With 2 Early Maps of the United States
Early Appearance of the State of Franklin (Franklinia)
The first American geography. This is the second edition, after the very rare first edition printed in Elizabethtown, New Jersey in 1789.
This edition includes two nice engraved maps, including Joseph Purcell's map of the Southern States (and Midwest), which includes an early reference to the "New State of Franklin" in the center of North Carolina.
Purcell's map is one of the few to record the short-lived state of "Franklinia." Franklinia was formed by settlers in 1784, but it was never recognized by Congress. Eventually it was annexed by North Carolina and later reverted back to Tennessee.
On this example, Georgia is colored curiously, as it should cut short South Carolina to the west of the Cherokee lands, possibly a colorists error.
Shows the boundaries between the United States and Spanish Dominions, lines delimiting Indian nations, towns, roads, Indian villages and host of other early details. Also includes counties, Indian trade paths, the Seven Ranges, Ekanfanoka Swamp (Okenfenokee), Port Vincient (Vincennes), The Ohio Company, New Jersey Company and Illinois Company lands are shown, as are the Donation lands of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey Company land areas appear, as do Army land, the Ohio Company, and numerous counties in Virginia. Notes regarding Col. Syms land, the donation grants and Gen. Clark's Grant are also shown. The Spanish Dominions and Louisiana appear east of the Mississippi River and the region north of Virginia is called the New States (this map predates the delineation of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois). The map also includes many other interesting details.
Stockdale's Map of the Northern and Mid-Atlantic States
The second map is notable for the many land grants showing Western Territory, which then included Ohio, Tennessee and the Old Northwest Territory. The grants include Illinois Company, Army Lands, Wagbash Company, New Jersey Company, Ohio Company, and the 7 Ranges, along with the Donation Lands from the Commonwealth of Virginia and General Clark's Grant 1500 acres.
Many settlements are noted in the West, along with early forts (Miami, Pitt, Venango, Chartres) and other interesting features. St. Louis appears on the map, as does Louisville, St. Genevieve, New Madrid, St. Philips, Cahokir, and the Kaskaskais Village.
Jedidiah Morse (1761–1826) was a pioneering American geographer, often called the "father of American geography." A Congregational minister by profession, he is best known for his influential geographical publications, including Geography Made Easy (1784) and The American Universal Geography (1793), which were among the first comprehensive geographical works published in the United States. His books shaped early American understanding of geography and cartography, providing a crucial reference for educators and mapmakers. Morse's work laid the groundwork for geographic education in America, and his emphasis on detailed maps helped standardize cartographic practices during a formative period for the young nation.