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Chain Bearer (CB) Also known as chain carrier or sworn chain carrier (CC, SCC): They were land surveyor's assistants; handled measuring chain. Generally, there was a legal requirement that chain carriers take an oath as to the honesty of their work; therefore the chain carrier should have been of legal age. It was a common practice for a member of the family to serve as a chain bearer for the surveyor. In Robert Gibson's 1796 Treatise of Practical Surveying he commented that, "The surveyor should be careful to have his chain measured before he proceeds [on surveys]..." for consistent precision. In the Speculation Lands Collection each individual survey consisted of two chain bearers (item 0712 comprises of three). The rear man or "hinder chainman" stood by the starting stake with one end of the chain while the front man, carrying the other end unrolled the chain as he went toward a mark. Furthermore, Gibson argued that the success of a survey, depended on the care and skill of the rear chain bearer. He had to ensure that the front man was always in line with the mark. "The inaccuracies of most survey's arise from bad chaining" recorded Gibson. http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/speculation_lands/terms/surveying_terms.htm