Following the Treaty of Paris which concluded the American Revolution, the new Federal government found itself with a vast amount of territory in the west. The first systematic land survey of any of its territory commenced in 1785 and was called the Seven Ranges Survey and took place in eastern Ohio. It was conducted under the hands of the Land Ordinance and was intended to enable an orderly control of land and raise revenue from its sale. It should be noted that its tax raising abilities were very limited at the beginning.

The project was supervised by Thomas Hutchins and took place on land on the north bank of the Ohio River. From their seven ranges or townships were laid in grid form. These measured six miles square, and each further subdivided into one square mile sections. This system would form the basis of future land distributions by the Federal Government.

This map of the region was produced by Mathew Carey (1760-1839), one of the first American pioneers in the field of cartography. It was engraved by William Barker. It details below the title ‘That part which is divided into sections or tracts of a mile square will be sold in small tracts at public auction in Pitsburg [sic] the residue will be sold In quarters of Townships at the seat of Government’.

Carey was born in Dublin, Ireland, he was dropped at just a year old by his nurse and sustained lifelong injuries as a result. Possibly therefore he became a shy child and hid himself in books. From an early age he wanted to be a book printer and publisher. He wrote his first piece, against duelling, when he was 17 years old. He wrote a tract anonymously in support of the Catholics which brought about a reward of £40 for his arrest by a conservative group. He left for Paris where he was introduced to Benjamin Franklin. He worked with Franklin at his press in Passy before returning to Ireland where he set up a newspaper. Within a year, he had incurred the wrath of the government and was committed to Newgate Prison for a short while. With a new prosecution impending he fled following his release for America on 7 September 1784 by dressing as a woman.

He arrived in Philadelphia with just 12 guineas to his name. He received a summons from General Lafayette who gave him $400. On 25 January 1785, he published the first issue of the ‘Pennsylvania Herald’ which supported the conservative party. It proved to be a success. However, it drew him in to a bitter dispute ending in a duel with Colonel Oswald, the editor of the ‘Independent Gazetteer’ in January 1786 which left him badly wounded. In the thigh. He was one of the founders of the ‘Columbia Magazine’ and then published the ‘American Museum’.

Geographical texts were being published in the newly formed United States, the first was by Jedidiah Morse whose ‘American Geography’ in 1789 contained 2 maps. This was followed by Benjamin Workman’s ‘Elements of Geography’ with 3 maps. Collections of sea charts were available by Matthew Clark in 1790 and John Norman in 1791. The first atlas, or collection of maps without text, published in America was the ‘General Atlas for the Present War’ by Carey in 1794, his first cartographical work. Caldwell (2020); Smith (1977) pp. 122-5; Wheat & Brun (1978) 677.