Thomas Holme facts for kids
Thomas Holme (born 1624, died 1695) was a very important person in early Pennsylvania. He was the first "surveyor general," which meant he was the main mapmaker and land planner for the new colony. He designed the first plan for the city of Philadelphia. Holme was also a Quaker, a member of a religious group called the Religious Society of Friends. He was part of a special group of early Quaker leaders called the "Valiant Sixty."
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Early Life of Thomas Holme
Thomas Holme was born in Lancashire, England, on November 3, 1624. His father, George Holme, was a farmer, and his mother was Alice (née Whiteside). Thomas married Sarah Croft in 1649.
Holme's Career and Maps
Soon after he got married, Holme joined the British Army. This army was led by Oliver Cromwell at the time. Holme became a captain. He likely learned how to survey, which means making maps and measuring land, while he was in the army.
Later, Holme became a Quaker, a religious group founded by George Fox. There, he met William Penn, who was starting the new colony of Pennsylvania in America. In 1682, William Penn wrote to Holme. Penn asked Holme to come to America and be his main surveyor. Penn's first surveyor had gotten sick and died on the way to America.
Soon after, Holme, who was a widower by then, sailed to America with four of his children. They arrived in August 1682.
Designing Philadelphia
Holme created the first plan for the city of Philadelphia. He also made the first detailed map of the entire colony of Pennsylvania. This map was called A Mapp of Ye Improved Part of Pensilvania in America, Divided Into Countyes, Townships and Lotts.... It was published around 1687.
When William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania, he chose Holme to be one of his special advisors. Holme also worked as a justice of the peace and helped manage property in the colony.
Holme continued to be the Surveyor-General until he died in the spring of 1695. He was 71 years old. He passed away in what is now the Holmesburg area of Philadelphia.
After he retired, Holme was given more than 4,000 acres (about 16 square kilometers) of land in County Wexford, Ireland. At that time, England controlled Ireland.
In 1863, a special memorial was built for Holme at his burial site. It is a six-foot-tall marble obelisk, which is a tall, thin stone pillar. It is located near where his home is thought to have been, in what is now Pennypack Park.
Holme's Legacy
Many places in Philadelphia are named after Thomas Holme. These include Holme Avenue, Holme Circle, Thomas Holme Elementary School, and the neighborhood of Holmesburg.
See also
- Nicholas Scull II
- Numbered streets
