Mike,
Re your question
"Could you explain your last sentence about Tom's mathematical machinations or at least refer me to the particular post?"
I was referring to the eureka moment that Tom (and you, later) was pushing in mathematically deducing what was in the 117 and 120 acres. It's embodied in the post below, although he presented it multiple time going way back to posts #652, 656 and 670. I've added the correct numbers in red to highlight how the math should have been done. The error is the opening assumption that the Johnson land never considered for the course (what I've labeled Area RE) was 23 acres. It's not - it's 21.1 acres. Based on that false assumption, the rest of the analysis falls apart.
"***EDIT*** I just went back and see that Bryan Izatt measured the land of the Johnson Farm north of Ardmore Ave. but west of Golf House road at 22 acres. The Johnson Farm itself was just over 140 acres, which means if the original HDC offer was simply for the portions south of Ardmore Avenue, and the northeast section above Ardmore Avenue, that would be around 118 acres total.
I'm not sure if this is relevant, but it is certainly possible that this is the portion of land M&W were asked to consider and report on. (drawn crudely in black)"
You're not sure if it's RELEVENT??
Of course it's relevent! All one needs to do is follow the timeline of what MCC and HDC were doing from around July 1910 to about the middle of December 1910 to understand just how relevent it really is. Whether they had their eye on the Dallas Estate in June or July 1910 or whether they didn't the fact is when the Dallas Estate was finally nailed down by HDC around the beginning of Nov. 1910 that is practically the same day and certainly the same week Lloyd and Connell completed their negotiations and the actual formal offer was made by Nickolson to Evans through Lloyd and MCC's board voted on it and accepted the offer to purchase 117 acres!!
Then when MCC came in with their working topo contour maps (probably in the end of Dec or beginning of Jan 1911) with that proposed road drawn on the map to scale that they used to route and design numerous courses and plans on throughout the winter and early spring of 1911, one needs to realize that the land to the west of that road and between the western boundary at the top of the "L" of the old Johnson farm was approximately 21 acres that I said back on post #652, 656 and 670 I am convinced it was!
As I said in those posts back there:
23 acres=the western section of the old Johnson farm never considered for golf Tom assumed it was 23 acres. It's not, it's 21.1 acres
140.137 acres=the entire Johnson farm
140-23=117 acres 140.137 - 21.1 = 119.037
Remove that app 21 acres (Another false assumption, it now measures to be 19.8 acres) from the 117 (really should be 119.037, as above) I mentioned on posts #652, 656, and 670 of the old Johnson farm to the west of the proposed road from the course plan (as it was on their working topo survey maps);
117-21=96 acres 119.037 - 19.8 = 99.237 acres
ADD the Dallas estate (21 acres Deeded as 21.02 acres)
96+21=117 acres 99.327 + 21.02 = 120.347 acres
ADD the exchange AND 3 acre additional purchased acres to the golf course land via the Francis fix idea gotten along the extension of Golf House Road through it's redelineation from the working topo survey maps to its actual metes and bounds "as built" delineation (Thompson Resolution)----I've been saying this for over a year now!
117+3=120.1 acres of the July 21, 1911 deed from Lloyd to MCCGA 120.347 + 3 = 123.347 acres Oooops, wrong answer! It's not the 120.01 acres on the July 21, 1911 deed from Lloyd to MCCGA. The flaws are in the original assumption, by Tom, that the Johnson Estate land never considered for the golf course was 23 acres, and the assumption that the land west of GHR to the western boundary of the Johnson Farm was 21 acres. Neither were as assumed by Tom. Perhaps that was why he wanted to sell me his methodology and why he didn't want to share the deeds and metes and bounds. Hope that helps, Mike.
THIS is why I said in posts #652, 656 and 670 that when the metes and bounds of Golf House Road are measured with and enclosed with that old Johnson boundary (after the Francis fix) the area in there is no longer app 21 acres BUT 18!! (posts #652, 656 and 670!)
(of course if the road actually crossed over the old Johnson farm western boundary at the top of the "L" and into the Taylor estate a professional surveyor can easily find the small remainder).
There is no question in my mind what this serves to do is set that Francis idea and fix inside at some point the TIMEFRAME of Dec. 19, 1910 AND April 19, 1911 (but much more likely before April 6, 1911) and it is all reflected in the July 21, 1911 deed from Lloyd to MCCGA. If it happened before that none of this makes any sense and I guarantee you when a professional surveyor does these metes and bounds measurments THEY WILL match my incremental results above of 21 and then 18!
I've been saying this for 2-3 weeks and so far no one seems to understand it. This is the only place a boundary adjustment could have happened and the Francis boundary adjustment is the only one ever mentioned in this timeframe so it is the only one that could've happened in this timeframe! If Bryan measures the right boundaries and he measures well I'm convinced he will come to the same results. But if he does he still may not quite understand what it really means! We'll see.
Bryan,
I think I know what happened.
Your correction of Tom's numbers needs a slight correction, as well.
Tom adds in 3 acres as his last calculation, but those three acres need to be subtracted from somewhere else first, because it was ALL land along the division between the Golf Course and Johnson Farm land on RW that we're talking about.
That would mean that prior to the "swap", the land marked "JW" would have been not 19.8 acres,
but 22.8 acres, as the golf course at that time before Mr. Francis and his brainstorm was only 117 acres as determined in November 1910 and not the 120 acres it was built as (plus an additional 3 acres of leased railroad land not included in this calculation).
We also know that Hugh Wilson's Committee report of April 19th, 1911 asking for approval of a land swap for land ALREADY PURCHASED for land adjoining AND approval for the purchase of three more acres for $7,500 was presented at a Merion Board meeting.
I think your numbers prove that swap/purchase had to be along Golf House Road, and I think we all also now know that this was indeed the Francis Land Swap..
So, with great appreciation and thankfulness for everything you've done here, Bryan, I think the calculations should be;
23 acres=the western section of the old Johnson farm never considered for golf
Tom assumed it was 23 acres. It's not, it's 21.1 acres CORRECT140.137 acres=the entire Johnson farm
140-23=117 acres
140.137 - 21.1 = 119.037 CORRECTRemove that app 21 acres
(Another false assumption, it now measures to be 19.8 acres) from the 117
(really should be 119.037, as above) I mentioned on posts #652, 656, and 670 of the old Johnson farm to the west of the proposed road from the course plan (as it was on their working topo survey maps);
No, it is not 19.8 acres. At that time prior to the 3 acre swap of land on that side of Golf House Road it would have been 22.8 acres117-21=96 acres
119.037 - 19.8 = 99.237 acres This should be corrected to read 119.037 - 22.8 = 96.237ADD the Dallas estate (21 acres
Deeded as 21.02 acres)
96+21=117 acres
99.327 + 21.02 = 120.347 acres This should be corrected to read 96.237 + 21.02 = 117.347 ADD the exchange AND 3 acre additional purchased acres to the golf course land via the Francis fix idea gotten along the extension of Golf House Road through it's redelineation from the working topo survey maps to its actual metes and bounds "as built" delineation (Thompson Resolution)----I've been saying this for over a year now!
117+3=120.1 acres of the July 21, 1911 deed from Lloyd to MCCGA
120.347 + 3 = 123.347 acres. This should be corrected to read 117.347 + 3 = 120.347..With your agreement, I think we've figured this out.
What do you think, Bryan?