Jun 5, 1771 - Erskine arrives in America and takes charge of American Iron Company, a large enterprise including ownership of mines, mining of iron ore, blast furnaces for manufacture of iron, processing pig-iron into bar-iron, blacksmith shops, employing hundreds of workers, but not returning anticipated profits to the British owners. In addition to running the works, Erskine took a "keen interest in current affairs and the welfare of the community."

1773 - 1775 - Wrote series of letters sympathetic to the American cause [Ref: Essay by Dr. Tuttle presented to N.J.Historical Soc. May 20, 1869]

Aug 17, 1775 - Commissioned Captain in the New Jersey Militia by Provincial Congress in Trenton

July 11-13, 1777 - Meets Washington and interviewed at crossroads, probably near Pompton, NJ - by this time Washington already knew about Erskine's surveying skills

"From the time Washington takes command of the Continental Army in June, 1775, his "knowledge of terrain, gained through year's of practical schooling in surveying, mapping, and geographical exploration, gave him full appreciation of the need for cartographic information... Washington's understanding of the necessity for good geographic knowledge derives from his previous military service and his career as professional surveyor and land speculator-he surveys over 200 individual tracts of land encompassing over 66,000 acres for clients, surveys 37 tracts encompassing over 69,000 acres of his own properties, prepares his first map as a teenager in 1747, and his last during the final year of his life (Martin 1932). Washington appoints Robert Erskine (1735-1780) to head the newly created Geographer's Department as Geographer and Surveyor General to the Continental Army". This paragraph copied from Year 1777 at the website:  GEOGRAPHY IN AMERICA TIMELINE

July 27, 1777 - Commissioned Geographic and Surveyor General

July 19, 1777 - Washington letter to Congress [pg. 161, 1966 book]

July 28, 1777 - Washington letter to Erskine [footnote pg. 162, 1966 book]

Aug 1, 1777 - Erskine letter to Washington - Extracts:

"a surveyor who may walk 15-mi a day may plan 5-mi" "take angles to mountains, hills, steeples, housing and other objects which present themselves"

"Navigable Rivers, and those which cannot be easily forded, and likewise the capital roads, should be laid down with all the accuracy possible; but, in the Map of a country, the general course of fordable rivers need only be attended to; it not being practicable to express small windings but on large scale, the same accuracy not being required here which is necessary to ascertain the quantity and boundaries of private property. In general, therefore, the adjacence to, and intersection of, such rivers with roads, will determine their course with sufficient exactness: the situation of woods and mountains, too, may be remarked in a similar manner." [Ref: pg. 163, 1966 book]

Nov 14, 1777 - Washington letter to Erskine - Are you ready to start duties?

Nov 24, 1777 - Erskine letter to Washington - will be ready to start in April 1778. In meantime he was already doing mapping for Gov. Clinton, i.e., New Windsor, North River ground near Chevaux-de-frise, etc.

"Early months of 1778, Erskine mixed business affairs with army matters"

Mar 26, 1778 - Erskine letter to Washington - encloses map - draft parts of Hudson River (maybe Map #2 on Erskine Index)

April 11, 1778 - Washington letter to Erskine - rec'd 26th letter with elegant draft of part of Hudson River

June 20, 1778 - Erskine letter to Simeon Dewitt

Oct 28, 1778 - William Gray to Robert Erskine

Feb 10, 1779 - Washington letter to Erskine - ASAP remove yourself to quarter in vicinity of army

March 3, 1779 - Washington letter to Erskine

March 20, 1779 - Erskine letter to Washington

Aug 7, 1779 - Washington letter to Erskine - Are cross roads Sussex and Morristown surveyed? If not do it as quickly as possible. If you have employed assistant, let him do Stamford to Hartford by way of Norwalk Fairfield & New Haven and com back by Newtown to Bedford

August 16, 1779 - Washington letter to Erskine

October 1779 - Tentative date for Erskine's Map No. 87 B showing Howell's Ferry

Dec 1, 1779 - Washington relocates to Morristown for several months

Dec 9, 1779 - Washington letter to Erskine - need map of roads in front and rear of camp - This map done 2-weeks before St. John's Day.

Dec 27, 1779 - Eerskine attends Masonic Meeting, St. John's Day

March 7, 1780 - Erskine letter to Gen. Schuyler (Check month - Mar or May)

Oct 2, 1780 - Erskine died at age of 45

INDEX OF MAPS (Maintained by Erskine himself and started in 1778:
Out of over 200 maps made, the examples listed below (except Map No 87) are the ones actually reproduced in the 1966 book.

No 41 - Road from Ringwood to Slott's on the New Windsor Road

No 70 E - Road from Brunswick to Boundbrook

No 71 A - Road from Duyckinks Mill to the South Branch Garisons, Somerset Bound Brook, from South Branch to Reddington Brokaws & from near headquarters to So. Branch.

No 74 D - Wheat Sheaf to Woodbridge

Map No 87 - Roads from near Somerset Court House by Pennytown [A], to the different ferries [B], to Trenton, to Bristol, Philadelphia, Coopers Ferry, Mount Holley, Allentown, Cranburry & Brunswick & from Chestnut Hill to Philadelphia [C,D,E,F,G,H]

	Expanded list for Map No 87:
	Road from Ram Garrison's to Near Penny town. No 87, A Road from Penny Town to Slack's Ferry and from do. to Trenton and Howell's Ferries. No 87, B Road from Trenton Ferry to Bristol. No 87, C Road from Bristol to Kingsington. No 87, D Road from near the 14 M. S. from Burlington thro' Moorstown & Mount Holly to one James Sippingwill's. 87, E Road from upper end of Kingsington to Market House in Philadelphia, and from thence two others, vizt.; from Market House to Falls of Schuylkill and from Cooper's Ferry past the 14 M. S. from Burlington. No 87, E Road from James Sippingwills thro' Slabtown, Black Horse, Crosswicks, Allantown, Hightstown and Cranbury to near the Cross Roads. No. 87, G Road from the Cross roads to Brunswick. No. 87, H Crossing Correll's Ferry towards Morristown to Ringoe's Tavern. No 73 - 3rd

No 101 on Erskine's Index was from Hartford, New Haven, Norwalk, Bedford etc. A B C D & E - This appears to be the year 1779

No 105 - Survey of Morristown

No 112 - Survey of Hudson - still busily at work - only Erskine map which remained with Washington

No 114 - last entry in handwriting of Erskine to the Index

Ringwood Manor   A National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark

On May 15, 2011 we drove from N.Y.C. via George Washington Bridge and followed Route 80 to Wayne, NJ, where we stopped at the La Quinta Inn located on 202 about 3-miles above route 80, a great place to stay. The next morning we proceeded north on 202 to 511 and to Pompton Lakes where we purchased a Hagstrom Passaic County Map. Stay on the right side of the Wanaque Reservoir to Ringwood Manor located about 8-miles above Pompton Lakes and near the New York State line. The curator is there each Wednesday.

Ringwood State Park, 1304 Sloatsburg Road, Ringwood, NJ 07456
Telephone: (973) 962-7031
Fax: (973) 962-2247
www.ringwoodmanor.com