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Folk Art on an 18th Century American Survey
Fascinating 18th-century Pennsylvania folk art manuscript survey, drawn on vellum and signed by William Wheeler, who was at the time Deputy Surveyor of Berks County, Pennsylvania. The survey raises to the level of folk art due to a wonderful depiction of a surveyor plying his trade, sporting a stove-pipe hat while wielding a pole-mounted theodolite or similar instrument. A small bird in the upper right corner completes the scene.
While many of the names are somewhat illegible, we can discern the names of Thomas Long and John George Ulrich (1753-1824):
By virtue of a Warrant dated the 13th Day of August 1789 Surveyed the 24th Same... John Geo. Ullrich from the above... tracht of Land Situate in Tulpehocken Township Bercks County Containing 77 Ackers... Signed, Wm. Wheeler.
Tulpehocken Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, has a rich history marked by the migration of German Palatine families. The township was already recognized as a distinct division by 1729, being part of Lancaster County at the time. In 1734, due to its considerable size, the township was divided, and part of it was established as Heidelberg Township, named to reflect the origins of many of its settlers.
The Palatine migration to Tulpehocken is a significant event in the township's history. In the spring of 1723, fifteen German Palatine families left the Schoharie Valley of New York after being dispossessed of their land and settled in Tulpehocken. These families were part of a larger group that had originally come to New York in 1710 as refugees from the German Palatinate. This relocation to Pennsylvania was adventurous and hazardous, with families taking a journey that involved navigating the Susquehanna River in canoes, moving up the Swatara Creek, and driving their livestock overland.
The area of Tulpehocken was chosen because it had been scouted by earlier Palatine explorers who had recognized the potential dangers and opportunities of the region. Over time, Tulpehocken Township evolved, developing public roads and infrastructure while retaining its historical significance within the county.
William Wheeler, born around 1760, is a historical figure recorded under various names due to Germanic linguistic influences in the records, notably as Wilhelm Wuler and Wilhelm Wuhler.
He married Barbara Ruhm in 1781, and the same year, served as a Private 1st Class in the Pennsylvania Militia.
A surveyor by profession, Wheeler was active in Heidelberg, PA and later recognized as a Deputy Surveyor of Berks in the late 1780s and early 1790s.
His life was marked by civic engagement and military service, culminating in his role as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia post-1790. He transitioned to a community role as an innkeeper by 1796.
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