Andrew Ellicott

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Andrew Ellicott, portrait 1799

Andrew Ellicott (* 24. January 1754 , † 28. August 1820 ) was a US -American surveyor and town planner . He has been involved in mapping many territories west of the Appalachian Mountains , surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia and completed the planning of Washington, DC by Pierre L'Enfant . Ellicott taught the explorer Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) surveying.

Life

Ellicott was born in Buckingham Township , Bucks County , Pennsylvania . He was the oldest of nine children of the miller and clockmaker Joseph Ellicott (1732-1780) and his wife Judith Blaker (or Bleaker) (1729-1809). The Quaker family lived in simple circumstances. Ellicott attended the local Quaker school.

The marriage to Sarah Brown (1756/8 - 1827) from Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania had 10 children. Ellicott was an officer in the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. He rose to major . He died of a stroke at home in West Point in 1820 .

Surveying activity

In 1784, after the Revolutionary War ended, Ellicott joined the team that continued surveying the Mason-Dixon Line . The work was interrupted in 1767 and stopped during the war. The Mason-Dixon Line was measured to settle the disputes between the Penn families of Pennsylvania and the Calvert families of Maryland and forms the traditional border between the Northern and Southern states . Ellicott worked with astronomer and mathematician David Rittenhouse and James Madison.

In 1785 Ellicott taught mathematics at the Baltimore Academy . In the same year he was asked to define the western border of Pennsylvania. This runs in north-south direction (80 ° 31'12 "W) and became the reference meridian for the surveys in the Northwest Territory . It was named" Ellicott Line ". The work strengthened the connection to Rittenhouse and other members of the American Philosophical Society and facilitated encounters with Benjamin Franklin and Simeon De Witt . On Franklin's recommendation, Ellicott was hired by the government and commissioned by George Washington to survey the area between Lake Erie and Pennsylvania , which was the border between western New York and US territory The area was known as the Erie Triangle .

George Washington set up a commission to survey the boundaries of the federal Columbia Territory (known as Washington, DC since 1801 ). At the request of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson , Ellicott worked on the direction of the Commission from 1791 to 1792, assisted by the free African American astronomer Benjamin Banneker and later by his brothers Joseph and Benjamin Ellicott . The survey team marked the 100 square mile area with 40 boundary stones approximately 1 mile apart. Many of the stones are still in their original position. The inscriptions on the stones indicate that the stones were set on the Virginia border in 1791 and the Maryland border in 1792.

Print of Ellicott's "Plan of the City of Washington" (Thackara & Vallance, March 1792)
The landmarks of Washington DC

During the same period, Ellicott measured the future city of Washington within the Columbia Territory. He worked with Pierre Charles L'Enfant , who had drawn up the first plans for the capital in early 1791 and presented them to George Washington in August 1791. L'Enfants ran into conflict with the commission.

In February 1792, Ellicott informed the commission that L'Enfant was not yet able to engrave the map and refused to give him the original. In February 1792, Ellicott and his brother Benjamin revised the plans despite protests from L'Enfant.

Eventually, George Washington released L'Enfant from his duties. The first draft of Ellicott's plan was engraved, printed, and published by James Thakara and John Valance of Philadelphia in March 1792. The print was the first Washington city map to be widely distributed.

Ellicott continued the survey based on the revised schedule. Ultimately, the plan revised by Ellicott formed the basis for the development of the future capital.

In 1794, Ellicott was commissioned by Pennsylvania to design the city of Erie . For two years he planned the road from Reading , Pennsylvania to Presque Isle State Park, where Erie would emerge. He also oversaw the construction of Fort Erie .

1796 commissioned George Washington Ellicott as head of the commission to survey the border between the Spanish territories in Florida and the United States according to the Pinckney Treaty . He worked intensively with the representatives of Spain and concluded the mission in 1800 with the delivery of the final report and maps to the government. The survey line along the 31st parallel north still corresponds to the border between Alabama and Florida today . Ellicott completed the work in 1800 with a report to the government. The only existing boundary stone, as far as is known, bears Ellicott's name: Ellicott Stone . The stone has been on the National Register of Historic Places since April 11, 1973 .

During the reign of President Adams , Ellicott was denied payment for a job well done and access to the cards he presented. It was not until 1803 that the maps were released and Ellicott was able to publish them along with remarks on the Florida surveying work.

Ellicott declined a Thomas Jefferson-initiated appointment to the General Staff on personal grounds in favor of his family. Instead, he was on a proposal by Governor Thomas McKean CEO of the Pennsylvania Land Company , the subsequent governor to him Simon Snyder dismissed 1809th The reason for this was that in 1798, while surveying the Florida border, Ellicott accused four generals of receiving monetary payments from Spain, including General James Wilkinson , a sponsor of Simon Snyder.

In 1803, Jefferson recruited Ellicott as a mentor and teacher for Meriwether Lewis , one of the leaders of the planned Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific coast the following year . Ellicott taught surveying methods and made recommendations for expedition equipment and survey procedures.

In 1811, Governor David B. Mitchell of Georgia asked Ellicott to review the survey of the Georgia- North Carolina boundaries in order to resolve the disputed border issue along the 35th parallel. Ellicott confirmed earlier surveys that the boundary runs several miles south at the expense of Georgia. Because of the negative result for Georgia, he again receives no reward.

In 1813 Ellicott became professor of mathematics at the Military Academy at West Point . In 1817 he was asked to participate as an astronomer in surveying the western border between Canada and the United States. The border was laid down in the Peace of Ghent in 1812 along the 45th parallel north. This was his last significant work.

Appointments in honor of Elicott

Ellicotts house, 123 N. Prince Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Founding Father Joseph Ellicott

Andrew Ellicott's father Joseph Ellicott bought land on Patapsco in 1770 together with his brothers Andreas and Johann Ellicott and built mills there. The three brothers founded Ellicott's Mills in 1772 .

Publications (selection)

  • Andrew Ellicott: Astronomical Observations, & c. Communicated by Andrew Ellicott, Esq. In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 1 , 1818, p. 93-101 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: A Short and Easy Rule for Finding the Equation for the Change of the Sun's Declination When Equal Altitudes Are Used to Regulate a Clock or Other Time Keeper. Communicated by Andrew Ellicott Esq. In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 26-28 .
  • Robert Patterson and Andrew Ellicott: Improved Method of Projecting and Measuring Plane Angles by Mr. Robert Patterson Communicated by Mr. Andrew Ellicott . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 29-32 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Astronomical Observations Made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Chiefly with a View to Ascertain the Longitude of That Borough, and as a Test of the Accuracy with Which the Longitude May Be Found by Lunar Observation; In a Letter from Andrew Ellicott to Robert Patterson . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 61-69 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Observations of the Eclipse of the Sun, June 16th, 1806; Made at Lancaster . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 255-166 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Continuation of the Astronomical Observations Made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 233-235 .
  • Jose Joaquin de Ferrer, Andrew Ellicott, Julian Ortis de Canelas and M. Mechain: The Geographical Position of Sundry Places in North America, and in the W. Indies, Calculated by JJ de Ferrer . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 6 , 1809, pp. 221-232 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Astronomical, and Thermometrical Observations, Made at the Confluence of the Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 5 , 1802, pp. 162-202 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Astronomical, and Thermometrical Observations, Made on the Boundary between the United States and His Catholic Majesty . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 5 , 1802, pp. 203-311 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: A Letter from Mr. Andrew Ellicott, to Mr. Robert Patterson. A Method of Calculating the Eccentric Anomaly of the Planets . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 4 , 1799, pp. 67-69 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Observations Made on the Old French Landing at Presqu 'Isle, to Determine the Latitude of the Town of Erie. In a letter from Andrew Ellicott, to Robert Patterson Secretary of the Society . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 4 , 1799, pp. 231-232 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Miscellaneous Observations Relative to the Western Parts of Pennsylvania, Particularly Those in the Neighborhood of Lake Erie . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 4 , 1799, pp. 224-230 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: A Letter from Mr. Andrew Ellicott, to Robert Patterson; In two parts. Part First Contains a Number of Astronomical Observations. Part Second Contains the Theory and Method of Calculating the Aberration of the Stars, the Nutation of the Earth's Axis, and the Semiannual Equation . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 4 , 1799, pp. 32-66 .
  • Andrew Ellicott and R. Patterson: Observations for Determining the Latitude and Longitude of the Town of Natchez. By Andrew Ellicot, Esq. Commissioner on the Part of the United States, for Running the Line of Demarkation between Them and the Spanish Territory. Communicated to the Society by R. Patterson . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 4 , 1799, pp. 447-451 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Extract of a Letter from Andrew Ellicott, to David Rittenhouse, Esq. Dated at Pittsburg, November 5th 1787, Containing Observations Made at Lake-Erie, on That Singular Phenomenon, by Seamen Termed Looming . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 3 , 1793, pp. 62-63 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Accurate Determination of the Right Ascension and Declination of β Bootes, and the Pole Star: In a Letter from Mr. Andrew Ellicott to Mr. R. Patterson . In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society . No. 3 , 1793, pp. 116-118 .
  • Andrew Ellicott: Description of the Falls of Niagara . In: The Massachusetts Magazine, or, Monthly Museum of Knowledge and Rational Entertainment . tape 2 , no. 7 , 1790, pp. 387-388 .

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Further literature

  • Catherine VanCortland Mathews: Andrew Ellicott. His Life and Letters . WorldCom, 1997, ISBN 1-56664-111-X ( books.google.com - first edition: Grafton Press, 1908, reprint, not accessible).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ R. Williams: Genealogy of Andrew Ellicott (1708-1741). (No longer available online.) September 23, 1998, archived from the original on February 1, 2013 ; accessed on January 14, 2017 .
  2. ^ NN: The Point of Beginning of the United States Public Land Survey . In: Milestones . tape 3 , no. 4 , 1977.
  3. ↑ Chas Langelan: Andrew Ellicott and his Survey of the Federal Territory on the Potomac, 1791-1793 . Ed .: Library of Congress . Washington, DC August 24, 2012.
  4. ^ A b Catharine van Cortlandt Mathews: Andrew Ellicott: his life and letters . The Grafton press, New York 1908, pp. 256 ( ia802308.us.archive.org [PDF]).
  5. ^ Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia. www.boundarystones.org, accessed January 14, 2017 .
  6. ↑ National Capital Planning Commission (ed.): Boundary markers of the Nation's Capital: a proposal for their preservation & protection: a National Capital Planning Commission Bicentennial report . National Capital Planning Commission; For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Publishing Office, Washington, DC 1976, OCLC 3772302 ( babel.hathitrust.org [accessed January 14, 2017]).
  7. ↑ Joseph Passonneau: Washington through two centuries: a history in maps and images . The Monacelli Press, Inc., New York 2004, ISBN 1-58093-091-3 , pp. 14-16, 24-27 .
  8. ^ A b William Tindall: Standard History of the City of Washington from a Study of the Original Sources . HW Crew & Company, Knoxville, Tennessee 1914, IV. The First Board of Commissioners , p. 148-149 ( books.google.com ).
  9. ^ Ellicott, Andrew (February 23, 1792). "To Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll and David Stuart, Esqs." In Bob Arnebeck: Ellicott's letter to the commissioners on engraving the plan of the city, in which no reference is made to Banneker. In: The General and the Plan. Bob Arnebeck's Web Pages, accessed January 14, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Kenneth R. Bowling: Peter Charles L'Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic . George Washington University, Washington, DC 2002 ( books.google.com ).
  11. ↑ Elizabeth S. Kite: L'Enfant and Washington 1791–1792. Ed .: Library of Congress . Arno Press & The New York Times (The Johns Hopkins Press), Baltimore 1929, Washington, DC 1970.
  12. ^ The L'Enfant and McMillan Plans. National Park Service , accessed January 14, 2017 .
  13. ↑ The city maps are widely published:
    (1) The L'Enfant and McMillan Plans. Washington Map Society , accessed January 14, 2017 . (2)     Andrew Ellicott: Plan of the city of Washington in the territory of Columbia: ceded by the states of Virginia and Maryland to the United ...; engraved by Thakara & Vallance. In: Digital Gallery. New York Public Library , 1792, accessed January 14, 2017 . (3) Pierre Charles L'Enfant's: Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government .... Library of Congress, 1791, accessed January 14, 2017 . (4) Peter Charles L'Enfant: Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t (he) United States: projected agreeable to the direction of the President of the United States, in pursuance of an act of Congress passed the sixteenth day of July, MDCCXC, "Establishing the permanent seat on the bank of the Potowmac": (Washington, DC). In: Photocopy of annotated facsimile created by US Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington, DC (1887). Library of Congress, 1791, accessed January 14, 2017 . (5) Locating the Site - Map 1: The L'Enfant Plan for Washington. National Park Service, accessed January 14, 2017 .



  14. ^ The Code of Alabama 1975, sect. 41.2.3: Boundary between Alabama and Florida - Generally. Alabama State of Alabama, 1975, accessed January 14, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Coordinates from Andrew Ellicott Park 38 ° 53 '35.8 "  N , 77 ° 10' 19.7"  W
  16. ↑ coordinates of Circle Ellicott in the District of Columbia 38 ° 57 '12.2 "  N , 77 ° 5' 21.7"  W
  17. ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved July 9, 2010.
personal data
SURNAME Ellicott, Andrew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American geodesist and city planner
DATE OF BIRTH January 24, 1754
PLACE OF BIRTH Buckingham Township
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1820
Place of death West Point