Thomas Holme (1624–1695) was the first Surveyor General of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He laid out the first and original plan for the city of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. Holme was one of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early leaders and activists in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Life

Holme was born in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, on November 3, 1624, to a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

named George and his wife Alice (née Whiteside). He married Sarah Croft in 1649, and soon enlisted in the army under the leadership of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

, where he attained the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. It may have been in the army that he gained some experience in surveying. After retiring he was granted more than 4,000 acres (16 km²) in

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí C ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, which was then under the control and colonization of England. At some point he joined the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

movement in Ireland, reputedly converted by

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...

, founder of the sect. There he met fellow Quaker

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, founder of Pennsylvania. In 1682, Penn wrote to Holme from the colony asking him to come be his surveyor, since his original surveyor, Captain William Crispin, had recently become ill and died on the voyage to America. Shortly thereafter, Holme, a widower, sailed with four of his children to America, where he arrived in August 1682.Thomas Holme Historical Marker
/ref> Map of the Original City of Philadelphia in 1682 by Thomas Holme

Map of the Original City of Philadelphia in 1682 by Thomas Holme

Holme designed the plan of the city of

and produced the first detailed map of Pennsylvania, entitled "''A Mapp of Ye Improved Part of Pensilvania in America, Divided Into Countyes, Townships and Lotts....''" (published circa 1687)."A Brief History of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Spring City, Pa" Page 7, 1899
/ref> On Penn's arrival in the colony, he appointed Holme as one of his councilors. Holme also served as a justice of the peace and commissioner of property. Holme held the office of Surveyor-General until his death at age 71 in the spring of 1695, in Dublin Township,

Philadelphia County Philadelphia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the most populous county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Philadelphia County had a population of 1,603,797. The county is the second smallest county in Pennsyl ...

(now the

Holmesburg Holmesburg began as a Village within Lower Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. It is now a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Holmesburg was named in Honor of Surveyor General of Pennsylvania Thomas Holme, who was a ca ...

section of the city of Philadelphia). In 1863, a memorial was erected at his burial site, in the form of a six-foot-tall

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

, near where his home is believed to have been located, now part of Pennypack Park.

Legacy

Philadelphia's Holme Avenue, Holme Circle, Thomas Holme Elementary School, and

, a Philadelphia neighborhood, are all named in his honor.

References

External links

* http://archives.profsurv.com/magazine/article.aspx?i=711 * Biographical essay in ''Professional Surveyor'' magazine:
Part 1

Part 2

from the Lower Merion Historical Society

* ttp://virtualology.com/apthomasholme/ Brief biography at virtualology.com* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holme, Thomas 1624 births 1695 deaths People of colonial Pennsylvania American Quakers Converts to Quakerism People from Lancashire (before 1974) Roundheads 17th-century Quakers History of Philadelphia American cartographers English emigrants

Life

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links