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ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF 1811

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Title: ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF 1811


1
ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF
1811
  • Richard D. Crim, PLS
  • Associate Professor
  • Southern Polytechnic State University
  • 1100 South Marietta Parkway
  • Marietta Georgia 30060
  • rcrim_at_spsu.edu

2
Presentation Overview
ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF
1811
  • Review of Andrew Ellicotts Career
  • The North Georgia Boundary
  • Ellicotts Survey
  • Evidence from the Georgia State
    Archives
  • A Field Visit to the Site
  • Conclusions

3
ANDREW ELLICOTT- Summary
  • Born in 1754, in Pennsylvania
  • Family of Quaker background
  • Family moved to Maryland and founded Ellicott
    City
  • Tutored in math by Robert Patterson of
    Philadelphia
  • Served as an officer in the Elk Ridge Battalion
    of the Maryland Militia rising to the rank of
    Major.

4
ANDREW ELLICOTT- Summary
  • Worked as an assistant surveyor in 1784 and 1785
    to extend the Mason Dixon line.
  • Commissioned to survey in the west boundary of
    the state of Pennsylvania, running it north to
    intersect the Ohio River, 1787
  • Involved in the establishment of the southwest
    boundary of the state of New York , 1789

5
ANDREW ELLICOTT- Summary
  • Surveyed the boundaries and streets of Washington
    DC 1791 to 1793
  • Surveyed the border between Spanish territories
    and the US along the 31st parallel , 1796 to 1800
  • Secretary of the Pennsylvania Land Office,
    Lancaster Pennsylvania, 1801 to 1808

6
Georgias Northern Boundary
  • Charter from King George - 1732
  • The original boundary of Georgia, cited from the
    original charter reads in part - All those
    lands, countries and territories situate lying
    and being in that part of South Carolina in
    America which lies from the northern stream of a
    river there commonly called the Savannah all
    along the sea coast to the southward unto the
    most southern stream of a certain other great
    water or river called the Altamaha and westward
    from the heads of said rivers respectively in
    direct lines to the south seas..

7
Georgias Northern Boundary
  • Treaty of Paris - England with France 1763-
  • All colonial claims west of the Mississippi
    River were ceded to France
  • France them ceded all of its lands to Spain
  • Boundary between British and Spanish Territory
    was the 31st parallel

8
Georgias Northern Boundary
  • Treaty of Beaufort 1787-
  • Between South Carolina and Georgia
  • Declared that the headwaters of the Savannah
    river followed the Tugaloo/Chatooga River and not
    the Keowee/Seneca River
  • South Carolina ceded all lands (if any) south of
    the 35th Parallel

9
Georgias Northern Boundary
  • Articles Cession to the US in 1802
  • Georgia gave up claim to the lands west of the
    Chattahoochee River
  • But gained all land up to the 35th parallel

10
Georgias Northern Boundary
  • Walton County, Georgia created in 1803
  • Land was contested by North Carolina
  • Walton County sent representatives to the Georgia
    legislature from 1803 to 1811
  • Survey by both states in 1807 found the 35th
    parallel to be considerably further south than
    expected. The surveyors went home with out
    determining the boundary

11
THE COMMISSION FOR THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY
  • Ellicott received a letter from Ga. Governor D.B.
    Mitchell in Feb. 1811
  • ...stated that he had seen you, and was by you,
    authorized to say that if Georgia was still
    desirous of ascertaining the 35th degree of north
    latitude which ought to be the boundary between
    her and North Carolina, that you were willing to
    come on and perform that service for a just
    compensation.

12
THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • Ellicott left Pennsylvania on July 6th 1811
  • He went by ship from Philadelphia to Savannah
  • By boat up the Savannah River to Elberton
  • By foot up into the mountains
  • Reached the old surveyors base camp October 25,
    1811

13
THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • Initial astronomic observations confirmed that
    the base camp was some distance from the 35th
    parallel.
  • Traversed 12 miles to get closer to the intended
    location
  • Ellicotts letters to the Governor explain the
    difficulty in cutting roads through this rugged
    terrain for moving his equipment from survey
    point to survey point.
  • The letters also detail the smoke and fog
    surrounding them for days that precluded
    observations.

14
THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • The new position was reached on December 4th
  • As the survey encounters delay after delay,
    Ellicotts letters also describe the growing cold
    which makes for misery in both the camp life and
    the surveying operations.
  • On December 25, 1811 his prime vertical was
    extended west to the Chatooga River and the mark
    was set in a rock on the west bank of the river.

15
THE FINAL REPORT OF THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • Ellicott traveled to Milledgeville, Georgia, the
    capitol to write his report
  • He found Governor Mitchell very perturbed with
    his extremely long delays and the now constant
    demands for more payment
  • The survey had confirmed the mistaken placement
    of the Georgia border and Walton County was
    dissolved by an act of the legislature.
  • After many months of waiting in Millegeville,
    Ellicott departed for Pennsylvania in May of 1812
    with the report unfinished and his work
    uncompensated

16
THE FINAL REPORT OF THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • The Georgia survey had lasted almost one year
    (July, 1811-May, 1812), under very harsh
    conditions
  • He continued to work on notes and requesting more
    compensation for survey but ultimately was never
    fully paid for his work
  • " I have delayed the publication of the journal
    of our proceeding, with all the astronomical
    observations, and other scientific operations
    made use of in determining the boundary between
    the states of Georgia and N. Carolinathat I may
    upon the settlement of the account, be enabled to
    speak as favorable of the government of Georgia
    as. the inhabitants generally." (Ellicot, 1813)

17
THE FINAL REPORT OF THE GEORGIA SURVEY
  • Governor Mitchell replied
  • "Permit me to observe that if the publication of
    your Journal and the truths it is to contain
    depend upon the amount of your account, the
    Government of Georgia disclaims all interest or
    Concern in it and is perfectly indifferent as to
    its fate"( Mitchell, 1813)
  • Ellicotts notes and final report for this survey
    have not survived to this day

18
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
19
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
20
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
21
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
22
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
23
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
24
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
25
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
26
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
27
FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
28
Epilog -
  • Ellicott rested from the arduous Georgia Survey
    for almost a year
  • In July 1813 he accepted a position teaching
    mathematics at the West Point Military Academy
    where he remained the rest of his career
  • After Georgia, he performed few surveys
  • He died from a stroke in 1820 at the age of 66

29
FURTHER RESEARCH
  • Ellicotts Rock
  • Further research in the Georgia Archives for more
    documentation.
  • Work with the Georgia Archives to post all
    document online.
  • To work with the Georgia and Carolina surveyors
    to place a memorial plaque near the site to
    commemorate this work.
  • To locate the existence of the Zenith Sector used
    by Ellicott. One of his letters describes it as
    owned by the US.
  • Ellicott in General
  • To retrace boundary run in 1796 to 1800 of the
    31st parallel from the Mississippi to the
    Applachiacola River and the south Georgia
    boundary to the Atlantic Ocean

30
OBSERVATIONS FOR TODAYS SURVEYORS
  • Ellicott was proud of the fact that he .
    never lost a single observation by absence or
    inattention, and never when out on public
    business was caught in bed by the sun (Matthews,
    1903, pg. 205)
  • Many of us are drawn to surveying by the
    opportunity for work in the outdoors. Ellicott
    found, as many of us have, that the positive
    aspects of this decrease with time. But nostalgia
    draws us back to the wild whenever possible.
  • Many of us have experienced not getting paid for
    a survey that yields unwanted results. Ellicotts
    verbal contact with the State of Georgia was ripe
    for misunderstanding. Acrimony often arises when
    our clients dont understand our expenditures.

31
ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF
1811
  • http//ellicott.spsu.edu
  • for copies of
  • this presentation
  • the paper
  • transcripts of the correspondence (Ellicott
    Mitchell)
  • other work by my students
  • Richard D. Crim, PLS
  • rcrim_at_spsu.edu
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