestors there are several cases where the streets were
renamed since they were involved with them.
Is Main street listed in old street directories and old newspapers?
Keith Nuttle <keith_...@sbcglobal.net>
singhals
>
> Hmmm. Dunno if it applies here, but the military convention is to
> "read right, up": from a given point, read to its right (east),
> then up (north). While this has to do more with map grids, it can
> also apply to locating objects in relation to a known start point.
>
> That said, I'd also ask which way the streets on the map run and
> whether they're in a N-S/E-W grid. Might not help, given the vague
> description in the document, but ...
>
> (but it's a DRY heat!)
Elm is roughly E-W; Smith is roughly N-S; logic, that cute little
tweeting bird, suggests Main is also N-S but unless I find it, who
knows?
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
Ian Goddard
Maybe he'd order the streets in the same direction as the house
numbering runs. Of course this simply replaces one the problem with
another...
--
Ian
Hotmail is for spammers. Real mail address is igoddard
at nildram co uk
Ian Goddard <godd...@hotmail.co.uk>
Patricia Kantzer
> The 1833 document says the man lives on "Elm Street between Smith
> and Main." [Street names are fictious for the exercise.]
>
> An 1833 map shows Elm and Smith, but not Main. Smith is between two
> other streets whose names on the 1833 map match the names on the
> 2009 map.
>
> I thought perhaps there was a convention that covered the order in
> which the streets would be named, but after trying several
> acquaintances and a couple total strangers, I don't think so.
>
> The question now becomes -- which is more likely
>
> A: that the clerk names the streets as if he were moving out
> of the center of town
> /or/
> B: that the clerk names the streets as if he were coming into
> the center of town?
>
> I already /know/ there's no way to tell with certainty without
> finding Main street on a map; I'm looking for a bread-crumb.
>
My guess is that you would look at a map of the town and whatever
street seems to lead into town and down the section of town with
stores would be named Main street.
Clerk's weren't always the ones who named the streets. Most times
the folks who lived on them did. Most times Main Street was most
likely the street that held the most of the stores located in that
town
Pat
"Patricia Kantzer" <mk...@roadrunner.com>
Bob Melson
Yet another question. Would it be possible for you to post an image
of the map somewhere or provide a link to an image? Maybe more'n
one set of eyes would help.
Squintin' Ol' Bob
singhals
Keith Nuttle wrote:
> > Cheryl Singhals <sing...@erols.com>
>
> Is there a Main street? If not did Main Street get renamed since
> the map was drawn.
Not now, not then.
> With my ancestors there are several cases where the streets were
> renamed since they were involved with them.
Yeah, I've seen it happen close-to-home in the past decade. :(
> Is Main street listed in old street directories and old newspapers?
Not that I've found, yet.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
singhals
>
> Maybe he'd order the streets in the same direction as the house
> numbering runs. Of course this simply replaces one the problem with
> another...
>
The up-side there is, I know which direction the numbers run today.
(g) Good idea, thanks!
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
singhals
Patricia Kantzer wrote:
> > The 1833 document says the man lives on "Elm Street between Smith
> > and Main." [Street names are fictious for the exercise.]
> >
> > An 1833 map shows Elm and Smith, but not Main. Smith is between two
> > other streets whose names on the 1833 map match the names on the
> > 2009 map.
> >
> > I thought perhaps there was a convention that covered the order in
> > which the streets would be named, but after trying several
> > acquaintances and a couple total strangers, I don't think so.
> >
> > The question now becomes -- which is more likely
> >
> > A: that the clerk names the streets as if he were moving out
> > of the center of town
> > /or/
> > B: that the clerk names the streets as if he were coming into
> > the center of town?
> >
> > I already /know/ there's no way to tell with certainty without
> > finding Main street on a map; I'm looking for a bread-crumb.
> >
> > Cheryl Singhals <sing...@erols.com>
>
> My guess is that you would look at a map of the town and whatever
> street seems to lead into town and down the section of town with
> stores would be named Main street.
Elm is the one that would intersect the street with the shops.
Smith is well to the east of it and parallel to the shopping street.
> Clerk's weren't always the ones who named the streets. Most times
> the folks who lived on them did. Most times Main Street was most
> likely the street that held the most of the stores located in that
> town
If that's what he was doing, then I'm looking at about 8 heavily
populated blocks between Smith and Main. I would have thought
something more pinpointed would have been wanted.
Still, something to look into. Thanks.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
singhals
>
> Yet another question. Would it be possible for you to post an image
> of the map somewhere or provide a link to an image? Maybe more'n
> one set of eyes would help.
>
I found it -- I think. At least, I found a street that has a name
that COULD sound-like, it's in the right place, it's a N-S street,
AND it intersects Elm.
Positing that, and knowing where the "center" of town was, the
progression came from out to in.
Thanks, everyone!
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>