Maps are an important part of showing what a place looked like during a particular time in history. Who lived there? Were town names different? Did certain landmarks exist yet? If you are interested in historical or genealogical research, maps and atlases can give you valuable information on a person or a place. The State Library has 149 maps in our collection related to the Revolutionary War. Many of these are retrospective maps produced for the Bicentennial (1970s) when an interest and demand for historical productions was at an all time high. See below to learn more about the Revolutionary resources in our collection.
This is a map of New Jersey at the time of the Revolutionary War. (Click on the image to view the digitized version.) New Jersey had only thirteen counties (Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Salem, Somerset, and Sussex). Few roads are shown, and ferries are shown along the Delaware River, because there are no bridges. Mountain ranges are named in Morris and Sussex Counties, and if you zoom in closely, you can see that the Battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Monmouth are marked with the battle dates. The map is called The Jerseys, &c. &c. (abbreviation for et cetera, et cetera), and it was created as an insert for one of the first histories written about the Revolutionary War.
In 1788, William Gordon published one of the earliest histories of the Revolutionary War. Gordon was an English minister who was determined to write a history of the American Revolution. He interviewed and examined papers of such luminaries as General George Washington in support of his work. The work was published in London as a 4 volume set and was titled "The history of the rise, progress, and establishment, of the independence of the United States of America: including an account of the late war; and of the thirteen colonies, from their origin to that period." Our map, The Jerseys et cetera, et cetera, appears as an insert opposite page 524 in volume 2. (See link above). On the map, landmarks part of the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777, including Yellow Springs (military hospital and camp) and Warren's Tavern (Battle of Paoli, September 20, 1777) are included. This is because on page 524, William Gordon is in the middle of recounting the Battle of Germantown (October 4, 1777), which was part of this campaign.
The State Library has Volume 1 of the 1789 edition, which also consists of four volumes. The 1788 edition was printed in London and included maps. The 1789 edition was printed in New York and Volume 2 does not include an insert for The Jerseys et cetera et cetera.
The State Library has the first three volumes of the 1801 edition. No maps are included. This edition was printed in New York, while the first was printed in London.
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson's 1775 map.
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Relief shown pictorially. "West longitude from London." From: The Gentleman's magazine, v. 46 (Sept. 1776). Map does not appear to be digitized in the linked edition, but it is mentioned on the first page.
Click on image to go to the digitized map. Full title: A map of the Province of New-York, reduc'd from the large drawing of that Province, compiled from actual surveys by order of his excellency William Tryon, Esq., Captain General and Governor of the same. By Claude Joseph Sauthier; to which is added New Jersey from the Topographical observations of C.J. Sauthier and B. Ratzer. Engraved by William Faden, successor to the late Mr. Thomas Jefferys, 1776
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Facsimile of ms. made in 1781. From: "Journal of Lt. John Charles Philip von Krafft, 1776-1784" (map not digitized) in Collections of the New-York Historical Society, 1882. New York, 1883. (After p. 200). Includes page of translation of German notes on map.
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Claude Joseph Sauthier and Matthaus Albrecht Lotter's 1777 map.
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Shows Pennsylvania to Lancaster and western parts of southern and central New Jersey and parts of Maryland and Delaware. Relief shown pictorially. Above top margin: "For the London Magazine 1777."
Click on image to do to the digitized map. Full title "A New and accurate map of the present seat of war in North America : comprehending New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pensylvania, New-York, &c.". Published in the June 1777 edition (volume 61) of the Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure to accompany an article about the City of Philadelphia p. 281-283. (Map is not digitized in the linked issue.)
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. From: Russell, William. The history of America ... London, 1778. v.2. (Map is only partially digitized. Russell's writings about the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain starts in the Appendix on page 409.)
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. From: Gentleman's magazine and historical chronicle. July 1779. (The chart is referenced as being facing page 369 in this issue, but is not digitized.) Shows southern New Jersey.
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Shows British ships in Delaware River between Philadelphia and Red Bank, Gloucester County, N.J. Identifies buildings and wharves. Title from island at center of map. "Chillas Lith ... Philad.a." From: Pennsylvania archives, 1st ser., v. 7 (1853) facing p. 721. (Map not digitized. Page shows a letter related to Mud Island, but not from Commodore Hazelwood, and dated October 1779.) At upper right: "Accompanying Com. Hazlewood's [i.e. Hazelwood's] letter, Decr. 9th, 1779."
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. From Hilliard d'Auberteuil and Michel Rene's Essais historiques et politiques sur les Anglo-Americains. Brussels, 1781-82. v. 2. (In French).
Click on the image to go to the digitized map. Cornelius C. Vermeule's 1920s map.
The State Library has a Revolutionary Era Maps A-Z Resources page, where you can see our complete collection of maps with some connection to the Revolutionary War. Click the image below to access the list. Many of these maps were produced during the Bicentennial (1970s) or around the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Jerseys (mid 1960s). Search for titles and topics! These maps are largely available for in person use at the State Library. Links to digitized copies are provided where available.
