David H. Burr

1803-1875

American (New York, New York)

David H. Burr was one of the most prolific American mapmakers of the 19th century. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he began his career leading a road survey through the southern counties of New York for the purpose of building a highway. This led to his being given, in 1829, the responsibility of revising Simeon De Witt's seminal New York State Map of 1804 (under De Witt's direction) to account for the considerable changes that had occurred over the last generation. This and the Atlas of the State of New York he published in 1829 established Burr's prominence in American cartography. The success of his Atlas of the State of New York persuaded him to aim at a wider audience and publish a general atlas.