Andrew Ellicott on a miniature portrait from 1799.

Andrew Ellicott (January 24, 1754 – August 28, 1820) was a U.S. surveyor who helped map many of the territories west of the Appalachians, surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia, continued and completed Peter (Pierre) Charles L'Enfant's work on the plan for Washington, D.C., and served as a teacher in survey methods for Meriwether Lewis. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1754 ( MDCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space Position of points and the distances and angles between The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Meriwether Lewis ( August 18, 1774 &ndash October 11, 1809) was an American Explorer, Soldier, and public administrator

Early life

Andrew Ellicott was born in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania as the first of nine children of Joseph Ellicott (1732 – 1780) and his wife Judith (née Blaker or Bleaker, 1729 – 1809). Buckingham Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. For other people with the surname Ellicott, see there Joseph Ellicott (1732 – 1780 was one of three Quaker brothers from ^[1][2] The Quaker family lived in modest conditions; his father was a miller and clockmaker. For other uses see Miller (disambiguation A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a Cereal Young Andrew was educated at the local Quaker school, where Robert Patterson, who later became a professor and vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania, was his teacher for some time. The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn) is a private University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Andrew was a talented mechanic like many of the family and showed some mathematical talent, too.

In 1770, his father, together with his uncles Andrew (1733/4 – 1809) and John (1739 – 1794), purchased land on the Patapsco River and set up a new milling business there, founding the town of Ellicott's Mills in 1772. The Patapsco is a River in central Maryland which flows into the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore Maryland. Ellicott City is an Unincorporated community and Census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Three years later, Andrew married Sarah Brown (1756/8 – 1827) of Newtown, Pennsylvania, with whom he would have ten children, one of which died as a child. Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Andrew enlisted as a commissioned officer in the Elk Ridge Battalion of the Maryland militia despite his Quaker upbringing. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" During the course of the war, he rose to the rank of major, a title he would keep as an honorific throughout his life. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country

Survey work

After the war, Ellicott returned home to Ellicott's Mills until he was appointed, in 1784, a member of the survey group tasked with extending the survey of the Mason-Dixon line that had been abandoned in 1767 and then been stalled during the war. Ellicott City is an Unincorporated community and Census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. Year 1784 ( MDCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Mason–Dixon Line (or "Mason and Dixon's Line" is a Demarcation line between four U Year 1767 ( MDCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In this survey, he worked alongside David Rittenhouse and James Madison, making first connections with the scientific society of Philadelphia. David Rittenhouse ( April 8, 1732 June 26, 1796) was a renowned American Astronomer, Inventor, Clockmaker James Madison Jr (March 16 1751 – June 28 1836 was an American Politician, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817 and one of the Founding Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə

Following the death of their second son, the Ellicotts moved to Baltimore in 1785, where Andrew taught mathematics at the Academy of Baltimore and was even elected to the legislature in 1786. Year 1785 ( MDCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The same year, he was called upon for a survey to define the western border of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern This "Ellicott Line" (running north-south at 80°31'12"W^[3]) later became the base line for the surveys of the Northwest Territory. For the Canadian territory see Northwest Territories. For the northwestern corner of the Lower 48 see Northwestern United States. ^[4] His work in Pennsylvania intensified his ties with Rittenhouse and other members of the American Philosophical Society and led to encounters with Benjamin Franklin and Simeon De Witt. The American Philosophical Society is a discussion group founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin as an offshoot of his earlier club the Junto. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Simeon De Witt (1756 Wawarsing, Ulster County New York - December 3, 1834 Ithaca New York, Tompkins County New York) When he was subsequently appointed to lead other surveys in Pennsylvania, the family moved again in 1789 to Philadelphia. Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə By recommendation of Franklin, Ellicott got a position with the newly established government and was tasked by George Washington to survey the lands between Lake Erie and Pennsylvania to determine the border between Western New York and U. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Lake Erie (ˈɪəriː is the fourth largest Lake (by surface area of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally Western New York refers to the westernmost region of New York State. S. territory, resulting in the Erie Triangle. The Erie Triangle is a tract of American land that was the subject of several competing colonial -era claims and which was eventually acquired by the U This survey, during which he also made the first topographical study of the Niagara River including the Niagara Falls, gained Ellicott a reputation for superb accuracy in surveys. The Niagara River flows to the north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Niagara Falls are massive Waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario

A contemporary reprint of Ellicott's plan for Washington, D.C.

From 1791 to 1792, Ellicott worked under the direction of three commissioners that President George Washington had appointed, surveying the boundaries of the future District of Columbia, assisted first by free African-American astronomer Benjamin Banneker and then by Ellicott's brother, Joseph Ellicott. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Historically Astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky while Astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena Benjamin Banneker ( November 9, 1731 &ndash October 9, 1806) was a free African American Astronomer, Mathematician For other people with the surname Ellicott, see there Joseph Ellicott ( November 1, 1760 - August 19, During these years, Ellicott's team put into place forty boundary stones (approximately one mile apart from each other) that marked the borders of the 100 square mile parcel of federal territory that became in 1801 the District of Columbia. The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia are the 40 Milestones that a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott placed in 1791 Year 1801 ( MDCCCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Tuesday Most of these stones remain in their original positions. As engravings on many of the stones still show, Ellicott's team placed those that marked the border with Virginia in 1791, and those that marked the border with Maryland in 1792. Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it ^[5]

In 1792, Ellicott surveyed the city of Washington, working with Peter (Pierre) Charles L' Enfant, who had prepared the first plans for the capital city during the early months of 1791. After President George Washington dismissed L'Enfant in 1792, Ellicott was placed in charge of the planning and surveying of the capital city's streets. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year ^[6]

To L'Enfant's great dismay, Ellicott revised the original plan for the capital city by realigning and straightening Massachusetts Avenue, eliminating five short radial avenues and adding two others, removing several plazas and straightening the borders of the future Judiciary Square. Massachusetts Avenue, abbreviated Mass Ave, is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington D Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington DC As Ellicott succeeded in having his plan published, the city's streets follow his plan, rather than that of L'Enfant. ^[7] When he quit the Washington, D. C. project, Ellicott was relieved to escape the political pressures surrounding that venture.

In 1794 Ellicott accepted a commission from Pennsylvania to plan the town of Erie. Year 1794 ( MDCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a He spent the next two years with this task, plotting a road from Reading, Pennsylvania to Presqu'Isle, where the town was to be built, and supervising the construction of Fort Erie. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. Presque Isle State Park (ˌprɛskˈʔaɪl is a Pennsylvania state park on an arching sandy Peninsula that juts into Lake Erie, west of the city

In 1796, George Washington commissioned Ellicott as the U. Year 1796 ( MDCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year S. representative on the commission for the survey of the border between the Spanish territories in Florida and the United States negotiated in the Treaty of San Lorenzo. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Pinckney's Treaty, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo or the Treaty of Madrid, was signed in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on October 27, Ellicott travelled with a military escort via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and worked together with Spanish commissioners, despite many difficulties, for the next four years. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Another "Ellicott's Line" from this survey, running along 31°N, still defines the border between Alabama and Florida. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. ^[8] One of his markers for the boundary line survives to this day and bears his name, Ellicott's Stone. Ellicott’s Stone, also known as the Ellicott Stone, is a Boundary marker in Mobile County, Alabama. In 1798, he complained to the government about four American generals receiving pensions from Spain, including General James Wilkinson. Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a James Wilkinson ( 24 March, 1757 &ndash December 28, 1825) was a U Ellicott showed considerable diplomatic talent during this joint project to bring it to a successful completion, and he presented his final report with maps to the government in 1800. Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday.

The Adams administration, however, then refused to pay Ellicott for his work done in this survey, and even refused him access to his maps he had submitted with the report. John Adams (October 30 1735 July 4 1826 was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States. He was forced to sell some of his possessions, including books from his library, in order to support his family. Finally the maps were released in 1803, and Ellicott published his Journal of Andrew Ellicott detailing the Florida survey, including the maps. 1803 ( MDCCCIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a When Thomas Jefferson offered him the post of Surveyor General, Ellicott turned him down. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence His prior negative experiences with the administration may have had something to do with this, but at the age of 49, he also wanted to spend more time with his family and feared that this new position might require him to travel too much. Instead, he accepted an offer by Pennsylvania governor Thomas McKean and took a position as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Land Office. Thomas McKean (March 19 1734 June 24 1817 was an American Lawyer and Politician from New Castle, Delaware, and Philadelphia The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Ellicott seemed content with a clerk's job that left him enough time for his own scientific and private interests and that provided a steady income for the family. Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the County seat of Lancaster County.

Also in 1803, Jefferson engaged Ellicott as a mentor and teacher for Meriwether Lewis, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that was to start the following year. 1803 ( MDCCCIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Meriwether Lewis ( August 18, 1774 &ndash October 11, 1809) was an American Explorer, Soldier, and public administrator From April to May 1803, Lewis stayed at Ellicott's home and studied survey techniques, and Ellicott made many recommendations on the expedition's equipment and survey procedures that were later followed. The two men apparently got along well.

When Simon Snyder followed McKean as governor of Pennsylvania, he fired Elliott in 1809 due to political differences. Simon Snyder ( 5 November 1759 - 9 November 1819) was the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1808 to 1817 Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A prominent supporter of Snyder was General James Wilkinson, one of the four generals that Ellicott had denounced eleven years earlier. James Wilkinson ( 24 March, 1757 &ndash December 28, 1825) was a U Ellicott returned to private practice and was hired in February 1811 by David B. Mitchell, then governor of Georgia, to re-survey the border between Georgia and North Carolina to settle a border dispute between these two states. Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year David Brydie Mitchell (1766-1837 was an American politician Early life Mitchell was born in Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland on The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Although he started out in July, his expedition was delayed and had to work throughout the hard winter. Ellicott confirmed earlier findings that the border, which was supposed to follow 35°N, was several miles further south than the Georgians claimed. His report was not well received by the Georgian administration, who furthermore refused to pay his fees. Ellicott returned in July 1812 to Pennsylvania.

In 1813, Ellicott accepted a position as a professor for mathematics at the military academy at West Point, and the family left Lancaster and moved to West Point, New York. Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, West Point is a federal military reservation (and a Census-designated place) located North of the Village of Highland Falls in Orange County New York In 1817, Ellicott was again called upon to participate as astronomer in a field survey to establish the western border between Canada and the United States, which had been defined after the War of 1812 in the Treaty of Ghent to run along 45°N. Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies The Treaty of Ghent ( signed on December 24 1814, in Ghent, currently in Belgium, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 It was the last big survey that he performed. Ellicott died three years later from a stroke in his home at West Point. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain

In memoriam

Andrew Ellicott Park at the West Cornerstone, located in Arlington County, the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County in Northern Virginia at the original west corner of the District of Columbia, memorializes Ellicott. Falls Church is an Independent city in Virginia, United States. Fairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. Northern Virginia (colloquially referred to as "NOVA" or "NoVA" consists of several ^[9][10] Ellicott Circle and Ellicott Street in the District of Columbia also memorialize him. The surface road layout in Washington DC consists primarily of numbered streets along the north-south axis and lettered streets followed by streets named in alphabetical order ^[11][12]

References

General sources:

• Crim, R. D. : Andrew Ellicott and the North Georgia Boundary of 1811, paper submitted to the ACSM/FIG Conference in April 2002 in Washington, D. C. Last accessed Aug 10, 2005.
• Davies, N. M. : Andrew Ellicott: Astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia Chapter, 2001. Last accessed Aug 10, 2005.
• Davies, N. M. : Andrew Ellicott and Meriwether Lewis, Discovering Lewis & Clark, May 2005. Last accessed Aug 10, 2005.
• Toscano, P. : Book Review: Andrew Ellicott, His Life and Letters, Professional Surveyor Magazine 17(6), September 1996.

External links

• Robert Patterson was one of Andrew Ellicott's teachers.
• A report on Ellicott's Florida survey.
• On the quality of Ellicott's Florida survey.
• Some information of the Florida-Alabama border.
• National Surveyors Hall of Fame.
• Article and portrait at "Discovering Lewis & Clark"
• Image of Andrew Ellicott, 1809 by painter Jacob Eichholtz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
• A surveying instrument of Andrew Ellicott, with images.

Further reading

• Mathews, Catherine VanCortland [1903] (1997). Andrew Ellicott, His Life and Letters, The Grafton Press, Reprint, WorldComm. ISBN 1-56664-111-X.