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Description

Highly sought-after map of the United States, featuring the State of Franklin.

Includes a massive Georgia, running to the Mississippi River, New Iberia, massive Western Territory and extensive notes along the Mississippi Valley. An important collector's map. Many Indian Tribes located.

Perhaps the most unique feature of this map is the inclusion of the "State of Franklin," to the west of Virginia and the East of Kentucky. In fact, this short lived breakaway group was located between North Carolina and Tennessee, as noted below. Indiana is also shown where Ohio would normally appear.

In the latter part of the 18th Century, the settlers in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee decided that because of poor representation in State Government, they needed to form a state of their own. A government was formed and initial organizational meetings conducted, but the breakaway state was quickly quelled by the North Carolina authorities, although not before the State of Franklinia began appearing on a number of English maps during the period. Ben Franklin himself responded that while he was honored by the decision to name a state after him, he was not able to relocate. In this instance, Franklinia is mislocated, placing it in what would become West Virginia.

Robert Wilkinson was active in London as a cartographic publisher from 1785 to 1825. He produced a number of nice works, including a General Atlas and a re-issuance of Bowen & Kitchen's English Atlas, along with excellent large format separate maps.

Reference
The Map Collector, 72, Baynton-Williams, p.12, map 15.