A life of precision - Andrew Ellicott, officer, surveyor, diplomat and teacher

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May 11

Blog by Emily Pierce, PLS, CFedS

The Ellicott family emigrated from Wales to the Colonies in 1731. They had to leave Wales because Ann Bye Ellicott was a Quaker and when she married Andrew Ellicott (a non-Quaker), they were disowned and needed to start anew. A perfect place for a new start was Pennsylvania, founded by Quaker William Penn. The couple settled in what is now Bucks County, Pennsylvania and raised four children. The family grew, prospered and continued their Quaker faith.

The third Ellicott generation produced another Andrew, who was the first of nine children born to Joseph and Judith in 1754. He attended Quaker schools, where his talent for math and mechanics was encouraged. The family highly prized learning, and Andrew expanded his studies to include astronomy and practical applications of mathematics.

Prosperity

Eventually, along with help from the extended family, Andrew and his brothers established a milling business, founding the town of Ellicott’s Mills in Maryland in 1772. Interestingly, in order to make the mill successful, the family had to develop a market for the mill by convincing local farmers to grow wheat, rather than tobacco. Tobacco had been the area’s main cash crop, but it had the downside of quickly depleting the soil of nutrients. The Ellicott’s introduced the idea of using fertilizers to replace lost nutrients and soon the farmers were growing wheat. Ellicott’s Mills then grew very quickly, becoming one of the largest milling and manufacturing towns in the eastern U.S.

Interestingly, George Ellicott, one of Andrew’s cousins, was instrumental in helping Benjamin Banneker become a surveyor by loaning Banneker his books on astronomy and mathematics. The entire Ellicott family was well-versed in astronomy and mathematics, and surveying was a skill that required both. It’s believed that Andrew learned surveying as part of his training and study during adolescence.

As the town prospered, so did Andrew Ellicott. He had married Sarah Brown just before moving to start the mill and simultaneously started a family, eventually fathering 10 children. Things were going great – then came the Revolutionary War. In 1775, Ellicott enlisted in the Continental Army as a commissioned officer – despite his pacifist Quaker upbringing. He eventually rose to the rank of Major, a title he would continue to use throughout his life.

He made it through the war unscathed and returned to Ellicott’s Mills. In 1784, he was appointed as a member of the survey group that was extending the Mason-Dixon line to include the borders between Pennsylvania / Delaware and Maryland. This grueling work earned him the title of “Geographer of the United States.”

Politics and surveying

The next year saw another change of career and location for Ellicott, possibly caused by the death of his second son. The family moved to Baltimore, where he taught mathematics at the Baltimore Academy and was elected to the Maryland General Assembly in 1786. Later that year, he was asked to survey the western border of Pennsylvania and the Ohio Country. This survey, known as the Ellicott Line (north-south at longitude meridian 80° 31’12”W), became the principal meridian for future surveys of the Northwest Territory.

His work was so successful that he was appointed to lead other surveys, including one where he made the first topographical study of the Niagara River. His exacting work established his reputation for extreme accuracy.

In 1791, Ellicott was commissioned by President George Washington (on the recommendation of Thomas Jefferson) to survey the new federal city that Pierre Charles L’Enfant was planning – Washington, D.C. Ellicott put together a team that included two of his brothers as well Benjamin Bannaker (the NSPS Surveyor of the Year for 2022) . The team installed 40 stones about one mile apart that marked 100 square miles of the “Territory of Columbia”. Most of them can still be found today. In fact, locating these markers was part of the NSPS Student Competition this year.

In 1792, Washington asked Ellicott to finish L’Enfant’s plan for the city. The Frenchman had been dismissed from the project because of his perfectionism and lack of ability to compromise – L’Enfant had laid out a detailed and grandiose plan that included a presidential residence that would be the largest building in the country, with public gardens and monumental architecture. The building that was eventually constructed was about 1/5 of the planned structure.

Ellicott had to completely re-survey and revise L’Enfants plan, because the Frenchman refused to provide an original version of the city plan – ultimately, it was Ellicott’s version of the city plan that was used to build Washington, D.C.

Surveying and diplomacy

Later, in 1796, President Washington commissioned Ellicott as a US Representative to survey the border between the United States and the Spanish possessions to the south and west. This was a diplomatic mission as well -- he worked directly with Spanish commissioners to make sure the borders matched what had been negotiated in the Treaty of Madrid. He presented his completed report with maps to the government in 1800. He also complained that several of the American generals on the expedition received pensions from Spain, which was at best, a conflict of interest. This complaint had painful repercussions for Ellicott. The new Adams administration refused to pay Ellicott for his work and refused to give him access to the maps he’d created. He was forced to sell some of his possessions, including his books to pay debts.

Fortunately, Thomas Jefferson became the next president, who offered Ellicott the job of Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory. However, Ellicott’s recent experience with the government and the fact that he was 49 years old led him to decline the offer. Instead, he took a less prestigious position as the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Land Office, moving to Lancaster, PA. It was a desk job that left him plenty of time to pursue his scientific and private pursuits.

Lewis & Clark & Ellicott

In 1803, Jefferson asked Ellicott to mentor Meriwether Lewis to help Lewis prepare for the multi-year expedition to explore the west. Lewis moved in with the Ellicott family in April and spent three months there, learning surveying techniques (such as how to use a sextant, chronometer and other instruments for recording celestial movements) and what to pack for such a journey.

In 1809, Pennsylvania had a new governor who was supported by one of the generals that Ellicott had denounced earlier. The governor promptly fired Ellicott. He returned to private practice and was hired in 1811 by the Governor of Georgia to re-survey the border between Georgia and North Carolina to settle a border dispute. It turned out that the border was several miles further south than the Georgia Governor thought it should be. Because the Georgian administration didn’t like this outcome, Ellicott wasn’t paid for his work.

Life after surveying

Finally, in 1813, at age 60, Ellicott accepted a stable position as professor of mathematics at West Point where he was known as a very kind and precise man. In 1817, he completed one more significant survey – the re-survey of the Collins-Valentine line that separates Quebec from New York and Vermont. Ellicott passed away from a stroke in 1820.

Ellicott’s amazing life and accomplishments were crucial to the development of the United States, and his life also stands as a testament to the heavy cost of believing in and standing up for truth. He paid the price during his life, but his accomplishments and the lasting impact of his character live on.

Sources:

https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/Math/Ellicott.pdf

http://mallhistory.org/items/show/105

https://www.nps.gov/articles/andrew-ellicott.htm

https://www.buffaloah.com/h/ellAndrew/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ellicott

https://patapsco.org/heritage-2/history-of-ellicott-city/

Washington, D.C. - History | Britannica