Written by Patrick Weissend, Curator of the Holland Land Office Museum

Theophilus Cazenove, the Agent-General of the Holland Land Company, hired Joseph Ellicott as Chief Surveyor in July 1797. Ellicott's experience included surveying the company's land in northwestern Pennsylvania.

After extinguishing the Seneca Indians' claim to the land at the Big Tree Treaty in September 1797, Ellicott was anxious to begin the survey. He spent the fall of 1797 touring the boundaries of the company's land.

Survey equipment similar to that used by Ellicott for the "Great Survey" Photograph courtesy of the Holland Land Office Museum

He did the initial survey of the south shore of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the Niagara River and the southwest beach of Lake Erie to the western boundary of New York State. During this hard journey, he prepared a topographical map. After walking the final 200 miles through snow, Ellicott completed the preparatory survey in mid-November.

Ellicott spent the winter of 1797-1798 in Philadelphia preparing for the expedition. His planning would have impressed an army general. He planned to employ 150 men as surveyors, draftsmen, cooks, ax men, and camp keepers. He made lists and requisitioned supplies essential for living in the woods. The supplies included 5 boats, 2 ox teams, 35 packhorses, 1 00 pairs of horse- shoes, 200 blankets, 30 regimental tents, 70 falling axes, and 150 pairs of shoes. He also ordered his office supplies for his office in the wild. To document his survey, Ellicott ordered 6 large folio blank books, 2 "grosses" of black lead pencils, 1000 Dutch quills, and a gross of bindings.

Ellicott's objectives for the survey were to lay out the 3.3 million acres of company land bought from Robert Morris, arrange the specific boundaries for the Seneca Indian Reservations, and subdivide all the towns into six square miles. The surveyors were also to complete field books describing the land, waters, mill seats, valleys, mines, minerals, and any other information that could be useful to the company.

One of the first obstacles Ellicott had to deal with was his concern for accuracy because the United States lacked a standard of measurement. Ellicott solved this by collecting a number of rulers, determining the average, and designating that as the figure for a one- foot length. Ellicott became the first person to use the one-foot ruler that we use today.

The second obstacle was the need for a portable transit instrument. Andrew Ellicott, Joseph's older brother, was using the only one in the country in Florida where he was surveying the boundary of the United States and Spanish lands. The instrument is used to observe the transits of heavenly bodies, essential for working in the deep woods where a compass would not be as accurate. Joseph had his mechanically inclined younger brother, Benjamin, build a new transit instrument for use in Western New York.

A Transit - Surveyor's instrument similar to the one used by Joseph Ellicott. Photograph courtesy of the Holland Land Office Museum

The Great Survey started officially in March 1798. John Thompson led one group in Buffalo, and Benjamin Ellicott began in the southwest corner of the Phelps - Gorham Purchase. Joseph Ellicott traveled between Canandaigua and Buffalo, kept track of the groups, made essential decisions, and worked the men to greater efforts. Benjamin's group, at twelve miles west of the Phelps - Gorham southwest boundary and along the Pennsylvania border, laid a stone marker establishing the southeast boundary of the Holland Purchase. He then moved north towards Williamsburg.

At Williamsburg, Benjamin started his northward journey by boat up the Genesee River. The party abandoned the water route soon after it was found too shallow and rapid. After many delays, Benjamin began his journey from Williamsburg on July 5. Five months later, on December 3, the party reached Lake Ontario after surveying ninety-four miles.

The first season Ellicott finished establishing the boundaries for the Seneca Indian Reservations. Ellicott also broke the townships into 16 portions a mile and a half square called sections. Then they divided each section into 12 lots. The lot was generally 3/4 mile long and 1/4 mile wide, containing about 120 acres. However, the size and shape of the lots were often changed where obstacles, such as streams were made the boundaries.

Joseph Ellicott started the final task during the winter of 1798 - 1799. He began to put together the comprehensive report of the findings of the Great Survey. Ellicott worked diligently and the great Survey was finished almost two years later. The survey that started in March 1798, ended October 1800 and cost the Holland Land Company $70,921.69 1/2.

THE FIRST SEASON - PRINCIPAL SURVEYORS Joseph Ellicott, Chief Surveyor Benjamin Ellicott John Thompson Richard M. Stoddard George Burgess James Dewey David Ellicott Aaron Oakford, Jr. Augustus Porter Seth Pease James Smeadly William Shepard George Eggleston

RIGHT: Photograph of an original marker of the Holland Land Company. LEFT: Joseph Ellicott's signature on surveying book Courtesy of the Holland Land Office Museum

Patrick Weissend is the Curator of the Holland Land Office Museum on Main Street in Batavia, NY. Built in 1815, the building is now the museum for Genesee County. Open Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (716) 343- 4727