WELCOME 1690's Pennsylvania Maps WELCOME

There appear to be few maps of Pennsylvania made from the 1690's into the 1730's. There is a gap from Thomas Holme to Lewis Evans and Benjamin Eastburn which no mapmaker rose to fill. However, the state continued to appear in European atlases.


1690.1 PENSILVANIA, from John Seller's A New System of Geography. This map is listed by Dunlap and Burden #673. The first edition appeared in 1685 and did not have this map, although it did have a map of North America naming Pennsylvania. This 1690 geography also contains the map of New Iarsey that appeared in the 1682 Atlas Maritimus. This appears to be the last map prepared specifically for Pennsylvania until the 1730's. This map also appeared in the Atlas Terrestris circa 1700. Longitude is east from Ferro, blank verso. Scale: 1 inch = 24 miles. Size: 5 x 6 inches.
  1690.2 A NEW MAP OF NEW ENGLAND AND ANNAPOLIS WITH THE COUNTRY'S ADJACENT by Richard Daniel (McCorkle #690.1). This map is a revision of the 1679 Daniel map and contains an inset of Boston harbor.
  1690.3 NORTH AMERICA DIVIDED INTO ITS 111 PRINCIPALL PARTS 1ST ENGLISH PART VIZ ENGLISH EMPIRE CONTAINING .... N YORK N JARSEY PENSYLVANIA MARYLAND..... by Philip Lea? (McCorkle #690.3). This map includes the Caribbean and is only listed here because Pennsylvania appears in the title.
1691.1 NOVA SVECIA..., by Peter Lindstrom (Lindestrom). This map was discussed in the Introduction and shows the location of Swedish settlements on the Delaware River. It is reproduced in the 1925 translation of Lindstrom's Geographia Americae which is the image shown here, and in The Annals of America, Vol. 1 page 303 (see Adler). Peter Lindstrom circa 1655 made a map titled Nova Svecia, anno 1654 och 1655, Ardenna Novae Sveciae Carta Med, dess Riviers och Landz situation ock, Beskaffenhet Aftagen ock till Carts, ford af P. Lindstrom. In 1759, Israel Acrelius published (in Swedish) a book titled Description of the former and present condition of the Swedish Church in what was called New Sweden, afterwards New Netherland, but at the present time Pennsylvania... He made the following comments on the Lindstrom map: "Said Engineer Lindstrom's description of New Sweden, which was placed in the Royal Archives, was accompanied by a map of all the places known upon the Swede's river. The map begins at the mouth and extends up to the falls, upon both sides of the river. (Here Acrelius gives a long list of every place name on the map.) The aforesaid map was of the length of four ells, and two ells in breadth, and until the year 1696, when His Royal Majesty King Charles XI renewed the Swedish mission in America, was hung up in the Royal Council Chamber in the castle at Stockholm. Then the King directed that this map should be copied off in smaller form and engraved on copper, whereby it was preserved from the destruction which overtook the castle in Stockholm by the lamentable fire of the year 1697. A copy of this is found in Th. Camp. Holm's Description of New Sweden." According to the OED, the ell varied in length from country to country with the English ell being 45 inches, and the Flemish 27 inches. In any case, the original map was apparently quite large and no longer exists. Lindstrom left the copy shown here in manuscript form when he died in 1691. The map has north at the bottom, depicts only the Delaware River, and names many of the Swedish and Dutch settlements along its banks. Thomas Campanius published it in a translation of Martin Luther's Catechism in 1696 with the title Novae Sveciae, which may have been the 1696 engraving mentioned by Acrelius. In 1702 Campanius retitled the map across the top 'Nova Svecia hodie dicta Pensylvania' for his book Kort Beskrifning om Provincien nya Swerige, Stockholm, S. Wankijfsankia , retaining the rest of Lindstrom's original imprint on the bottom. Since Lindstrom left these maps for his Geographia in manuscript form at his death in 1691, this date is used for them. In the preface to his translation of Lindstrom, Johnson provides a biography and says that the manuscript was probably prepared after 1683, when Lindstrom entered a long illness that lasted up to his death in 1691.
1691.2 NOVA SUECIA:CLLER THE SMENSKA REVIER IN INDIA OCCIDENTALIS, drawn by Peter Lindstrom, Royal Swedish Engineer; 1654 & 1655. Sometime after 1655, back in Sweden from America, Lindstrom worked on Geographia Americae. He died in 1691 leaving his Geographia, which included several maps, in manuscript form, thus 1691 is used here as the date for these maps. The original manuscript is now in the Riksarkivet, Stockholm. This image is from the 1925 translation of the Geographia and is the second of two maps of the Delaware River which Lindstrom made. In 1874 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania published a translation of Acrelius's book with the title A History of New Sweden. The introduction to this 1874 book has the following comment: "The valuable map which accompanies the volume has been engraved from a facsimile copy, made for Mr. Mickley, from the original of Peter Lindstrom, the Royal Swedish Engineer." This map differs from the other Lindstrom map in title, proportion and in having north at the right; most of the place names appear the same. Size: 23 x 6 inches. 
1691.3 WIRGINIA, NOVA SUECIA, NOVA BATTAVIA, NOVA ANGLIA, by Peter Lindstrom in his Geographia Americae, reprinted with translation by Amandus Johnson, The Swedish Colonial Society, Philadelphia 1925, from which the image here is taken. This image shows only the left, or southern, half of the map which includes Pennsylvania. Lindstrom also prepared a map of Fort Christina (present day Wilmington) which appeared in the Geographia but does not include anything of Pennsylvania (see Garrison, Dunlap). The Fort Christina map also appears in The Annals of America, Vol. 1 page 303 (see Adler).
  1692.1 CANADA HALT IN FICH, by Johann Ulrich Muller, Frankfurt 1692. This is a very small map number IV (~3 x 3 inches, Burden #689 who says the maps are untitled) from Muller's miniature atlas Geographia Totius Orbis Compendiaria. It shows eastern North America from Hudson Bay to the Chesapeake, and must come from an old plate because Pennsylvania is not named but N. Sucecia and Christina are named. There are two other maps V, VI (Burden #690, 691) which include the Pennsylvania region. The maps are similar to those of Duval, maps 1660.1-3, and later Hoffman, map 1678.2. McCorkle #692.1, #692.2, identifies two maps from Muller's Kurtz-bundige Abbild- und Vorstellung der gantzen Welt, published in Ulm 1692, which are apparently the same as the maps IV, V except have titles.
  1692.2 VIRGINISCHE PASKAART..., by Jacobus Robyn (Burden #693). This map is a Dutch version of Hermann's 1673 map and first appeared in 1684 in a Van Keulen atlas under a different name. A later 1717 version is reproduced in Papenfuse & Coale, who discuss its history. The map includes southeastern Pennsylvania.
1693.1 LA LOVISIANA, PARTE SETTENTRIONALLE, by Vincenzo Coronelli (Burden #701). This is a beautiful map of the Great Lakes region. The Pennsylvania area is covered by the scale with no detail. Coronelli is most known for his globes, and globe gores of the Pennsylvania region (i.e. east coast) are sometimes seen dated in the 1690's. Image from the Heritage Map Museum CD by permission. Burden #734 reproduces a 1697 reduced version of this map from Coronelli's Isolario, Venice 1697.
  1693.2 CARTE PARTICULIERE DE VIRGINIE, MARYLAND, PENNSILVANIE, LA NOUVELLE IARSEY ORIENT ET OCCIDENTALE, by Nicolas Sanson, Amsterdam : Chez P. Mortier. A nautical chart with depths shown by soundings, this map covers the coasts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and waterways of eastern Pennsylvania. It appears in Le Neptune françois, ou, Atlas nouveau des cartes marines, in various editions, and is oriented with north to the right. Listed in Dunlap and in Burden #766 dated circa 1700; later versions are sometimes attributed to A. Jaillot, see Map #200J5 in the Maryland State Archives. A 1696 version is reproduced in Papenfuse & Coale.
1694.1 NOVA BELGICA ET ANGLIA NOVA by Jansson, Jan, Valk & Schenk. circa 1694, dated 1695 by Dunlap. This map is based on the de Laet map of 1630. The first state of the Jansson map was issued in 1636, this image is state 3, see Burden #247. The copper plate was sold at auction in 1694 and purchased by Petrus Schenk who issued the map under his own name. Image from the Heritage Map Museum CD by permission. 
  1695.1 A NEW MAP OF THE ENGLISH EMPIRE IN AMERICA . VIZ. VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, CAROLINA, NEW YORK, NEW IARSEY, NEW ENGLAND PENNSYLVANIA NEWFOUNDLAND NEW FRANCE &C. by Rob: Morden, I. Harris sculp; sold by Robt. Morden and Christopher Brown (McCorkle #695.3, Burden #750 who dates it circa 1698). There is also a 1706 version and a later version appears in 1719 from John Senex. This map contains insets of the North Atlantic and Boston Harbor. It is illustrated in Pritchard & Taliaferro #68 Custis Atlas.
1695.2 CARTE NOUVELLE DE L'AMERIQUE ANGLOISE CONTENANT LA VIRGINIE, MARY-LAND, CAROLINE, PENSYLVANIA NOUVELLE IORCK, N: IARSEY N:FRANCE, ET LE TERRES NOUVELLEMENT DECOUERTE DRESSE SUR LES RELATIONS LES PLUS NOUVELLES PAR LE SIEUR S A AMSTERDAM CHEZ PIERRE MORTIER LIBRAIRE AVEC PRIVILEGE DE NOS SEIGNEURS LES ETATS. by Nicolas Sanson, in additions of the Neptune Francois and other Sanson atlases per McCorkle #695.7, also in Jaillot's Atlas Nouveau. The dating of this map is uncertain and this image from the LOC is dated 1700; also described in Burden #765 dated 1700. It shows eastern North America from Hudson Bay to Florida on two sheets, only the Pennsylvania region is shown here. Philadelphia and Bucks County are identified, as are "Penasburg," Philadelphia, Darby, and Chester. In the interior, the "Susquehana R." and fort are named and the Indian tribe "Sinneks."
  1695.3 (Delaware County) A 19th century reproduction of a manuscript map dated circa 1695 was seen for sale. It shows the area near the town of Chester at the confluence of (apparently) Chester Creek and the Delaware River with the land divided up into properties with the holders names. An inscription reads "Chester Pt R Long C Puzey James Sunderland & others." The original is said to be held by a Thos. Darlington; whether it still exists is not known.
1696.1 NOVAE SVECIAE, by Peter Lindstrom (also Lindestrom, Lindhestrom). This map was discussed above for 1691 and shows the location of Swedish settlements on the Delaware River. Peter Lindstrom in 1655 made a map titled Nova Svecia, anno 1654 och 1655, Ardenna Novae Sveciae Carta Med, dess Riviers och Landz situation ock, Beskaffenhet Aftagen ock till Carts, ford af P. Lindstrom. This map burned in 1697 but not before an engraving was made, as mentioned by Acrelius, which Thomas Campanius published in a translation of Martin Luther's Catechism in 1696. This translation into Indian language had been made by Campanius' grandfather, Johann, circa 1660. In 1702 Campanius retitled the map across the top 'Nova Svecia hodie dicta Pensylvania' for another book. This map is listed by Dunlap, Burden #721. Image courtesy of the State Library of Pennsylvania.
  1696.2 CANADA SIVE NOVA FRANCIA, a playing card map from a series issued by Johann Hoffman, Nuremburg 1696 (Burden #715). The same series contains NOVVM BELGIUM ET NOVA SUETIA (Burden #716) and VIRGINIA (Burden #717). All are crude maps similar to the previous small Hoffman maps 1678.2.
  1697.1 DAS ENGLISHCHE AMERICA by Richard Blome from a book of the same name, Leipzig 1697 (McCorkle #697.1, Burden #736). This is a German version of the R.B. map 1685.3 with the printer mistakenly ascribing the R. B. to Richard Blome.
1697.2 CARTE D'UN TRES GRAND PAIS NOUVELLEMENT DECOUVERT DANS L'AMERIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE ENTRE LE NOUVEAU MEXIQUE ET LA MER GLACIALE AVEC LE COURS DU GRAND FLWUVE MESCHASIPI by Louis Hennepin from various editions of Hennepin's voyages published from 1697 to 1711 (Burden #739; McCorkle #697.3, #704.3, who illustrates another continental version of the map also). Despite its title this map shows only the eastern United States (and southern Canada). It was made to show the Great Lakes and the course of the Mississippi and is the progenitor of the maps later made famous by de Lisle and de Vaugondy. McCorkle illustrates four versions of this map, English, French, German, and Spanish. Philadelphia is named and Pennsylvania is located in New Jersey. This image is from the National Archives of Canada and the map can be viewed at Historical Maps -- James Ford Bell Library . There is also a large reproduction in Johnson (1974) and another version is reproduced in Winsor .
1698.1 PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST JERSEY. This map by Philip Lea, London, is from An Historical and Geographical Account of the Province and Country of Pennsylvania and of West-New-Jersey in America by Gabriel Thomas, published by A. Baldwin, London 1698. The book was reprinted in 1848 by H. A. Brady, New York (see page 671 of Phillips), and in 1935 by A. M. Aurand Jr., which is the image shown here. This map also appeared in Lea's atlas Hydrographia Universalis or The Sea Coasts of the Known Parts of the World, London 1700 as shown here; and in a German edition of Thomas, Continuatio der beschreibung der landschafft Pensylvaniae, Frankfurt and Leipzig 1702; see Docktor #200L2, #202B5. Burden #728 dates this map circa 1696 from its appearance in the Hydrographia Universalis. There were several 17th century accounts of Pennsylvania written; Penn himself wrote at least 8 versions of his Some Account of the Province of Pennsylvania... . In 1685 appeared Good Order Established in Pennsilvania & New-Jersey in America, by Thomas Budd and printed by Philadelphia's first printer, William Bradford. In 1692 Bradford also printed A Short Description of Pennsylvania by Richard Frame. Around 1700 Francis Daniel Pastorius published Umständige Geographische Beschreibung der zu allerletzt erfundenen Provintz Pensylvaniae ... (A Particular Geographical Description of the lately discovered Province of Pennsylvania); indicative of the early German settlement.
  1698.2 CHARTE EINES SEHR GROSSEN LANDES.... by Louis Hennepin, the German version of the 1697 map (McCorkle #698.3, Burden #747). There is also a 1699 German version (McCorkle #699.3).
  1698.3 A MAP OF A LARGE COUNTRY.... by Louis Hennepin, the English version of the 1697 map (McCorkle #698.4, Burden #745). A portion is reproduced in Brown, No. 8.
  1698.4 A CHART OF THE SEA COAST OF NEW FOUND LAND, NEW SCOTLAND, NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, with VIRGINIA and MARYLAND, by Iohn Thornton hydrographer (McCorkle #698.6). This sea coast map appears in The English Pilot, The Fourth Book of 1698. Pennsylvania is not in the title but is named on the map, no detail is given. McCorkle (#749.2) lists a pirated copy published in 1749 by George Grierson; and Mount and Page also published a copy in 1750 with minor changes.
  1698.5 THE PROVINCE OF NEW YORK IN AMERICA AND THE TERRITORIES ADJACENT, a manuscript map of uncertain date drawn by Augustin Graham, the Surveyor General of New York. This map is reproduced in Swift (2001) dated 1698. It shows the Hudson and the Delaware Rivers. Details of settlement are shown for the Hudson, but not for the Delaware.
  1698.6 ACCURATA DELINEATIO CELEBERRIMAE REGIONIS LUDOVICIANAE VEL GALLICE LOUISIANE OL. CANADAE ET FLORIDAE ADPELLATIONE IN SEPTEMTRIONALI AMERICA 1698. This map of eastern North America was seen in an apparent reproduction for sale. No reference has yet been found and it is not in McCorkle or Burden. The map bears the same title, though shortened, as the 1730 one by Suetter and closely resembles the 1719 map by de Fer, including the inset of the Gulf coast but not the inset of Quebec. The best guess (for now) is that the map is a copy of the 1719 de Fer map and the 1698 date is symbolic. Stay tuned.
  1698.7 PHILADELPHIA CITY LETTER P. DRAFT OF LETITIA'S FRONT LOTT, in Warrants and Survey Returns 2:101,2; Philadelphia City Archives, record series 225.3. A manuscript map showing two streets next to the river and the lot assigned to William and Letitia Penn. Reproduced in M. P. Snyder, Figure 7.
  1699.1 CARTA GEOGRAPHICA DE UN PAIS QUE NUEVAMENTE.... by Louis Hennepin, the Spanish version of the 1697 map (McCorkle #699.2).
  1699.2 A MAP OF THE ENGLISH POSSESSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA AND NEWFOUNDLAND AS IT WAS PRESENTED AND DEDICATED TO HIS MOST SACRED MAJESTY KING WILLIAM 1699. A manuscript map in the Library of Congress listed in Phillips page 564, and illustrated in Hayes Map 64. Pennsylvania and Philadelphia are both named.
1600-1630 1630's 1640's 1650's 1660's 1670's 1680's 1690's

Home Page 16th Century Maps 17th Century Maps 18th Century Maps 19th Century Maps 20th Century Maps References