David H. Burr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David H. Burr
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| Born | August 1803 |
| Died | 1875 |
| Occupation | Cartography, surveyor, topographer |
David Burr (1803–1875) was an American mapmaker, also known as a cartographer. He was also a surveyor and a topographer, which means he created detailed maps showing land features.
David Burr worked for the United States government in several important roles. From 1832 to 1838, he was the official topographer for the United States Post Office Department. He also worked as a draftsman for the United States House of Representatives from 1838 to 1840. Later, he worked for the United States Senate from 1853 to 1855. He even served as the Surveyor General of Utah from 1855 to 1857.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Burr was born in August 1803 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. When he was 19, he moved to Kingsboro, New York. There, he studied law and became a lawyer. After joining the New York State Bar Association, he also became a member of the New York State Militia.
Family Life
David Burr was married twice. He married Susan Cottle Bush on September 29, 1828. They had three children together. Later, he married Sophia Augustine Howell on August 4, 1835. They had six children.
Making Maps and Surveys
David Burr started his career as a surveyor in New York. He worked for Simeon De Witt, mapping roads. At this time, New York was growing fast due to new industries. The Erie Canal also helped increase trade.
In 1829, David Burr published his first collection of maps, called an atlas. It was titled Atlas of the State of New York. The state government supported this project. It was only the second atlas ever made for a U.S. state.
In 1832, Burr became the official topographer for the United States Post Office Department. This meant he was in charge of mapping postal routes. In 1835, he published another large map collection, the New Universal Atlas. He also kept track of the routes used by the United States Postmaster Generals. He created a special map showing these routes, including details about roads, canals, and railroads.
Around 1838, Burr traveled to London, England. There, he worked with another mapmaker named John Arrowsmith. Together, they created the American Atlas, which was published in 1839.
After returning to the United States, Burr became a draftsman for the United States House of Representatives. A draftsman draws maps and plans. During this time, he published a detailed map of the North-west-Coast of North America. This map was created for the U.S. Senate.
In 1847, he worked on the Louisiana Survey. In 1848, he became the Deputy U.S. Surveyor for the Florida Survey. By 1850, he was back in Washington D.C. for the national census.
In 1852, the U.S. Senate hired Burr to create maps from government surveys. His last known published map, Map of the United States, 1854, came out during this period.
Working in the West
In 1853, David Burr traveled to San Francisco, California. It's not clear why he went, but he might have been preparing maps of new surveys in California, Washington, and Oregon. He returned east in July 1853.
In 1855, Burr was appointed the Surveyor General of Utah. He traveled overland from St. Louis to Salt Lake City with his sons, David Augustus and Eugene. His oldest son, Frederick H. Burr, later joined them. Frederick became the Deputy Surveyor General, and Eugene was the Chief Clerk.
During his time in Utah, Burr drew a map of the Indian Reservation of Spanish Fork Creek. In 1857, Burr and his sons left Utah and went to Fort Leavenworth.
Later, David A. Burr returned to Salt Lake City in 1858. He handed over his father's surveying records to the governor. David A. stayed in Salt Lake City for a while and became a photographer.
David Burr also returned to Utah and stayed near Camp Floyd. He was appointed to help with the 1860 Utah census. Sometime before 1870, Burr retired and moved back to Washington D.C.
Images for kids
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Map of Rensselaer County, New York, United States in 1829, by David H. Burr
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Burr's The State of Texas, 1835-1845 (1846)
