Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von Brahm

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Map of South Carolina made by Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von Brahm (1757)

Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von Brahm , also John William Gerard de Brahm or John Gerar William de Brahm (born August 20, 1718 in Koblenz , † around 1799 in Philadelphia ) was a German cartographer , engineer and mystic .

Life

Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von Brahm was born as the son of Johann Phillip and Johanetta Simonet Brahm in Koblenz. His father died in 1723. Brahm served in the army of Charles VI. and was an artillery officer until 1748 . In 1745 he married Wilhelmina, the daughter of the Baroness von Gera and later gave up his Roman Catholic faith, which ended his military career. He met the influential theologian Samuel Urlsperger from Augsburg , who gave him command of 156 emigrants from Salzburg . In 1751 he emigrated with this group and his wife from Germany to Georgia . He founded a German colony in Bethany , Georgia.

Between 1751 and 1771, Brahm collected material for his detailed Report of the General Survey in the Southern District of North America , which contained information on the topography , locations, and flora and fauna of the British colonies in southern North America.

His skills as an engineer and cartographer earned him the appointment of surveyor general of Georgia in 1754 . He was also commissioned in 1755 to renew the fortifications of Charles Town , which had been damaged in a hurricane three years earlier. In the meantime he traveled to what is now Tennessee to lead the construction of Fort Loudoun on Cherokee land . In 1757 he planned to build the town of Ebenezer on the Savannah River in Georgia and also bought land for himself there. It was at this time that he made his first map of South Carolina and Georgia. His next assignment took him to Cockspur Island , an island on the Savannah River, where he was involved in the construction of fortifications and Fort George .

In 1764 Brahms ended his tenure as surveyor general in Georgia and instead took the same position in South Carolina and East Florida . He was given the task of mapping all British territories south of the Potomac River . In the spring of 1765 he left Georgia permanently and moved to St. Augustine , Florida, from where he coordinated his work. This included an 18-week boat trip that took him from the coast near St. Augustine to the Cape of Florida. The observations he gained thereby contributed significantly to the knowledge of the cartography and hydrography of Florida.

Brahm gained some popularity by surveying East Florida and Georgia and his new knowledge of the Gulf Stream . However, he later fell out of favor with the British authorities. He was considered eccentric in his day.

In October 1770 he fell out with James Grant, the governor of East Florida, who committed numerous offenses such as B. accused rudeness and removed from his post. Grant appointed Brahms' son-in-law Frederick George Mulcaster as his successor. Brahms nevertheless insisted on doing his job until he left for England. He was tried in London, but was ultimately acquitted. While in England he completed a map of the Atlantic Ocean and published it in 1772 as part of his manual The Atlantic Pilot . Further scientific publications followed.

Left England with his second wife in July. They sailed to Charleston on the HM Cherokee , a ship provided by the Privy Council . When they got there in September 1775, the American War of Independence was just beginning . In the meantime the Lords of the Treasury had sent a letter to East Florida recommending Brahms' reinstatement, but this never happened because of the new political situation. Brahms ship was confiscated and he was not allowed to leave the country. His wife died shortly thereafter and within two years Brahm married for the third time.

Later Brahm was allowed to travel to Europe again and stayed in France, Germany and England. Although he was awarded compensation for his losses, he did not get his post back despite several requests and received no payments from 1783 until his death. In 1791 he returned to the United States after a long and serious illness, where he spent the last eight years of his life. He bought land in Bristol , Philadelphia County, and lived there as a Quaker . During this time he published various religious writings.

Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von Brahm died around 1799. His will is dated to 1796 and was confirmed on July 3, 1799.

Works (selection)

  • A map of South Carolina and a part of Georgia: containing the whole sea-coast. T. Jefferys, 1757 (hand-colored, on 4 pages, 67 × 60 cm).
  • The Atlantic pilot. T. Spilsbury, London 1772 (Atlas).
  • Time an apparition of eternity. Zachariah Poulson, Philadelphia 1791.
  • Voice of the everlasting Gospel. Zachariah Poulson, Philadelphia 1792.
  • Sum of testimonies of truth. Philadelphia, 1795.
  • Report of the general survey in the southern district of North America. published by Louis De Vorsey, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia 1971.
  • Apocalyptic gnomon points out eternity's divisibility rated with time pointed at by gnomons sidereals. Francis & Robert Bailey, Philadelphia 1795.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Silvio A. Bedini: History Corner: William Gerard De Brahm, Geographer & Surveyor. ( Memento from February 1, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Professional Surveyor Magazine, October 1996.
  2. ^ Markus A. Denzel: German elites overseas: (16th to early 20th century) (2006)
  3. ↑ Jonathan Bryan, Virginia Steele Wood: Journal of a Visit to the Georgia Islands of St. Catherines, Green, Ossabaw, Sapelo, St. Simons, Jekyll, and Cumberland. Mercer University Press, 1996, p. 68.
  4. ↑ Abram Vossen Goodman, American Overture: Jewish Rights in Colonial Times. Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia 1947, p. 166.
  5. ^ T. Pownall: A Topographical Description of the Dominions of the United States of America: A Topographical Description of Such Parts of North America as Are Contained in the (Annexed) Map of the Middle British Colonies in North America. published by Lois Mulkearn, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh 1949, p. 93.
  6. ^ David Duncan Wallace, South Carolina: A Short History, 1520-1948. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC 1961, p. 154
  7. ^ John William Gerard De Brahm tennesseeencyclopedia.net, accessed November 16, 2012.
  8. ^ Ralph H. Brown: Mirror for Americans: Likeness of the Eastern Seaboard. 1810, Da Capo Press, New York 1968, xxvi.
personal data
SURNAME Brahm, Johann Wilhelm Gerhard von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Brahm, John William Gerard; De Brahm, John Gerar William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German cartographer, engineer and mystic
DATE OF BIRTH August 20, 1718
PLACE OF BIRTH Koblenz
DATE OF DEATH around 1799
Place of death Philadelphia