William Scull (214)

William Scull (August 1739–1784) was a surveyor and mapmaker and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1768. Born in Philadelphia, Scull hailed from a long line of surveyors and mapmakers before him: both of his grandfathers, his father, and his uncle held official positions and collaborated with mapmakers. He enrolled in the Academy of Philadelphia before apprenticing under his father and grandfather in the craft of surveying. And, like so many surveyors before him, he leveraged his skill to appropriate large tracts of land for himself. In 1768 he set out to draft a revised and extended map of Pennsylvania which, despite only receiving small funding from the Provincial Assembly, he published in 1770. Though the map proved unpopular for those with particular land claims, it was reprinted in 1775 in both London and Paris and was not eclipsed until 1792. Scull continued his surveying work including during the American Revolution. Though he was commissioned a captain, his poor health rendered his surveying skills more valuable and he soon was responding to General Washington’s request to survey roads in Chester County. Despite his service, the high profile postwar surveying positions eluded Scull and he remained in Reading, PA until he died in 1784. (PI)