Captain Bernard Romans, Surveyor, Artist & Naturalist

A Patriot of the American Revolution for PENNSYLVANIA - NEW YORK with the rank of CAPTAIN. DAR Ancestor # A203998

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He was educated in England and sent to America to survey east and west Florida. He drew the first maps of Vermont and Connecticut. He was the designer of Fort Constution at West Point in New York. He made an engraving of the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was in Life magazine on July 3 1950.He was married first to Maria Wendell. They had one son Pieter Romans. After her death he married Elizabeth Whiting. They had one son Hubertus Romans. It is said that George Washington introduced the couple. Historians describe Romans as one of the remarkable men who built up this country on colonial times. He has been called a universal genius, distinguished not only as a surveyor and botinist but as a engineer, cartograhpher, mathematican. writer, seaman, soldier and patroit.He is also known as a linguist, artist and engraver.

Body lost at sea Specifically: He was known to carry large sums of money. He was murdered and thrown over board.

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http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1074

Surveyor, artist, naturalist, and author Bernard Romans (ca. 1720-ca. 1783) recorded Alabama's coastline and Mobile Bay, among other areas, in his maps and composed one of the most significant eighteenth-century works on what would become Alabama, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida (1775). He was also an experienced ship's captain and a highly regarded participant in the American Revolution who actively worked for American independence.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Romans

Bernard Romans (bapt. 6 July 1741, Delft - 1784, at sea) was a Dutch-born American navigator, surveyor, cartographer, naturalist, engineer, soldier, promoter and writer. His best known work, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, published in 1775, is a valuable source of information about the Floridas during the period of British control. His maps and charts are considered better than any produced before, and often for many years after, their publication.

Biography

Romans was born Barend Romans in Delft, son of Pieter Barendsz Romans and Margareta van der Linden. He was raised and educated there, but emigrated to the United Kingdom as a youth or young man, and then to British North America around 1757, during the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in British North America).

"Bernard Romans was born in the Netherlands about 1720 and was probably educated as an engineer in England. He was sent to America about 1757 and served as a surveyor in Georgia. Romans was appointed Deputy Surveyor of Georgia in 1766 and a short time later went to East Florida to survey the property of Lord Egmont, and associate of General James Oglethorpe in founding Georgia... The Surveyor General for the southern District, William Gerard deBrahm, promoted Romans to the post of Deputy Surveyor for the district. In 1773...he was made a member of the New York Marine Society and the American Philosophical Society; and a letter dated 1773 at Pensacola on an improved mariner's compass was published in the American Philosophical Society Proceedings."

On March 3, 1761, Romans married Maria Wendel (born 1739) at the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, New York. A son, Peter Milo Romans, was born in Albany on January 16, 1762, who would marry in 1785 in Albany and have 10 children himself. There is no further record of Maria Wendel Romans, who may have died young (Romans remarried in 1779).

By his own account, in about 1761, Bernard Romans entered into the King's service as a commodore, "sometimes at the head of a large body of men in the woods, and at the worst of times ... master of a merchantman, fitted out in a warlike manner." After the war ended, Romans continued to go to sea. He sailed widely as both as a privateer during the war and as a merchant, reaching points as far north as Labrador, and as far south as Curaçao, Cartagena and Panama.

Travels in the Floridas

In 1766-67, he commanded the sloop Mary. On his first voyage, the ship went aground on the Dry Tortugas, but he was able to get the ship off and reach port. On his second voyage, the ship was lost near Cape Florida (Key Biscayne). Having lost much of his personal wealth with the wreck of the Mary, Romans turned to surveying. He obtained employment as deputy surveyor of Georgia. He also accepted private commissions to survey land grants in East Florida, which had come under British control at the end of the French and Indian War.

In 1768, Romans became principal deputy surveyor for the Southern District (the British Colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, East Florida and West Florida). Starting in 1769, Romans surveyed the coastal waters of East Florida. Later that year, his boat sank in the Manatee River near Tampa Bay. Romans walked overland from there to St. Augustine. Well aware of the historical significance of where he walked, he later wrote that he had been "on Ferdinando Soto's tract". He outfitted another boat at his own expense, and resumed surveying the coast in September 1770. He reached Pensacola, Florida in August 1771, having recorded depth soundings, good harbors and sources of fresh water, and drafted coastal charts, for much of the East Florida coast.

Upon reaching Pensacola, Romans was hired to survey the western part of West Florida and the lands of the Choctaws and Chickasaws. The survey was not without its dangers; the Choctaws and the Creeks were at war. Rumors even reached Mobile that Romans and his party had been killed by Creeks. Roman's survey work in West Florida continued into 1772.

In Pensacola, a Dr. John Lorimer recruited Romans to explore for new plant specimens. Romans soon discovered what he believed to be true jalap, which was much in demand in Europe as a cathartic. Jalap had previously been available only from Mexico, and the prospect of a supply under British control pleased many in West Florida. It was later realized that Roman's jalap was not the Mexican jalap, but a relative in the Convolvulaceae family, probably Solanum jamesii. This "wild jalap" or "wild potato" was in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States from 1820 until 1863. Romans pursued his botanizing enthusiastically, collecting many plant specimens and seeds, and began seeking support for a plan to establish a botanical garden in West Florida.

Publishing A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida

In early 1773, Romans left West Florida to travel to the northern colonies. He wanted to publish his nautical charts and navigational instructions, along with material on the natural history of the Floridas that he had gathered in his surveys. He also took rare seeds and plant specimens he had collected. His ship was "over-set at sea", and the seeds and plant specimens were lost or ruined. His navigational charts and the manuscript of the book he was writing on the natural history of the Floridas were saved.

Romans was now planning an ambitious book of some 300 pages with copper plate engravings and two large maps of the Floridas and the Caribbean. He needed to find financial backers and sign up subscribers to meet the costs of publishing the book. This effort led him into many new contacts. In August 1773, Romans was admitted into the Marine Society of the City of New York. In January 1774, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society. A paper by Romans on an improved sea compass was published in the society's Transactions, and he presented descriptions of new plants he found in Florida to the society. Although no longer resident in West Florida, Romans had also been appointed botanist for West Florida.

During this time, Romans proposed to William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colonies and President of the Board of Trade and Foreign Plantations, an expedition to the northeastern parts of Asia. Romans gave more details of his scheme to Dr. Hugh Williamson, a fellow member of the American Philosophical Society. To Dr. Williamson, Romans expounded his plan for an expedition to explore the Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes, then moving westward to the Pacific coast. From there, the expedition would cross the Pacific Ocean to Asia, and travel through Russia, eventually reaching Great Britain. This was thirty years before President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and almost twenty years before Alexander MacKenzie's crossing of the Canadian Arctic.

Romans continued to work to get his book published. Romans had originally conceived his book as a guide to mariners, and one-quarter of his subscribers were involved in shipping. But Romans also was receiving questions from people who were interested in moving to the Floridas, and Romans expanded his book to accommodate them. From the originally planned 300 pages, the book grew to about 800 pages, and had to be split into two volumes. Romans promised his subscribers that the second volume would be forwarded to them at no additional charge (the first volume had to be printed and sent off before the presses could be set up for the second volume). Romans placed ads in many newspapers, and traveled extensively seeking subscribers to the book. Romans had selected James Rivington, publisher of Rivington's New-York Gazetteer, to be his printer, and engaged Paul Revere to engrave most of the plates for the book. Romans also collaborated with Paul Revere on other projects, including the map that accompanied Rivington's printing of John Hawkesworth's book on the voyages of James Cook.

The first volume of A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida was finally ready for delivery in late April 1775. Romans announced in Rivington's New-York Gazetteer that his subscribers should tell him where to deliver the books. Romans's announcement was published eight days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A second printing of the volume was required in 1776 to fulfill all subscriptions.

The standard author abbreviation Romans is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.

Revolutionary War activities

Romans' sympathies with the Revolution had developed before his book was published. He had appeared before the Boston Marine Society on December 1, 1773, and was in the city when the Boston Tea Party occurred. In his book, Romans described tea as a despicable weed, and of late attempted to be made a dirty conduit, to lead a stream of oppressions into these happy regions. In early April 1775, Romans was appointed a captain by the Connecticut Committee of Safety, with a charge to take Fort Ticonderoga and nearby British fortifications. He was given £100 with which to raise troops. Within a few days, Romans had over 200 men with him. While Benedict Arnold and Nathanael Greene took command of the large body of troops headed for Fort Ticonderoga, Romans' company was sent to capture Fort George on Lake George, a neglected post which surrendered without a fight. Romans went on to Ticonderoga, where he helped assess the ammunition that had been captured. Benedict Arnold reported favorably on Romans as an engineer after this service.

Romans soon returned to Connecticut. It is not known if Romans was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but he published an illustration of it, An Exact View of the Late Battle at Charlestown, June 17, 1775. Romans also published a map of the area around Boston, The Seat of Civil War in America, and dedicated it to John Hancock. Romans' earlier work was also used by the British in their maps, particularly in A General Map of the Southern British Colonies, which was included in the American Military Pocket Atlas, intended for the use of mounted British officers.

In New York, James Rivington had proved to be too neutral in his coverage of the growing conflict between the colonies and Britain, and, in November 1775, a mob of patriots destroyed his print shop. The second volume of Romans' book was in production at the time and was lost.

Later, in 1775, the Continental Congress recommended Romans to the New York Commissioners for Fortifications in the Highlands to oversee the construction of a fort at Martelaer's Rock, across the Hudson River from West Point. Romans set to work surveying the river and designing fortifications. When the commissioners inspected the site, they were unhappy both with Romans' plans and with the site, which was exposed to the superior positions available across the river on West Point. Romans went to New York City and presented his plans to the Committee of Safety without mentioning the doubts expressed by the Commissioners. the Committee of Safety forwarded Romans' plan and expenses to the Continental Congress and, according to Romans, promised him that he would be appointed principal engineer for New York with the rank and pay of a Colonel.

A struggle ensued for control of the project between Romans and the Commissioners for Fortifications in the Highlands. Romans proceeded with much of the work, but eventually went to Philadelphia to report and seek support. While Romans appeared to win approval from the congress, it was generally recognized that his work had not been very fruitful. In George Washington's words, Romans's fortifications were "very neat" and "very picturesque" but "upon the whole, Mr. Romans has displayed his genius at a very great expense and to very little publick advantage."

Romans was next given a commission of captain of the First Pennsylvania Company of Artillery, which soon joined the campaign against Quebec. After the Americans were defeated in Quebec, Romans's company was reassigned, in July 1776, to Fort Ticonderoga. Shortly after, General Horatio Gates sent Romans to investigate the preparations being made under the direction of Major General Philip Schuyler to defend Lake Champlain against the expected British invasion. Romans was shocked by the sight of the vessels being prepared for the lake fleet, but was unable to do anything. This fleet was soon defeated at the Battle of Valcour Island. Fortunately for the Americans, the battle had also been costly for the British, and they delayed their invasion southwards.

In November 1776, the Pennsylvania Council of Safety appointed Romans Engineer and ordered that he be furnished with the means to conduct an experiment in "destroying distant objects by fire." Unfortunately, there is no further record of this experiment. Romans also continued to produce maps, including two of Connecticut, one centered on Philadelphia, including most of New Jersey and Delaware, and portions of Maryland and Pennsylvania, showing the location of the Grand American Winter Camp 1778 at Valley Forge, and a map of the Northern Department of North America (this was the first map to use the name Vermont).

"On February 8, 1776, Romans was commissioned a Captain of the 1st Pennsylvania Company of Artillery. He was in "Sorrell" on May 15, 1776, a member of the retreating forces from the unsuccessful Quebec venture, when he wrote a letter relating to an appointment in his company. On July 24, 1776 a court of inquiry was convened under General Gates because of a disagreement between Romans and a brother officer. Romans' military career ended by resignation on June 1, 1778. In the following year on January 28, Romans married Elizabeth Whitney of Weathersfield, Connecticut. A son, Hubertus Romans, was born on October 23. Later Romans joined the southern Army and was captured in 1780, a short time after writing a character reference for Captain Thomas Machin to James Clinton."

Romans resigned his commission on June 1, 1778. He continued working on a history of the oppression of the Netherlands by the British. By the end of 1778, he had finished the two-volume Annals of the Troubles in the Netherlands, and the first volume was in the bookstores in January 1779. The second volume did not appear until 1782.

On January 28, 1779, Romans married Elizabeth Whiting of Wethersfield, Connecticut, who was just 19 years old. A son, Hubertus Romans, was born on October 23, 1779.

Romans joined the Southern Campaign in 1780. It is not clear what Romans's assignment was to be, but an application for a pension filed by Elizabeth Romans in 1848 states that Romans "was ordered to go to the State of South Carolina, there to join the Southern Army". The ship on which Romans was traveling from New London, Connecticut to Charleston, South Carolina was captured by the Royal Navy. Romans was held prisoner until the war ended. He died aboard ship while returning home. Both his widow, Elizabeth Whiting, and at least one early historian believed that Romans had been murdered on the voyage.

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GEDCOM Note

Tradition has it that Bernard Romans was introduced to Elizabeth Whiting by George Washington.

From K. D. Reeves website (www.kdreeves.com/genealogy): Bernard Romans was born in Holland and trained as a civil engineer in England. Sent to the American colonies in that capacity in about 1756, he first worked as a draughtsman and as government botanist near St. Augustine, Florida. With the outbreak of war, he joined the colonists, first constructing fortifications in New York then serving with the Pennsylvania artillery.

In addition to his work as a civil engineer, artilleryman and botanist, Romans was the author of several important publications. The most noted is A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, of which the first volume was published in New York in 1775. It included 12 copperplates etched by the author, and was dedicated to the naturalist and king?s agent, John Ellis. Despite a pretentiousness of style and some typographical errors, the work contained highly valuable information. Although a second volume was projected, it was never published.

The appendix to Romans History, entitled The Complete Pilot for the Gulf Passage, contained contributions from William Gerard De Brahm and other navigators. It was first published in 1789 and reprinted in 1794 as A New and Enlarged Book of Sailing Directions; in 1797 it was again reprinted with a slightly changed title.

Improvements To Mariner's Compass

Romans had produced an earlier work, Annals of the Troubles in the Netherlands from the Accession of Charles V, compiled and translated ?from the most Approved Historians,? the first volume of which was published in 1778 in Hartford, the first book to have been published in that city; the second volume was issued in 1782. Another of his important contributions was his paper on improvements of the mariner?s compass, which was published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. In it, Romans expressed concern with the unreliability of the brass bowl compass caused by its confinement resulting from the two brass rings of the gimbals. This restricted the movement of the bowl to two vertical motions at right angles to each other within the compass box, so that a sudden concussion or a series of them prevented the compass from recovering, resulting in the unshipping of the compass card as well. He experimented with various means of providing the box with a vertical motion at every degree and minute of the circle, and by compounding these motions, with a horizontal motion of the box as well as of the card. A compass of this type, in which the bottom of the compass had a raised cone instead of a bowl, was being produced in Holland.

Produced Many Maps

Of equal importance were Romans printed maps. Plans of Pensacola Harbor, Mobile Bar, and Tampa Bay were included in the Appendix of his Concise Natural History. A Map of the Whole Navigation, Showing Lieut. Cook's Tracks, was published in 1774 as part of John Hawksworth's A New Voyage Round the World. Romans' map of Part of the Province of East Florida, first produced in 1774, was reprinted in the Concise Natural History; in 1775 he published A Map of the Seat of Civil War in America showing Boston and surrounding r'gions. He also produced A Map of the Southern British Colonies in America which was published in The American Military Pocket Atlas in 1776. In 1778 Romans advertised for sale A Chorographical Map of the Northern Department of North America and A Chorographical Map of the Country Round Philadelphia. Note N1186See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Romans

There are two varying accounts of Romans' final years and his demise. The account in the official British biography varies substantially from the American version. It stated that Romans had been captured in 1779 at Stony Point on the Hudson and was sent to England as a prisoner of war. His exchange was refused, and he remained in England, where he again practiced as a civil engineer following the conclusion of the war. In 1784 he sailed again for the United States, carrying a large sum of money. He was never heard of again, and it was assumed that he had been murdered during the ship's passage.

His Widow Attempted To Gain Pension:

The American version, based on his wife's (Elizabeth Whiting Romans) application for a pension, states that in about July 1780 Romans had been ordered to go to the State of South Carolina, there to join the Southern Army, and shortly thereafter he sailed from New-Haven or New-London, in the State of Connecticut, for the place of his destination, and who, together with the vessel and the crew with which he embarked, were shortly thereafter, while on their passage, captured by the British, and her said husband was carried a prisoner of war to Montego Bay, Island of Jamaica, where he was held in captivity until the close of the war in 1783. The British authorities, in the meantime, were applied to, to deliver him up by exchange for their own men then held as prisoners of war by this government, which exchange they refused to make, on account of his, the said Romans, ability to do so much injury to the British interests. And she further saith, that her said husband, as she was informed and believes, was shipped by the British authorities, under the pretext of sending him thence to some port in the United States, and he was said to have died on his passage, though from circumstances attending his demise his friends had good reason to believe him to have been wilfully murdered . . . .

This account is related in some detail by Romans' widow, Elizabeth, in her attempts to obtain a widow's military pension. In October 1846, at the age of 86 while residing in New York City, she had applied again under the Congressional act passed in 1832 relating to the granting of pensions to widows of Revolutionary War soldiers and officers who had been married prior to their last term of service. Her deposition before Judge Charles J. Dodge of the New York Court of Common Pleas, stated:

. . . she believes her said husband engaged in the American service in the defence of the liberties of these United States at a great personal sacrifice, being at that time a pensioner under the crown of Great Britain, for extraordinary services rendered that government. And also was at that time a salaried surveyor in her then Colonial Provinces, and for further proof of the facts herein set forth she respectfully refers to the writings and books published by her said husband at or about the time of the American Revolution, and also to other historical works of that day. And she further saith, that her said husband, as she was informed and believes, . . .

Elizabeth Romans never succeeded in obtaining her pension, despite many attempts that she made over a period of years before she died in New York in 1848. There are several irreconcilable inconsistencies in these accounts. Romans surrendered his military commission on June 1, 1778 and there is no evidence that he rejoined the Continental forces, nor is it likely that as a civilian he would have been taken prisoner and sent from the colonies. It may be presumed that neither account is entirely accurate, and thus Romans' closing years remain shrouded in uncertainty.

From http://www.famousamericans.net/bernardromans/ Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889 & edited Stanley L. Klos, 1999 Romans, Bernard, engineer, born in Holland about 1741; died probably at sea in 1784. Bernard has been accepted by the DAR as Revolutionary War Patriot.

Christening: Date: 7 JUN 1741 Place: Delft, Zuid Holland, Netherlands

Revolutionary War Ancestor From´´ Priscilla Hexter´´ re: "Bernard Romans, Maria Wendell & Colonial Cartography on the Eve of the American Revolution" which was published in the quarterly journal New Netherland Connections, in March, 2003. In it I describe how I was able to document BR's & MW's marriage, his family in the Netherlands, and our descent from that particular couple - using among other evidence, the Dutch naming patterns. New Netherland Connections is a scholarly publication with notes (good for further investigations). There are also copies of a couple of BR's maps and his signature accompanying the article. baptism: (Isis) DTB Delft inv.nr.60 Doopboek Nieuwe Kerk, folio 263 Sponsors were his grandparents, Barend Romans and Geertruijd Sibo. Part 4, 1750-1764 Holland Society of New York (1907) Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683-1809 Excerpted from Year Books of the Holland Society of New York p.14 1761 Mar. 3. L. Barent Romans and Mary Wendel, both near A. p.80 1762 bo. Jan. 16. Pieter of Barent Romans and Maria Wendel. Wit. Robert and Elisabeth Wendel (Wendell). Was educated in England, and came to British American colonies in 1757, he was an American patriot was returned to the US after being prisoner of war in Jamaica. From http://www.profsurv.com/ps_scripts/article.idc?id=135 History Corner: Bernard Romans, Engineer Adventurer by Silvio Bedini Bernard Romans (c. 1720-c. 1784) was born in Holland and trained as a civil engineer in England. Sent to the American colonies in that capacity in about 1756, he first worked as a draughtsman´´ and as government botanist near St. Augustine, Florida. With the outbreak of war, he joined the colonists, first constructing fortifications in New York then serving with the Pennsylvania artillery. In addition to his work as a civil engineer, artilleryman and botanist, Romans was the author of several important publications. The most noted is A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, of which the first volume was published in New York in 1775. It included 12 copperplates etched by the author, and was dedicated to the naturalist and king´s agent, John Ellis. Despite a pretentiousness of style and some typographical errors, the work contained highly valuable information. Although a second volume was projected, it was never published. The appendix to Romans´ History, entitled The Complete Pilot for the Gulf Passage, contained contributions from William Gerard De Brahm and other navigators. It was first published in 1789 and reprinted in 1794 as A New and Enlarged Book of Sailing Directions; in 1797 it was again reprinted with a slightly changed title. Improvements To Mariner's Compass Romans had produced an earlier work, Annals of the Troubles in the Netherlands from the Accession of Charles V, compiled and translated from the most Approved Historians,´´ the first volume of which was published in 1778 in Hartford, the first book to have been published in that city; the second volume was issued in 1782. Another of his important contributions was his paper on improvements of the mariner´s compass, which was published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. In it, Romans expressed concern with the unreliability of the brass bowl compass caused by its confinement resulting from the two brass rings of the gimbals. This restricted the movement of the bowl to two vertical motions at right angles to each other within the compass box, so that a sudden concussion or a series of them prevented the compass from recovering, resulting in the unshipping of the compass card as well. He experimented with various means of providing the box with a vertical motion at every degree and minute of the circle, and by compounding these motions, with a horizontal motion of the box as well as of the card. A compass of this type, in which the bottom of the compass had a raised cone instead of a bowl, was being produced in Holland. Produced Many Maps Of equal importance were Romans´ printed maps. Plans of Pensacola Harbor, Mobile Bar, and Tampa Bay were included in the Appendix of his Concise Natural History. A Map of the Whole Navigation, Showing Lieut. Cook´s Tracks,´´ was published in 1774 as part of John Hawksworth´s A New Voyage Round the World. Romans´ map of Part of the Province of East Florida,´´ first produced in 1774, was reprinted in the Concise Natural History; in 1775 he published A Map of the Seat of Civil War in America´´ showing Boston and surrounding regions. He also produced A Map of the Southern British Colonies in America´´ which was published in The American Military Pocket Atlas in 1776. In 1778 Romans advertised for sale A Chorographical Map of the Northern Department of North America´´ and A Chorographical Map of the Country Round Philadelphia.´´ There are two varying accounts of Romans´ final years and his demise. The account in the official British biography varies substantially from the American version. It stated that Romans had been captured in 1779 at Stony Point on the Hudson and was sent to England as a prisoner of war. His exchange was refused, and he remained in England, where he again practiced as a civil engineer following the conclusion of the war. In 1784 he sailed again for the United States, carrying a large sum of money. He was never heard of again, and it was assumed that he had been murdered during the ship´s passage. Widow Attempted To Gain Pension The American version, based on his wife´s application for a pension, states that in about July 1780 Romans sailed on orders from New Haven or New London to South Carolina to join the Southern Army. His vessel was captured by the British and he was conducted as a prisoner of war to Montego Bay in Jamaica, where he remained until 1781. Romans, who had with him a large sum of money, was then put aboard ship for some port of the United States. It was said that he died at sea. This account is related in some detail by Romans´ widow, Elizabeth, in her attempts to obtain a widow´s military pension. In October 1846, at the age of 86 while residing in New York City, she had applied again under the Congressional act passed in 1832 relating to the granting of pensions to widows of Revolutionary War soldiers and officers who had been married prior to their last term of service. Her deposition before Judge Charles J. Dodge of the New York Court of Common Pleas, stated . . . she believes her said husband engaged in the American service in the defence of the liberties of these United States at a great personal sacrifice, being at that time a pensioner under the crown of Great Britain, for extraordinary services rendered that government. And also was at that time a salaried surveyor in her then Colonial Provinces, and for further proof of the facts herein set forth she respectfully refers to the writings and books published by her said husband at or about the time of the American Revolution, and also to other historical works of that day. And she further saith, that her said husband, as she was informed and believes, . . . had been ordered to go to the State of South Carolina, there to join the Southern Army, and shortly thereafter he sailed from New-Haven or New-London, in the State of Connecticut, for the place of his destination, and who, together with the vessel and the crew with which he embarked, were shortly thereafter, while on their passage, captured by the British, and her said husband was carried a prisoner of war to Montego Bay, Island of Jamaica, where he was held in captivity until the close of the war in 1783. The British authorities, in the meantime, were applied to, to deliver him up by exchange for their own men then held as prisoners of war by this government, which exchange they refused to make, on account of his, the said Romans, ability to do so much injury to the British interests. And she further saith, that her said husband, as she was informed and believes, was shipped by the British authorities, under the pretext of sending him thence to some port in the United States, and he was said to have died on his passage, though from circumstances attending his demise his friends had good reason to believe him to have been wilfully murdered . . . . Elizabeth Romans never succeeded in obtaining her pension, despite many attempts that she made over a period of years before she died in New York in 1848. There are several irreconcilable inconsistencies in these accounts. Romans surrendered his military commission on June 1, 1778 and there is no evidence that he rejoined the Continental forces, nor is it likely that as a civilian he would have been taken prisoner and sent from the colonies. It may be presumed that neither account is entirely accurate, and thus Romans´ closing years remain shrouded in uncertainty. n Silvio Bedini is a historian emeritus with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and a Contributing Editor for the magazine. From http://www.famousamericans.net/bernardromans/ Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889 & edited Stanley L. Klos, 1999 ROMANS, Bernard, engineer, born in Holland about 1720; died probably at sea in 1784. He was educated in England, and sent to this country by the government as a civil engineer about 1755. He was also its botanist in Florida, receiving a pension of £50 a year for his services. He was early imbued with the Revolutionary spirit, and enjoyed the acquaintance of Washington, who suggested that the New York committee of safety engage him as their engineer. He entered that service in 1775 in the hope of obtaining a commission in the Continental army, and on 18 September submitted his plans and estimates of the expenses of erecting the proposed fortifications on the Highlands, opposite West Point, offering to complete the same for ,000, the ordnance only excepted. The committee decided to employ him at a salary, and his application for a colonelcy was subsequently refused. He succeeded in entering the Pennsylvania artillery with the commission of captain in February, 1776, and with his regiment invaded Canada. In May of the same year he was tried for various alleged offences, but was acquitted, and remained in the Continental service till 1779, when he was captured by the British and taken to England. Although his exchange was refused, he pursued his profession there with great success. He set out to return to this country in 1784, but is supposed to have been murdered at sea for a large sum of money which he carried with him. In a diary of the principal part of his life, Romans claims to have been the first surveyor in Florida. He was a mathematician, an artist, and an author. In 1771 he became a member of the American philosophical society, to which he contributed various papers. His publications include " A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida," which, though it contains curious typographical errors, such as printing the pronoun I as a small letter, and is composed in a grandiloquent style, is full of minute and well-arranged information, illustrated with twelve cop-per-plates and two whole-sheet maps, and is rare and valuable (New York, 1775). His other works are " Map of the Seat of War" (1775);" Annals of the Troubles in the Netherlands" (English translation, 2 vols., Hartford, 1778); and " Compleat Pilot of the Gulf Passage" (1779). From http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/exhibits/nature/romans.htm Romans, Bernard, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida... (New York : For the Author, 1775) viii, 342 [i.e., 340] p., lxxxix, [11] leaves of plates: ill., maps.; 19 cm Title page of Romans's, Natural History of Florida Born in the Netherlands and raised in England, Bernard Romans (ca.1720-ca.1784) came to America in about 1757 as a junior surveyor in the British service, becoming one of the pioneering cartographers of the American southeast. Assigned to duty in Saint Augustine, East Florida, before 1760, Romans soon began to rise through the ranks of the British engineering establishment. In 1766, he was appointed deputy surveyor in Georgia, and in the following year, was made deputy surveyor for the entire Southern District, reporting to the German-born Gerard de Brahm. Like many military officers in the hinterlands, Romans sought to enrich himself through the acquisition of land and slaves, but he never neglected his surveying duties. He made the first maps of Pensacola Harbor, Tampa Bay, and Mobile Bay, and along with David Tait and George Gauld (who prowled the coastal regions), he was responsible for mapping most of the interior of West Florida between 1770 and 1772. Frontispiece of Romans's, Natural History of Florida Romans' maps abound in details about the productivity of the soil, the locations of Indian towns and villages, European settlements, and the flora and fauna. As he prepared them, he may already have had in mind the prospect of producing an accompanying volume on colonial natural history. The British civil and military establishment prized Romans' maps and charts for their accuracy, and they demonstrated their support in the clearest way possible by the standards of the day: financially. The Governor of West Florida recommended that Romans receive a pension to keep him in the south, and in 1773, Whitehall rewarded him with a pension of £50 in recognition of "his care and skill in the collection of rare and useful products in physics and botany." With pension in hand, and pecuniary concerns allayed, Romans did just what his superiors hoped he would not: he left. Heading to New York, Romans scoured the colonies from Boston to Philadelphia for supporters to help finance the publication of his Florida maps and Concise History. With the assistance of a handful of patrons and a small network of learned societies, Romans enlisted subscribers to his publications, in the process becoming better known to the American Philosophical Society. He was elected a member in January, 1774, one year before the first volume of his book appeared in print. Although this first volume was reissued in 1776, the second volume never appeared. Romans' Concise History is neither the most learned nor most comprehensive work on the subject, nor is it the most cogent. With his narrative rambling over East Florida (most of the peninsula), West Florida (the panhandle and much of the current gulf states), and parts of Georgia, Romans wrote not only to describe the natural features of the region, but to encourage emigration and official interest. Anecdotal, rather than analytical, he defended the salubrity of the climate, the productivity of the soil, and the potential for profitable development, singling out indigo as the most lucrative and cotton as a close second. Choctaw women Necessary to the development of the region, in Romans' opinion, was slavery. Disputing those Enlightened individuals who emphasized the role of the environment in shaping biology and culture, Romans became an early advocate of the innate biological inferiority of Africans and Indians alike. The discussion of Indian cultures occupied a large portion of his Concise History, and despite first hand knowledge of the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, Romans was disinclined to acknowledge the high level of civilization among them. Reflecting his opinions, Romans wrote that he disliked the term "Indian," preferring instead the French term, sauvage, because "the manners of the red men are in every respect such as betray that disposition." In his mind, Indians are "not only rude and cultivated, but incapable of civilization," and despite being "well made both men and women," they were filthy in habit and "addicted to lying in a high degree." The differences between races, Romans asserted, were more than cultural, they cut to the bone. Africans "are of a difference species" from whites, he insisted: "Anatomy has taught us, that the bone of a Negroe's skull, is always black, that besides the Tunics of which our skins are composed, they have an additional one, constituting of numerous vessicles, filled wish [sic] a black ink-like humour." Prefiguring later polygenic arguments, Romans suggested that "there were as many Adams and Eves (every body knows these names to have an allegorical sense) as we find different species of the human genus," implicitly denying Africans and Indians their humanity and justifying their subordination. Creek chief (click to read Romans's comments on Indians) That the second volume of the Concise History never appeared was, in part, a result of timing. Writing just as the revolutionary tide was cresting, Romans was able to secure only 199 subscribers, and the number of additional purchasers was surely hampered by its date of completion: April 25, 1775, six days after Lexington and Concord. Romans himself was diverted by events, and at the expense of his pension, joined the American military effort. On April 29, he volunteered his services as an engineer during the expedition on Fort Ticonderoga, and continuing to serve with the American forces for four or five more years. His eventual fate, however, is uncertain. In one version, he was said to have been captured at sea in 1780 and held as a prisoner of war in Jamaica until 1784, dying on the return home; another version suggests he was captured at Stony Point in 1779, held in England, and murdered for his money while returning to the United States in 1784. The APS copy of Romans' Concise History was presented to the Society by it librarian, John Vaughan in 1806.
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See also

• Romans, Bernard, A Concise History of East and West Florida, intro. By Rembert W. Patrick (Gainesville : Univ. of Florida Press, 1962)
• Phillips, Philip Lee, Notes on the Life and Works of Bernard Romans (Deland, The Florida State Historical Society, 1924)

The following was found on a website maintained by John Inskeep, cli@ewol.com BERNARD ROMANS was born in Holland about 1720. He was educated in England and was sent to America by the British government as a civil engineer. In 1771 he was employed by governor Peter Chestier and John Stuart, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, to survey the extensive area of West Florida and to make maps of this section.

Historians describe Romans as one of the remarkable men who helped build up this country in colonial times. He has been called a universal genius, distinguished not only as a surveyor and a botanist but as engineer, cartographer, mathematician, writer, seaman, soldier, patriot. He is also known as a linguist, artist and engraver. Romans the cartographer is equally as important as Romans the writer. His great and extensive map of the Florida's is one of the finest pieces of cartography of the region and is rightly considered the second most important, if not the most important map of Florida. It was engraved by Paul Revere, according to the account books of that master engraver. Until comparatively recent years the map was so rare that bibliographers doubted its existence. It is still scarce and a collectors item". (We have the map and part of the map is scanned for you to look at some choice places) Bernard Romans book tells us what it was like living in Florida in the 1770's. He has gone into such detail on so many subjects that one feels as if they were reliving the past and traveling throughout the south with him. His travels to West Florida was not the West Florida as we know it today. West Florida was extended all the way to and past lake Pontchartrain. The pan handle was considered East Florida. Romans travels were from east to west, mostly by horse and on foot. he traveled to charlotte harbor by ship where he made soundings of the depth of Boca Grande Pass. The depths shown on his maps match today's charts. He then went on up the harbor to discover the Peace River. On his map is shown "river discovered by author". An interesting point about Romans maps is the name he shows of Gasparilla island. "Boca Gasparilla". That name kind of knocks down the idea many people have that Gasparilla Island was named after the pirate Gasparilla. He would have been a small baby in 1770. That brings up another interesting point about pirates. Romans never mentions pirates in his book, he talks in detail about Indians and wreckers, the Indians who would lure boats to shore only to wreck on reefs. The indians would kill all on board an loot the remains of the ship. His book was sold in the late 70's for the purpose of being a guide for seaman who might wreck on the Florida shores. In the late 1980's or early 90's a small group found a wreck on the east coast of Florida just north of Cape Canaveral. From the news articles it appeared that they became instant millionaires. The story then came out on how the wreck was discovered. One of the group was studying Romans map and saw the word "wreck 1769". Romans had sounded most of the coast of Florida and talked to indians who told of many wrecks. Romans recorded them and put the locations on his map. All the treasure hunters had to do was to go a few hundred yards off shore and dive with light equipment. When Romans got to the west coast by boat he found and explored charlotte harbor. As mentioned, he discovered the Peace River. He wrote in his book adescription of the harbor. This sounds just a little different than what I see to day when we take our small day trips to explore the area. Of course more than two hundred years have passed. Here is a scanned portion of the page.
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I have never read a book that was so difficult to read as this one. The publisher made it easier for us in that they changed the old fashioned "s" to read as we print it today. West was written by Romans as "weft", east would have been "eaft". In addition they didn't talk like we do today it is hard to understand some of the basic things he was saying. Example, scanned from the book on the subject of treatment of the dead. Most of page 61. "The following treatment of the dead is very strange, yet we find Apollonius Rhodius mention a similar custom of the inhabitants of Colchis near Pontus; we find lves in his voyage relating the like of the remainder of the ancient Persians, and we find again in Hawkes-71Jorth's voyages the people of Otaheite, performing their obsequies ina manner little or nothing different from the Chactaws; but it would be an hard matter to assign a reason for it among the latter; that it is not with any solicitude about the disposition of the body in regard to a future state is plain; all the reason I could hear of them was, that they would not so soon forget their deceased friends, and might be the oftener stimulated to weep over their remains. As soon as the deceased is departed, a stage is erected (as in the annexed plate is represented, and the corpse is laid on it and covered with a bear skin; if he be a man of note, it is decorated, and the poles painted red with vermillion and bears oil; if a child, it is put upon stakes set across; at this stage the relations come and weep, asking many questions of the corpse, such as, why he left them? did not his wife serve him well? was he not contented with his children? had he not corn enough? did not his land produce sufficient of every thing? was he afraid of his enemies ? &c. and this accompanied by loud howlings; the women will be there constantly, and sometimes with the corrupted air and heat of the sun faint so as to oblige the by standers to carry them home; the men will also come and mourn in the same manner, but in the night or at other unseasonable times, when they are least likely to be discovered. The stage is fenced round with poles, it remains thus a certain time but not a fixed space, this is sometimes extended to three or more than half that time. A certain set of who wear very long nails as a distinguishing badge on the thumb fore, and middle finger of each hand, constantly travel through the nation (when I was there, I was told there were but five of this respectable order) that one of them may acquaint those concerned, of the expiration of this period, which is according to their own fancy; the day being come, the friends and relations a fire is made, and the respectable operator, after the body is taken down, with his nails tears the remaining flesh off the bones, and throws it with the intrails into the fire, where it is consumed; then he scrapes the bones and burns the scrapings."
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The book is just full of detailed indian habits from cooking and games to how they went to the bathroom. He describes how he traveled through South Florida traveling in-between two indian nations fighting each other. Hearing gun shots near by, causing him to alter his directions many times. Some indians he claimed to be the worst thieves, actually robbing his horses. Other nations would let him stay in their camps and treated him with great respect. He wrote that all indians were very different to the Americans in every respect, so much so that sometimes their habits seemed opposite. Romans made drawings of landscape and indian villages and put some drawings on his maps. The best drawings that I have to copy are the ones on the maps. From what I can tell Romans actually engraved the plates that produced the drawings. If possible, I would provide the entire Romans maps here or reproduce the entire book. For those of you that want more information, I'll provide what I can. You will have to let your fingers do the walking and hopefully come up with more information than I can provide. The Romans book that I have was reprinted by the Pelican Publishing company in 1961. I have a query in to them requesting current information. A while ago I found some old aerial photos I was looking for at the university of Florida. I contacted Helen Twedell at the Coastal Engineering Archives. In doing so I found that she had a copy of Romans book but not the maps. I traded copies of his maps for the photos I was looking for. I think this is a good place to start an information search, Twedell is still listed as staff. Try looking at http://WWW.UFL.EDU// and use their e-mail. The information shown here is just the tip of the Bernard Romans iceberg. his name keeps popping up in many historical areas. I am not certain just how many books have been written about Romans. One worth looking into is "Notes On The Life and Works of Bernard Romans- Phillips". Another place to look is. http://www.lib.lsu.edu/ Again if you want to look at a map he made of the northeast then check out this site http://www.sunysb.edu/libmap/img0067.jpg it has the title of 1780 Bernard Romans, Connecticut and parts adjacent. courtesy of the John Carter Brown library at Brown University. living in a small town and having very small library system I am not used to finding many books that are rare. If your library is a good one, it's going to be the best place to start. Good hunting and remember me if you find something real good. http://home.cfl.rr.com/inskeep/addon.html Here is some late breaking news that I have received . A couple e-mails to share as of 10/23/97. Dear John: I really like your Bernard Romans web site! It is always a thrill to find people who really like history. You will be pleased to learn that I am editing a new edition of A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida for the University of Alabama Press. I have two introductory chapters, in which I discuss Romans's career and his work as a source for the study of the eighteenth-century South. I am also adding annotations to the text. We hope the book will be released in 1998. I will send you more details as the project progresses. Sincerely, Kathryn Holland Braund, Ph.D.
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Hi John, I discovered your web pages about a month ago. Now that our blueberry harvest is over (3.5 acres highbush type), I will send you an e-mail. One branch of my family decended from Bernard Romans - wife no one (Maria Wendal) and son Peter Milo. I wondered if you too are a decendent? By the way, we have some 4th cousins living in Florida - Ethan Allen Romans in Orlando and his sister Nina Romans Kalisz in Juno Beach. Their Father Ted died 4-5 years ago but Ted's widow Bea lives in New Smyrna Beach. As an aside, Ethan is and Ted was, an avid sail boater. Cousin Ted was an engineer for Martin Marietta in Orlando. I was born in Danbury, Ct in 1927 and my father's name was Squire Bernard. Dad had no brothers or sisters - his mother died in child birth and his father when he was 6. Dad's grandmother and Uncle George (Ted's) father raised him. Dad's mother was his father's second wife - actually a Romans cousin of his - many years younger. There are a few items we have in our collection you might not have or know about so I will mention them here. The most recent is an article in Mercator's World Vol 1, no3, 1996, p50-55, by Remo Salta titled "Bernard Romans, Cartographer for the U.S. Contineental Army". Mercator's World, published in Eugene, OR, is the successor to 'The Map Collector' published in England. My sister Priscilla Hexter, Portola Valley, CA subscribes to Mercator's World and is a collector. She recently retired from her position as Art Curator, Stanford Univ. The other item is the engraving "An Exact View of The Late Battle at Charlestown, June 17, 1775". This has appeared in several places including 'Life Magazine' July 3, 1950, and as Plate No. 18 in "Prints, Maps and Drawings1677-1822" -- A Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Picture Book, 1976. There are several maps by B. Romans in England - my sister has details. I have a facsimile if "Natural History of Florida and Phillips biography of B. Romans. And, I have the two items mentioned just above. There are several copies of Lincoln Diamant's biography in our family. John, I was interested to note that you worked for Titanium Industries Inc. a subsidiary of Oregon Metallurgical of Albany, OR. My home town is Albany, and I worked for the US Bureau of Mines - Albany Metallurgy Research Center for over 30 years. The consumable electrode arc melting of titanium employed by ORMET was developed at our Research Center. ORMET was founded by employes of our Center. I had better quit before this gets any longer. I would be interested in hearing from you.

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Peter

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Title: Voices of the Old South : eyewitness accounts, 1528-1861 / edited by Alan Gallay. Published: Athens : University of Georgia Press, c1994. Description: xxix, 404 p. ; 24 cm. LC Call No.: F212 .V65 1994 ISBN: 0820315656 (alk. paper) 0820315664 (pbk. : alk. paper) Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca -- Rodrigo Ranjel -- Nicolas Le Challeux -- Pedro Menendez de Aviles -- John Smith -- Lady Mary Wyatt -- Pierre and Jean-Baptiste Talon -- John Lawson -- Andre Penicaut -- Edmond Atkin -- Edward Kimber -- James Adair -- William Bartram -- Bernard Romans -- Benjamin Martyn -- John Martin Bolzius -- William Bartram -- William Byrd -- Philip Vickers Fithian -- Josiah Quincy, Jr. -- Eliza Lucas Pinckney -- John and Ann Harrower -- William Byrd -- Devereux Jarratt -- Charles Woodmason -- Thomas Stephens -- Bernard Romans -- John Martin Bolzius -- Geroge Whitefield -- Landon Carter -- Thomas Jefferson -- William Dunbar. Subjects: Southern States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Sources. Southern States -- History -- 1775-1865 -- Sources. Other authors: Gallay, Alan. Control No.: 27725852 This display was generated by the CNIDR http-&gtZ39.50 gateway, with Library of Congress modifications.
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Author: Diamant, Lincoln. Title: Bernard Romans : forgotten patriot of the American Revolution : military engineer and cartographer of West Point and the Hudson Valley / by Lincoln Diamant. Published: Harrison, N.Y. : Harbor Hill Books, 1985. Description: 160 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. LC Call No.: GA407.R65 D5 1985 Dewey No.: 526/.092/4 19 ISBN: 0916346560 Notes: Includes index. Bibliography: p. 149-154. Subjects: Romans, Bernard, -- ca. 1720-ca. 1784. Cartographers -- United States -- Biography. Military engineers -- United States -- Biography. United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Cartography United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Engineering and construction. Control No.: n. Call Numbers: MAPS GA407.R75 D53 12/17/85 C
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Author: Phillips, Philip Lee, 1857-1924. Title: Notes on the life and works of Bernard Romans, by P. Lee Phillips. Edition: A facsim. reproduction of the 1924 ed., with an introd. and index by John D. Ware. Published: Gainesville, University Presses of Florida, 1975. Description: xcvii, 128, 10 p. 12 fold. maps. 22 cm. Series: Bicentennial Floridiana facsimile series. LC Call No.: GA407.R65.P48 1924a ISBN: 0813004136 Notes: Three hundred and twenty-five copies printed. No. 77. Reprint of the ed. published by the Florida State Historical Society, DeLand, as no. 2 of its Publications. "A University of Florida book." Subjects: Romans, Bernard, -- ca. 1720-ca. 1784. Florida -- Description and travel. United States -- Maps -- Bibliography. Other authors: Ware, John D., 1913-1973. Control No.: RIBR85-B168 Note: I have read this book and for those who want more information on Bernard Romans entire life this is the book to read. I found this book in the Englewood,FL. library.
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Author: Romans, Bernard, ca. 1720-ca. 1784. Title: A concise natural history of East and West Florida; containing an account of the natural produce of all the southern part of British America, in the three kingdoms of nature particularly the animal and vegetable ... Illustrated with 12 copper plates, and 2 whole sheet maps. Vol.1. New York, Printed for the author, 1775. Published: New Orleans, Reprinted by Pelican Pub. Co., 1961. Description: 291 p. illus., maps, facsims. 23 cm. LC Call No.: F314 .R75 1961 Notes: 3 maps shelved separately in portfolio. "Reprint ... made from a copy of the microfilm of this book owned by the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery." One of the 12 plates mentioned in the title was reserved for publication with a second volume, which was apparently never published. In this ed. the illustrations, with the exception of the front., which is reproduced in half-tone, are made in line. The "two whole sheet maps" were published separately, with date 1774, and are not reproduced here. Subjects: Natural history -- Florida. Indians of North America -- Gulf States. Pilot guides -- Mexico, Gulf of. Pilot guides -- West Indies. Florida -- Description and travel. Control No.: RIBGR01265121-B
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Author: Romans, Bernard, ca. 1720-ca. 1784. Title: A concise natural history of East and West Florida; : containing an account of the natural produce of all the southern part of British America, in the three kingdoms of nature, particularly the animal and vegetable. : Likewise, the artificial produce now raised, or possible to be raised, and manufactured there, with some commercial and political observations in that part of the world; and a chorographical account of the same. : To which is added, by way of appendix, plain and easy directions to navigators over the bank of Bahama, the coast of the two Floridas, the north of Cuba, and the dangerous Gulph Passage. Noting also, the hitherto unknown watering places in that part of America, intended principally for the use of such vessels as may be so unfortunate as to be distressed by weather in that difficult part of the world. / By Captain Bernard Romans. ; Illustrated with twelve copper plates, and two whole sheet maps. ; Vol. I. Published: New-York: : Printed for the author,, M,DCC,LXXV. [1775] Description: 4, viii, 175, 178-342, [2], lxxxix, [5] p., [12] leaves of plates (1 folded) : ill., maps ; 18 cm. (8vo) LC Call No.: F314 .R75 Notes: The second volume was not published. The "two whole sheet maps" of East and West Florida mentioned in the title were not issued with this work, but were eventually published separately in 1781. Cf. Library of Congress. Maps and charts of North America and the West Indies 1750-1789. Washington, 1981, p. 352. Signatures: [a]p2s bp4s A-2Tp4s 2Up2s chi1 p2sA-p2sKp4s p2sLp2s p2sMp4s p2schi1 (p2schi1 verso blank) Horizontal chainlines from signature A to signature 2A; chi1-p2sH and p2sK-p2sM. "List of subscribers to this work": p. i-viii and p. [2] (5th count) Errata: p. lxxxix and p. [2]-[3] at the end. Brown, J.C. Cat., 1493-1800, III : 2138. Sabin 72992. Evans 14440. Church, E.D. Discovery, 1124. John Carter Brown Library copy imperfect: 6 plates wanting; pages 123-124 torn with loss of text. Provenance of the John Carter Brown Library copy: Peter L. Poole: autograph. Subjects: Natural history -- Florida. Indians of North America -- Gulf States. Pilot guides -- Mexico, Gulf of. Pilot guides -- West Indies. Florida -- Description and travel. Imprint 1775. Other authors: Poole, Peter L. fmo RPJCB. Control No.: RIBR94-B166
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Author: Romans, Bernard, ca. 1720-ca. 1784. Title: A concise natural history of East and West-Florida : Containing, an account of the natural produce of all the southern part of British America, in the three kingdoms of nature, particularly the animal and vegetable : Likewise, the artificial produce now raised, or possible to be raised, and manufactured there, with some commercial and political observations in that part of the world; and a chorographical account of the same. / By Captain Bernard Romans. Published: [Philadelphia]: : New-York Printed: sold by R. Aitken, bookseller, opposite the London Coffee-House, Front-Street., M.DCC.LXXVI. [1776] Description: 4, 175, 178-342 p., [8] leaves of plates (1 folded) : ill. ; 18 cm. (8vo) Notes: Reissue in Philadelphia of the sheets of the first edition, published New York, 1775, without the maps, appendix, and some preliminary matter. The second volume was not published. Signatures: [a]p2s A-2Tp4s 2Up2s. Horizontal chainlines from signature A to signature 2A. Brown, J.C. Cat., 1493-1800, III : 2323. Sabin 72993. Evans 15069. Church, E.D. Discovery, 1139. John Carter Brown Library copy bound in contemporary calf. Subjects: Natural history -- Florida. Indians of North America -- Gulf States. Pilot guides -- Mexico, Gulf of. Pilot guides -- West Indies. Florida -- Description and travel. Imprint 1776. Control No.: RIBR94-B167 This display was generated by the CNIDR http-&gtZ39.50 gateway, with Library of Congress modifications. From http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/1399/reports/html/280... BERNARD ROMANS WAS BORN IN THE NETHERLANDS ABOUT 1720 AND WENT TO AMERICA ABOUT 1757. HE SERVED AS A SURVEYOR IN GEORGIA AND WAS APPOINTED DEPUTY SURVEYOR OF GEORGIA IN 1766. HE SURVEYED, AMONG OTHER AREAS, THE PROPERTY OF LORD EGMONT, THE ASSOCIATE OF OGLETHORPE IN FOUNDING GEORGIA. IN 1775 ROMANS ACCOMPANIED BENEDICT ARNOLD'S EXPEDITION TO TAKE FORT TICONDEROGA, BUT INDEPENDENTLY CAPTURED NEARBY FORT GEORGE. HE WROTE A REPORT ON CONSTRUCTION OF FORTIFICATIONS AT FORT CONSTITUTION IN 1775, WHICH ULTIMATELY LED TO THE OCCUPATION AND FORTIFICATION OF WEST POINT. ON FEB. 8, 1776, ROMANS BECAME A CAPATAIN IN THE 1ST PENNSYLVANIA COMPANY OF ARTILLERY AND RESIGNED JUNE 1, 1778. ROMANS LATER JOINED THE SOUTHERN ARMY AND WAS CAPTURED IN 1780. ROMANS WAS A PRISONER AT MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA. HE WAS REPATRIATED LATE IN 1783 AND DIED AT SEA IN JANUARY, 1784, PROBABLY MURDERED. THE 1778 MAP FROM WHICH THIS MAP WAS COPIED WAS SLIGHTLY LARGER IN SIZE. IT WAS ADVERTISED IN THE CONNECTICUT COURANT OF JUNE 2, 1778 AS JUST PUBLISHED AT NEW HAVEN. A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL MAP IS IN THE JOHN CARTER BROWN A COPY OF THE AMSTERDAM COPY IS IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. DATA IS FROM GUTHORN'S AMERICAN MAPS, WHEAT & BRUN, NEBENZAHL'S BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND PHILLIPS NOTES. EDITION & STATE INFO : ONLY A SINGLE EDITION AND STATE OF THIS AMSTERDAM COPY OF THE ROMANS MAP IS KNOWN TO EXIST. IT WAS PRINTED AS A SEPARATE. SINCE IT IS SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL EXCEPT FOR THE IMPRINT AND ITS LOCATION, THE AMSTERDAM MAP SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE SECOND EDITION OF THE ORIGINAL MAP. DATA IS FROM WHEAT & BRUN AND PHILLIPS NOTES. Romans, Bernard. c.1720-1784. Surveyor, civil engineer, naturalist, cartographer, Continental officer (Capt.), b. Netherlands. New York resident; mapmaker for Continental Army. "People & Events of the American Revolution" by Dupuy/Hammerman. R.R. Bowker Company, 1974. pg.397. Bernard has been accepted by the DAR as Revolutionary War Patriot.