The remarkable Ellicott brothers - Joseph, Andrew, John, with some financing from Nathaniel - created the state-of-the-art mill and the town of Ellicott mills in 1772. 1854 image of George, Jonathon and John homes.
Although I am still spending too many hours on my Calendar of virtual food history talks HERE, I want to put up posts to celebrate Ellicott City's 250 years.
The Ellicotts were a family of "mechanical and mathematical genius." They surveyed and built a road from Baltimore (then on to Frederick), built a wharf in Baltimore (designed their own Mud Machine dredger), created innovations in milling and some in the next generation were also extremely accomplished. Initially growing their own wheat for the new mill, they convinced neighboring farmers to plant wheat fields instead of tobacco.
Some introductory information about the first generation of Ellicotts -
Joseph Ellicott (1732-1780)
While in Bucks County, Pa he constructed an unusual repeating watch, an extrordinary four faced musical tall clock and other timepieces. As a child (his father died when he was young) he was apprenticed to a mill repairer and would marry his daughter. Later he convinced his guardian to have him (and his brothers) build a new efficient mill. Then built a mill on the Jones Falls (river) of Baltimore with Hugh Burgess, went to England to settle his grandfather's estate, and in 1772 set off with his brothers and family to clear areas for the mill, lodging, wheat fields, stables. Two years later he took his large family and six children of his friend Evans (who died) to an old mill he rebuilt and made a large house, gardens and a ten foot tall fountain. He died a few years later.
Andrew Ellicott (1734-1809)
Apprenticed to a carpenter. Several sons from his first wife - Jonathon, George, Elias - helped found EC, with Andrew visiting until 1797. His second wife, married 1767, and their children stayed at his mill in Solebury, Pa until they were grown. Most of those sons moved to Baltimore while Andrew and wife lived in their home in Ellicott mills.
Nathaniel Ellicott (1736-c1797)
Apprenticed to a blacksmith, he later established a blacksmith shop. Although he never moved to Md, he was part of the purchase of land on the Patapsco River in 1771, and in 1790 with Andrew purchased 150 acres with mill in Pa. He and his wife owned "a handsome farm" in Bucks County, which he left to Andrew's son Benjamin.
Thomas Ellicott (1738-1799)
Wrote a section “The Practical Mill-wright” with numerous sketches in Oliver Evans' The Young mill-wright and miller’s guide, 1795. He was listed in subscribers for 150 copies. Blog post HERE. He supervised building mills in Bucks County and one of his own in 1784. Not involved in Ellicott Mills.
John Ellicott (1739-1795)
He had “the stature of a grenadier, the strong voice of a man...would ride ten miles every day to Baltimore, to attend to the purchase of wheat and the sale of flour."
Many activities are planned for this year, and listed HERE
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