Description of the Genesee Country, its Rapidly Progressive

[WILLIAMSON, Charles]

Publication Date: 1798

About this Item

[WILLIAMSON, Charles]. Description of the Genesee Country, its Rapidly Progressive Population and Improvements: In a Series of Letters from a Gentleman to His Friend. Albany: Printed by Loring Andrews & Co., 1798. 37pp. plus two folding maps. Folding frontispiece. Square quarto. Orig. speckled wrapper. Housed in a custom quarter morocco backed cloth box. Wrappers rubbed, internally very clean, very old water stains and tape repairs on both maps, signed on titlepage "G.S. Woodhull 1800", contemporary signatures of "John N. Woodhull 1823" on verso of the last map. HOWES W493, "b." VAIL 1182. EVANS 35033. SABIN 104441. JCB 2:3951. REESE, FEDERAL HUNDRED 74. John N. Woodhull, 1744-1824, was a distinguished minister of the gospel who also contributed to the work of establishing the new PCUSA constitution. The rare first edition of this promotional pamphlet for the Pulteney Estate in western New York, issued by the promoters of the region, the English Associates. Written in the form of five letters, it describes the history of the area and its potential for development. The folding frontispiece depicts Fort Oswego on the shore of Lake Ontario, and the two maps show Ontario and Steuben counties, and the location of the Genesee lands in relation to the Atlantic coast. A subsequent printing appeared in 1799, and Howes records three more printings in 1804. These guide books were utilized by prospective settlers and were often discarded after they arrived at their new homes.

Seller Inventory # 82742

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Description of the Genesee Country, its Rapidly Progressive
• Publication Date: 1798
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • GENERAL AMERICANA