Joseph Ellicott

Joseph Ellicott (1760 - 1826) was a surveyer, city planner, land office agent, canal commissioner and judge born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, of the Quaker faith.

In 1790 his brother Andrew was hired by the federal government to survey the new [[District of Columbia|federal district, which was to become the new capital city of Washington. Joseph was Andrew's chief assistant. Joseph also hired clock maker and [[mathematics}mathematical]] prodigy Benjamin Banneker to assist with the survey.

Working with French city planner and architect Pierre L'Enfant, the head of the project, was proven difficult, as L'Enfant had a tyrannical temper. But the team did a fine job, and, when their chief was dismissed midway in the project, and took his drawings with him, the team was able to finish in 1791, using drawings recreated from memory by Banneker.

Late in 1791 Ellicott was sent to Georgia to survery the boundry line, established by treaty with the Creek tribe. He was then engaged to survey some property in western Pennsylvania which has been purchased by a group of Dutch investors, who had formed the Holland Land Company. He also extended the New York - Pennsylvania border westward.

When the company purchased a huge tract of western New York (that became known as The Holland Purchase, Joseph was sent to establish the monumental task of surveying it. Ellicott spent two years (1798 - 1800 living outdoors in summer and winter, laying out the townships of the new land.

In 1800, the company gave him a new position as their agent at their headquarters in Batavia, New York. From this office, for the next 21 years he supervised the sales of the tract, with his personal signature on many deeds. He also laid out the village of Buffalo, established mill sites and communities, became a judge for Genesee County, and advocated a canal to be built from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. He lived long enough to see the Erie Canal started in 1821 and completed in 1825 and was the first canal commissioner.

As seller and land agent, Ellicott offered generous terms to the buyers, some of which purchased farms for as little as 25 cents down. When some buyers could not make payments he often extended the terms and sometimes forgave interest if they had made improvements. He offered some selected parcels free upon condition that the buyer would establish a mill or an inn, to help stimulate growth in the area.

Ellicott never married, and at his death left an estate valued at about $600,000, which was a considerable fortune in that day.