A Map shewing the relative situation of a tract of Land belonging to J. B. Church Esqr.

Item — Case: Flat File Drawer 13

Identifier: MAP 2022.0012-2C.2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This map is intended to illustrate the context of the Church family's lands in relation to the transportation infrastructure and existing settlements in the middle states and western New York at that time. As such, the map shows all of the tate of New York south of the Adirondack Mountains, the western and southern portions of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont, all of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and a small part of northern Maryland. Emphasis is given to showing the extents of the watersheds of the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers as well as the Hudson River and Mohawk River from Albany.

Curiously, the Hudson River Valley's principal towns are illustrated as Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Catskill, Hudson, and Albany; roads are shown as running principally from Catskill and Newburgh westward as well as northward from Philadelphia via Northumberland and Wilkesbarre. An extensive description of the merits of the land and the new village of Angelica are given at the right of the map over the space of the map left open by the Atlantic seaboard.

Dates

1804

Biographical / Historical

This combination map and advertisement was prepared at the beginning of the 19th century by the Church family and their agents in an effort to entice settlement of a 100,000 Acre tract of land formerly owned by Robert Morris which had a mortgage on it held by English-American businessman John B. Church. Following Church's forecloser of the mortgage, posession was turned over to his son Philip Schuyler Church in 1800 and an effort was made to discover the relative merits of the land in preparation for its development.

Extent

1 Sheets (Oversize Folder) : Engraved map with descriptive text. ; 21" x 16.25" inches approx.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: A Map shewing the relative situation of a tract of Land belonging to J. B. Church Esqr.
Subtitle: MAP 2022.0012
Author: Jonathan Palmer
Date: 2022-05-18
Description rules: dacs
Language of description: English