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- From Maps to Riches – The mapping career of Jay Gould
From Maps to Riches – The mapping career of Jay Gould
- By The Map Collector
- Published 1 June 1979
- Maps
- Unrated
The Map Collector
The Map Collector, initiated by Peter Scott and Valerie G. Newby, was a journal on historical cartography published every quarter. The first issue appeared in 1997 and continued for nearly 20 years. After 74 issues the last copy appeared in Spring 1996. Mrs. Valerie G. Newby, is presently editor of the IMCoS Journal.
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This letter suggests that Gould was also advancing the proposal of John Delafield and Robert Pearsall Smith, which had been under consideration in the 1853 State Legislature. It is very probable, in fact, that Jay undertook the task of surveying and mapping Delaware County as part of Smith's and Delafield's overall plan for compiling a map of New York State from the county maps. Regrettably, the proposed map bill was tabled before the legislative session ended in June 1853. In October of that year John Delafield died suddenly, apparently following a heart attack. Smith, nonetheless, with other associates carried out the plan to compile and publish a state map, the first edition of which appeared in 1859, and a gazetteer of New York State, which was published the following year. The latter has a 'List of Persons Employed Upon the Construction of the State Map and the Preparation of the Gazetteer', which includes the name of Jay Gould, under the heading, 'Surveyors and Statisticians'. Tillson and Brink are not listed.
Village of Roxbury, an inset plan on Jay Gould's 1856 Map of Delaware County, New York. Near the street intersection, toward the bottom of the plan, the house and tin store of Jay's father, J.B. Gould, are identified.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
While engaged in soliciting subscriptions, and directing his assistants, Jay also gathered information and anecdotes about the early history and prominent residents of Delaware County. With this data, and his own recollections, he wrote a History of Delaware County. Some accounts note that Gould, in the summer and autumn of 1854, also conducted surveys for a portion of a proposed railroad between Newburgh and Syracuse, New York. Several Gould biographers also state that he conducted surveys for maps of Greene and Sullivan Counties both of which, like Ulster County, adjoin Delaware County on the east. Maps of the two counties were copyrighted by R.P. Smith and, like Gould's 'Map of Delaware County,' were published in 1856. Neither, however, has any reference to Gould in its title or credits. It is possible that Jay did plan the surveys of Greene and Sullivan Counties, and engaged assistants to carry out the field work .. Because of his several illnesses, and his diminishing interest in surveying, Gould apparently also sold his interests in these maps before they were published.
The strenuous activity drew heavily upon the strength and endurance of his frail body and shortly after completing the railroad survey Jay was prostrated with a severe case of typhoid fever. When he recovered he completed, with his assistants, work on the Delaware County map and on the History of Delaware County. Rights to the former were sold to Robert Pearsall Smith, under whose name the map was registered for copyright. Gould, reportedly, received for the map one thousand dollars, in addition to reimbursement for wages of his assistants and other incidental expenses.
Gould's unfortunate partner in a tanning establishment. Inset illustration on 1856 Map of Greene County, New York.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
It appeared in 1856 under the title 'Map of Delaware Co. New York From actual survey By Jay Gould. Published by Collins G. Keeney. No. 17 & 19 Minor St. Philadelphia, 1856'. Although Keeney was a Roxbury printer, the publishing address is actually that which appears on many county maps issued under Smith's sponsorship. The Delaware County map measures 1422 x 1422mm, includes the names of all land and property owners, shows generalised relief, roads, and administrative boundaries, and has inset maps of a number of towns and villages. On the map of Roxbury the shop and residence of John B. Gould can be located. There are twenty marginal illustrations, among them sketches of the residences of affluent citizens. The map is said to have sold well and, as noted, was used by Smith and his associates in compiling the map of New York State, which was published in 1859.
Early in 1855, while returning from a business trip, Jay became seriously ill with tuberculosis, the illness which ultimately caused his death. He was detained in Moresville, seven miles north of Roxbury, where he received treatment in the home of Or. A.O. Howell. After an extended period there, Jay returned to Roxbury, where he gave up most activities to rest and regain his strength. He did manage to work part time in his father's store, to teach a course in surveying in Roxbury Academy, and to complete writing the History of Delaware County.
The manuscript for the book was delivered to the print shop of Robb, Pile, and McElroy, on Lodge Street in Philadelphia, early in 1856. On April 30 of that year there was a disastrous fire in Philadelphia which destroyed or seriously damaged a number of printing establishments, including that of Robb and associates. In Chapter X of his book Could observed that 'the reader ... has already been made aware of the almost total destruction of this work by fire. And this misfortune appears nowhere more evident than in the present chapter. Several of the first pages of the manuscript, containing much valuable and important information are thus irremediably lost.' Jay is reported to have gone to Philadelphia, salvaged what remained of the manuscript, and rewritten most of the destroyed parts.
Title page of Jay Gould's History of Delaware County, New York, 1856.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
The volume, published in 1856, is titled History of Delaware County and Border Wars of New York, Containing a Sketch of the Early Settlements in the County and a History of the Late Anti-Rent Difficulties in Delaware with Other Historical and Miscellaneous Matter, Never Before Published. By Jay Could. Roxbury: Keeny & Could, Publishers, 1856. Jay Could is said never to have referred, in later years, to this, his sole literary work. There was, moreover, no copy of the book in the fairly extensive personal library he had assembled, and which was sold following his death.
By 1856 Could appears to have tired of mapping and publishing and he disposed of his rights in the book as he had in his several maps. He reportedly received around five thousand dollars for his cartographic works and The History of Delaware County.
With this capital accumulation, Jay established a partnership with Zadok Pratt, a former Congressman and wealthy industrialist, to operate a tannery in eastern Pennsylvania. Pratt, impressed with the energetic and industrious youth, invested $120,000 in the project while Jay contributed five thousand dollars, plus his services, talents, and managerial abilities. The tannery was immensely successful and Gould, without the knowledge of his absentee partner, speculated heavily with the firm's funds. When Pratt became aware of the situation he proposed dissolving the partnership, offering to sell out for half his investment, or to buy Jay's interest.
To Pratt's surprise, Jay chose to acquire his interest for $60,000. The purchase money was obtained from Charles Leupp, a New York City leather dealer, who became Gould's second unfortunate partner. Leupp, too, was outwitted and swindled by Jay and, despondent and ruined financially, he committed suicide. Gould retained the tannery for several years, resisting efforts by Leupp's brother-in-law to gain control. In 1860, however, he closed the plant, moved to New York and entered in earnest on his financial manoeuvrings.
The remainder of Gould's career bears little resemblance to the bright years of his youth, when he practised the respected professions of surveying and mapping, which had been the early vocations also of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and other American patriots and leaders.
COPYRIGHT June 1979 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
References:
Village of Roxbury, an inset plan on Jay Gould's 1856 Map of Delaware County, New York. Near the street intersection, toward the bottom of the plan, the house and tin store of Jay's father, J.B. Gould, are identified.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
While engaged in soliciting subscriptions, and directing his assistants, Jay also gathered information and anecdotes about the early history and prominent residents of Delaware County. With this data, and his own recollections, he wrote a History of Delaware County. Some accounts note that Gould, in the summer and autumn of 1854, also conducted surveys for a portion of a proposed railroad between Newburgh and Syracuse, New York. Several Gould biographers also state that he conducted surveys for maps of Greene and Sullivan Counties both of which, like Ulster County, adjoin Delaware County on the east. Maps of the two counties were copyrighted by R.P. Smith and, like Gould's 'Map of Delaware County,' were published in 1856. Neither, however, has any reference to Gould in its title or credits. It is possible that Jay did plan the surveys of Greene and Sullivan Counties, and engaged assistants to carry out the field work .. Because of his several illnesses, and his diminishing interest in surveying, Gould apparently also sold his interests in these maps before they were published.
The strenuous activity drew heavily upon the strength and endurance of his frail body and shortly after completing the railroad survey Jay was prostrated with a severe case of typhoid fever. When he recovered he completed, with his assistants, work on the Delaware County map and on the History of Delaware County. Rights to the former were sold to Robert Pearsall Smith, under whose name the map was registered for copyright. Gould, reportedly, received for the map one thousand dollars, in addition to reimbursement for wages of his assistants and other incidental expenses.
Gould's unfortunate partner in a tanning establishment. Inset illustration on 1856 Map of Greene County, New York.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
It appeared in 1856 under the title 'Map of Delaware Co. New York From actual survey By Jay Gould. Published by Collins G. Keeney. No. 17 & 19 Minor St. Philadelphia, 1856'. Although Keeney was a Roxbury printer, the publishing address is actually that which appears on many county maps issued under Smith's sponsorship. The Delaware County map measures 1422 x 1422mm, includes the names of all land and property owners, shows generalised relief, roads, and administrative boundaries, and has inset maps of a number of towns and villages. On the map of Roxbury the shop and residence of John B. Gould can be located. There are twenty marginal illustrations, among them sketches of the residences of affluent citizens. The map is said to have sold well and, as noted, was used by Smith and his associates in compiling the map of New York State, which was published in 1859.
Early in 1855, while returning from a business trip, Jay became seriously ill with tuberculosis, the illness which ultimately caused his death. He was detained in Moresville, seven miles north of Roxbury, where he received treatment in the home of Or. A.O. Howell. After an extended period there, Jay returned to Roxbury, where he gave up most activities to rest and regain his strength. He did manage to work part time in his father's store, to teach a course in surveying in Roxbury Academy, and to complete writing the History of Delaware County.
The manuscript for the book was delivered to the print shop of Robb, Pile, and McElroy, on Lodge Street in Philadelphia, early in 1856. On April 30 of that year there was a disastrous fire in Philadelphia which destroyed or seriously damaged a number of printing establishments, including that of Robb and associates. In Chapter X of his book Could observed that 'the reader ... has already been made aware of the almost total destruction of this work by fire. And this misfortune appears nowhere more evident than in the present chapter. Several of the first pages of the manuscript, containing much valuable and important information are thus irremediably lost.' Jay is reported to have gone to Philadelphia, salvaged what remained of the manuscript, and rewritten most of the destroyed parts.
Title page of Jay Gould's History of Delaware County, New York, 1856.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)
The volume, published in 1856, is titled History of Delaware County and Border Wars of New York, Containing a Sketch of the Early Settlements in the County and a History of the Late Anti-Rent Difficulties in Delaware with Other Historical and Miscellaneous Matter, Never Before Published. By Jay Could. Roxbury: Keeny & Could, Publishers, 1856. Jay Could is said never to have referred, in later years, to this, his sole literary work. There was, moreover, no copy of the book in the fairly extensive personal library he had assembled, and which was sold following his death.
By 1856 Could appears to have tired of mapping and publishing and he disposed of his rights in the book as he had in his several maps. He reportedly received around five thousand dollars for his cartographic works and The History of Delaware County.
With this capital accumulation, Jay established a partnership with Zadok Pratt, a former Congressman and wealthy industrialist, to operate a tannery in eastern Pennsylvania. Pratt, impressed with the energetic and industrious youth, invested $120,000 in the project while Jay contributed five thousand dollars, plus his services, talents, and managerial abilities. The tannery was immensely successful and Gould, without the knowledge of his absentee partner, speculated heavily with the firm's funds. When Pratt became aware of the situation he proposed dissolving the partnership, offering to sell out for half his investment, or to buy Jay's interest.
To Pratt's surprise, Jay chose to acquire his interest for $60,000. The purchase money was obtained from Charles Leupp, a New York City leather dealer, who became Gould's second unfortunate partner. Leupp, too, was outwitted and swindled by Jay and, despondent and ruined financially, he committed suicide. Gould retained the tannery for several years, resisting efforts by Leupp's brother-in-law to gain control. In 1860, however, he closed the plant, moved to New York and entered in earnest on his financial manoeuvrings.
The remainder of Gould's career bears little resemblance to the bright years of his youth, when he practised the respected professions of surveying and mapping, which had been the early vocations also of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and other American patriots and leaders.
COPYRIGHT June 1979 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
References:
- Richard O'Connor. Could's Millions. Garden City, New York, Doubleday, 1962, p.13.
- Ibid., p.I7-I8.
- J. Oliver. Tillson Papers.' In Collection of Regional History and Archives, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York.
- Ibid.
- See 'The Map Publishing Career of Robert Pearsall Smith,' by Waiter W. Ristow, in The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, vo!' 26, July 1969, p.170-196.
- See 'The French-Smith Map and Gazetteer of New York State,' by Waiter W. Ristow, in The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, vo!' 36, (scheduled for Winter, 1979, p.68-90).
- Tillson Papers.
- Alice Northrop Snow, The Story of Helen Could, New York, Revell, 1943, p.82.
- Robert Irving Warshaw, Jay Could, the Story of a Fortune.New York, Greenburg, 1928, p.34.
- Ibid., p.34.
- Jay Gould, History of Delaware County and Border Wars of New York. Roxbury, Keeny & Gould, 1856, p.226.
