A New and Accurate Map Of North America, drawn from the famous Mr. D’Anville with improvements from the best English maps; and engraved by R. W. Seale; Also the new divisions according to the late Treaty of Peace by Peter Bell geor. Printed for Carington Bowles, Map & printseller, No. 69 in St. Pauls Church Yard. London. Published January 1771.
As an active London engraver and map publisher in that period, Seale’s numerous works depicted various areas of the British empire, other countries, and the world. Many cartographers who depicted North America in the second half of the 18th century relied on Jean Baptiste B. d’Anville’s 1755 map. D’Anville showed an expanded French empire that the English re-interpreted as encroachments on British territory.
1771
“A General Map of the Middle British Colonies, in America; Viz Virginia, Mariland, Delaware, Pensilvania, New-Jersey, New-York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island . . . And of Part of New France: Wherein is also shewn the ancient and present Seats of the Indian Nations. By Lewis Evans. 1755.”
1755
“A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America . . . By their Lordships Most Obliged, and very humble servant John Mitchell . . . Publish’d by the Author.” 1755.
Many scholars view this as the most important map in American history because of its role in defining the new nation. Mitchell, a Virginian educated in medicine in Edinburgh, created this map for political reasons, to show how the French were encircling the British in North America. The Board of Trade saw his 1750 draft and commissioned this 1755 version. The Americans and British negotiators drafting the 1783 peace treaty drew the U.S. borders on this map. Since that time, it has been used on numerous occasions to settle international and interstate boundary conflicts.
1755
“Carte de La Louisiane Cours du Mississippi et Pais Voisins. Dediée à M. le Comte de Maurepas, Ministre et Sectaire d’Etat Commander des Ordes du Roy. Par N. Bellin Ingenieur de la Marine, 1744.”
1744
A Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish Settlements adjacent thereto. Clement Lempriere, designer & craftsman. Published by Henry Popple, 1733.
This is a reproduction Popple’s key map used to index the twenty separate sheets of the bound version of this massive work. He also sold this version as a large roll-up wall map. Popple’s father and brother served as secretary to the British Board of Trade and Plantations, and Henry served briefly as its clerk. In that capacity, he saw the need for accurate maps and grasped the commercial possibility of a grandiose series of North American maps. He sold the publication rights before his death in 1743, and his map continued to appear in various forms for years. James Oglethorpe did not return from his first trip to Georgia in times to incorporate his cartographic observations into the first edition, but he did play a role in updating the Georgia portion of later editions.
1733
“A New Map of the North Parts of America claimed by France under ye Names of Louisiana, Mississippe, Canada and New France with ye Adjoyning Territories of England and Spain . . .” By H. Moll Geographer, 1720.
Known as Moll’s “Sasquesahanok Indian Fort” map after the image in the upper left, the map’s title indicates its design, to refute Guillaume Delisle’s “Carte de la Louisiane” map (1718) that showed circumscribed English land claims along the Atlantic coast. Moll warned “those Noblemen, Gentlemen, Merchants &c., who are interested in our Plantations,” of the French “incroachements.” And he urged that good relations be maintained with the old English Allies, the “Charakeys” and Iroquois. Moll included the number of Cherokee villages in several locations to indicate their military strength. Moll’s information about the Southeast was garnered from first hand observers. He was aware of Sir Robert Montgomery’s 1718 plan to create the Margravate of Azilia. Moll probably advocated the proposal because it promised to fortify the southern border of the English empire.
Moll’s social life revolved around Jonathan’s coffee house in London, where he exchanged ideas with literary figures such as Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe and intellectual pirates like William Dampier. His involvement in that circle also led to his producing maps that encouraged investment in the South Sea Company that burst in a bubble just as this map appeared.
1720
H. Moll’s “Codfish” map, 1720.
1720
“Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississippi Dressée . . . Par Guillaume Del’isle.” 1718. In G. Delisle, Atlas, Paris, 1700-62.
In the early 18th century, Claude Delisle (1644-1720) and his four sons became the preeminent family of French cartography. The most accomplished was the child prodigy Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726), who served as the chief royal geographer and is considered the first modern scientific cartographer. This map is significant for several reasons. Using the reports of French explorers and his father’s earlier drawings, Guillaume produced the first accurate depiction of the mouth of the Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. This work became the main source for later cartographers dealing with this area. Both the Missouri and the Rio Grande Rivers are shown in a fairly accurate manner but by earlier names. The Missouri, however, is shown as flowing around the northern end of the Rocky Mountains. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark shared that same belief or hope, and some scholars believe that the Delisle’s work was the oldest map consulted by these later explorers. This work also represents an example of political cartography as Delisle greatly circumscribes the extent of English settlement as a means of expanding the French empire. He inaccurately asserts that Charles Town was the failed French outpost Charles Fort from the 1650s. His representation of Carolina does not extend to the Savannah River. In general, this representation of the interior along the East coast is inaccurate. This work was the first to show de Soto’s route through the Southeast. In some of its key points Delisle’s route is very close to the recent reinterpretations of De Soto’s march by archaeologists at the University of Georgia.
(Some information from the text of a University of Virginia Library exhibit.)
1718
“A New Map of the English Empire in America viz Virginia Mary Land Carolina Pennsylvania . . . &c by Robert Morden. ca. 1695. Sold by Robert Morden at the Atlas in Cornhill and by Christopher Brown at ye Globe near the West End of St. Paul’s Church. London: I. Harris, sculp.”
The title of English Empire in America reflects its 1695 publication date, almost a decade before the Acts of Union of England and Scotland (1706 & 1707) that created the Kingdom of Great Britain and the British Empire. Even so, John Senex republished this map with minor changes in 1717 and retained the title English Empire.
The most unique feature of this map is its fanciful mountain ranges, which resemble an irregular four-armed starfish with its body in western North Carolina. Extending northeasterly from there, the “Apalitean Mountains” become scattered as they reach southern Pennsylvania. Another range extends directly west across what becomes Tennessee to the Mississippi River. The northern arm reaches all the way to the tip of the southern peninsular of Michigan and is labeled: “On the top of these mountains is a Plaine like a Terras Walk aboue 200 miles in length.” The southern arm extends deep into Florida and presents a mountain range as the watershed divide on that flat peninsular. The most accurate details relate to the coastal regions. It includes information about rivers and settlements in the Carolinas but not in the area destined to become Georgia.
1695
“Lloyd’s topographical map of Georgia from state surveys before the war showing railways, stations, villages, mills, &c. James T. Lloyd. New York, J. T. Lloyd, 1864.”
1864
“Map of the State of Georgia, James R. Butts, Late Surveyor General, Macon, 1859.”
This large map (62 x 53 inches) delineates counties, roads, railroads, and factories. It lists governors and their terms of office. Illustrations feature public buildings, colleges, and scenic points such as Toccoa Falls. The land lots, apparently for the original counties of Irwin and Appling, are shown in the area between the Altamaha River and the Florida boundary. W. T. Sherman allegedly used this map to plan his “March to the Sea.”
1859
“Georgia.” Engraved by G. W. Boynton. 1838. In T. G. Bradford, A General Atlas Of The World, With A Separate Map Of Each Of The United States Of America. Edited By S.G. Goodrich. Boston, C.D. Strong ... 1841 by C.D. Strong ... Massachusetts. B.W. Thayer & Co.’s Lithogy, Boston, 1841.
1841
“The Tourist’s Pocket Map of the State of Georgia Exhibiting its Internal Improvements, Roads, Distances, &c. By J. H. Young. Philadelphia: Published by Hinman & Dutton, 1837.”
J. H. Young’s map provides detailed information about Georgia on the eve of major railroad construction and the creation of Atlanta. It shows stagecoach roads, distances between towns, counties, waterways, and even land lots. A proposed canal connects Savannah with the Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Altamaha Rivers. Charts give the mileage for steamboat travel from the coast to Augusta and to Columbus and the distances by ship from Savannah to Charleston and to Picolata, Florida on the St. John’s River, a site of military action during the Second Seminole War earlier in the decade.
1837
“Geographical, Historical, And Statistical Map Of Georgia.” Drawn by F. Lucas, Jr. Engrd. by J. Yeager. A Complete Historical, Chronological, And Geographical American Atlas, . . . To The Year 1822 . . . T. H. Palmer, Printer. Published by H. C. Carey & I. Lea, Philadephia, 1822.
This was the first American atlas modeled on that of Le Sage’s volume published in Florence, Italy (1806) that focused on European countries and world history. C. V. Lavoisne later produced similar volumes in London. Carey and Lea extended this concept to the U.S. states and the countries of Latin America. Fielding Lucas drew this and several other maps in this volume. He published his own American Atlas in 1822 that only included the maps without the text material.
The Georgia data appears to be based on the 1820 census and includes statistics and information about population, climate, education, history, government, etc. The entry on religion simply reads: “The baptists and methodists are by far the most numerous religious denominations. There are but few settled minister in the state.” As this 1822 maps shows, the Cherokees still retained their land in the northwest corner of Georgia, while the Lower
Creeks owned a strip of tribal property between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. Both groups lost their land during the two ensuing decades.
1822
“Map of the State of Georgia, Prepared from actual Surveys and other Documents, for Eleazer Early, By Daniel Sturges.” Published & Sold By Eleazer Early, Savannah, Georgia . . . Engraved by Saml. Harrison, 1818.
The first wall map of the state of Georgia, it shows towns, roads, military posts, Indian villages. Existing counties and Indian boundaries are shown in color. Tables list post offices, statistics relating to the individual counties, and geological information.
1818
“The State of Georgia.” Samuel Lewis, cartographer; Enoch G. Gridley, engraver. In Matthew Carey, General Atlas. Philadelphia, 1814.
For Matthew Carey, his cartographers, and engravers updating their Georgia maps for a new atlas involved added another tier or two of counties, and by 1814 the county boundaries had became an essential part of any large-scale Georgia map.
1814
“Georgia.” No cartographer. In M. Carey & Son, Philadephia, 1805.
The first map of Georgia without its western territory appeared in an edition of Carey’s atlas.
1805
“Mississippi Territory and Georgia.” W. Barker, sc. Published in Matthew Carey’s American Pocket Atlas, [1805].
Published four years later than the Georgia map in Carey’s 1801 atlas, this later version may have been printed from the same plate with two major additions. All of the information on the 1801 and 1805 versions appears to be the same except the name Mississippi Territory and the boundary between it and Georgia. The border angles too far to the west at its northern extremity.
1805
“Georgia.” W. Barker, sc. Published in Matthew Carey’s American Pocket Atlas, 1801.
This atlas consisted of 19 maps: an overall U.S., the Northwest Territory, and 17 separate states. The first edition of this work appeared in 1796. Given the format of this portable atlas, its maps were smaller and contained fewer features. In the case of Georgia there is no attempt to show the location of the counties, which was a feature of most of the other atlas of this period.
1801
“Georgia.” Published in Joseph Scott’s The New and Univeral Gazetteer, 1799.
The same map first appeared in Scott’s The United States Gazetteer in 1795. Scott and Matthew Carey vie for the claim to have published the first American atlas containing state maps. Scott’s “Georgia” includes very little detailed information. This work does not delineate the Georgia counties, which are shown in other atlas maps of this period. Scott’s waterways appear to be fairly accurate. His limited listing of Indian towns include Broken Arrow located just south of what is now Phenix City, Alabama.
1799