ANDREW ELLICOTT AND THE NORTH GEORGIA BOUNDARY OF 1811

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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..

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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)

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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

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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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FIELD VISIT TO ELLICOTS ROCK - 2002
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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

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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

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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.

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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