Bernard Romans Bernard Romans ( bapt . 6 July 1741 , Delft - 1784 , at sea ) was a Dutch - born American navigator , surveyor , cartographer , naturalist , engineer , soldier , promoter and writer . His best known work , " A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida " , published in 1775 , is a valuable source of information about the Floridas during the period of British control . His maps and charts are considered better than any produced before , and often for many years after , their publication . Biography . Romans was born " Barend Romans " in Delft , son of Pieter Barendsz Romans and Margareta van der Linden . He was raised and educated there , but emigrated to the United Kingdom as a youth or young man , and then to British North America around 1757 , during the Seven Years ' War ( known as the French and Indian War in British North America ) . " Bernard Romans was born in the Netherlands about 1720 and was probably educated as an engineer in England . He was sent to America about 1757 and served as a surveyor in Georgia . Romans was appointed Deputy Surveyor of Georgia in 1766 and a short time later went to East Florida to survey the property of Lord Egmont , and associate of Oglethorpe in founding Georgia . . . The Surveyorer General for the southern District , William Gerard deBrahm , promoted Romans to the post of Deputy Surveyor for the district . In 1773 . . . he was made a member of the New York Marine Society and the American Philosophical Society ; and a letter dated 1773 at Pensacola on an improved mariner ' s compass was published in the American Philosophical Society Proceedings . " On March 3 , 1761 , Romans married Maria Wendel ( born 1739 ) at the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany , New York . A son , Peter Milo Romans , was born in Albany on January 16 , 1762 , who would marry in 1785 in Albany and have 10 children himself . There is no further record of Maria Wendel Romans , who may have died young ( Romans remarried in 1779 ) . By his own account , in about 1761 , Bernard Romans entered into the King ' s service as a " commodore " , " sometimes at the head of a large body of men in the woods , and at the worst of times . . . master of a merchantman , fitted out in a warlike manner . " After the war ended , Romans continued to go to sea . He sailed widely as both as a privateer during the war and as a merchant , reaching points as far north as Labrador , and as far south as Curaçao , Cartagena and Panama . Travels in the Floridas . In 1766 - 67 , he commanded the sloop " Mary " . On his first voyage , the ship went aground on the Dry Tortugas , but he was able to get the ship off and reach port . On his second voyage , the ship was lost near Cape Florida ( Key Biscayne ) . Having lost much of his personal wealth with the wreck of the " Mary " , Romans turned to surveying . He obtained employment as deputy surveyor of Georgia . He also accepted private commissions to survey land grants in East Florida , which had come under British control at the end of the French and Indian War . In 1768 , Romans became principal deputy surveyor for the Southern District ( the British Colonies of , North Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia , East Florida and West Florida ) . Starting in 1769 , Romans surveyed the coastal waters of East Florida . Later that year , his boat sank in the Manatee River near Tampa Bay . Romans walked overland from there to St . Augustine . Well aware of the historical significance of where he walked , he later wrote that he had been " on Ferdinando Soto ' s tract " . He outfitted another boat at his own expense , and resumed surveying the coast in September 1770 . He reached Pensacola , Florida in August 1771 , having recorded depth soundings , good harbors and sources of fresh water , and drafted coastal charts , for much of the East Florida coast . Upon reaching Pensacola , Romans was hired to survey the western part of West Florida and the lands of the Choctaws and Chickasaws . The survey was not without its dangers ; the Choctaws and the Creeks were at war . Rumors even reached Mobile that Romans and his party had been killed by Creeks . Roman ' s survey work in West Florida continued into 1772 . In Pensacola , a Dr . John Lorimer recruited Romans to explore for new plant specimens . Romans soon discovered what he believed to be true jalap , which was much in demand in Europe as a cathartic . Jalap had previously been available only from Mexico , and the prospect of a supply under British control pleased many in West Florida . It was later realized that Roman ' s jalap was not the Mexican jalap , but a relative in the Convolvulaceae family , probably " Solanum jamesii " . This " wild jalap " or " wild potato " was in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States from 1820 until 1863 . Romans pursued his botanizing enthusiastically , collecting many plant specimens and seeds , and began seeking support for a plan to establish a botanical garden in West Florida . Publishing " A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida " . In early 1773 , Romans left West Florida to travel to the northern colonies . He wanted to publish his nautical charts and navigational instructions , along with material on the natural history of the Floridas that he had gathered in his surveys . He also took rare seeds and plant specimens he had collected . His ship was " over - set at sea " , and the seeds and plant specimens were lost or ruined . His navigational charts and the manuscript of the book he was writing on the natural history of the Floridas were saved . Romans was now planning an ambitious book of some 300 pages with copper plate engraving s and two large maps of the Floridas and the Caribbean . He needed to find financial backers and sign up subscribers to meet the costs of publishing the book . This effort led him into many new contacts . In August 1773 , Romans was admitted into the Marine Society of the City of New York . In January 1774 , he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society . A paper by Romans on an improved sea compass was published in the society ' s " Transactions " , and he presented descriptions of new plants he found in Florida to the society . Although no longer resident in West Florida , Romans had also been appointed botanist for West Florida . During this time , Romans proposed to William Legge , 2nd Earl of Dartmouth , Secretary of State for the Colonies and President of the Board of Trade and Foreign Plantations , an expedition to the northeastern parts of Asia . Romans gave more details of his scheme to Dr . Hugh Williamson , a fellow member of the American Philosophical Society . To Dr . Williamson , Romans expounded his plan for an expedition to explore the Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes , then moving westward to the Pacific coast . From there , the expedition would cross the Pacific Ocean to Asia , and travel through Russia , eventually reaching Great Britain . This was thirty years before President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition , and almost twenty years before Alexander MacKenzie ' s crossing of the Canadian Arctic . Romans continued to work to get his book published . Romans had originally conceived his book as a guide to mariners , and one - quarter of his subscribers were involved in shipping . But Romans also was receiving questions from people who were interested in moving to the Floridas , and Romans expanded his book to accommodate them . From the originally planned 300 pages , the book grew to about 800 pages , and had to be split into two volumes . Romans promised his subscribers that the second volume would be forwarded to them at no additional charge ( the first volume had to be printed and sent off before the presses could be set up for the second volume ) . Romans placed ads in many newspapers , and traveled extensively seeking subscribers to the book . Romans had selected James Rivington , publisher of " Rivington ' s New - York Gazetteer " , to be his printer , and engaged Paul Revere to engrave most of the plates for the book . Romans also collaborated with Paul Revere on other projects , including the map that accompanied Rivington ' s printing of John Hawkesworth ' s book on the voyages of James Cook . The first volume of " A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida " was finally ready for delivery in late April 1775 . Romans announced in " Rivington ' s New - York Gazetteer " that his subscribers should tell him where to deliver the books . Romans ' s announcement was published eight days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord . A second printing of the volume was required in 1776 to fulfill all subscriptions . Revolutionary War activities . Romans ' sympathies with the Revolution had developed before his book was published . He had appeared before the Boston Marine Society on December 1 , 1773 , and was in the city when the Boston Tea Party occurred . In his book , Romans described tea as " a despicable weed , and of late attempted to be made a dirty conduit , to lead a stream of oppressions into these happy regions . " In early April 1775 , Romans was appointed a captain by the Connecticut Committee of Safety , with a charge to take Fort Ticonderoga and nearby British fortifications . He was given £100 with which to raise troops . Within a few days , Romans had over 200 men with him . While Benedict Arnold and Nathanael Greene took command of the large body of troops headed for Fort Ticonderoga , Romans ' company was sent to capture Fort George on Lake George , a neglected post which surrendered without a fight . Romans went on to Ticonderoga , where he helped assess the ammunition that had been captured . Benedict Arnold reported favorably on Romans as an engineer after this service . Romans soon returned to Connecticut . It is not known if Romans was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill , but he published an illustration of it , " An Exact View of the Late Battle at Charlestown , June 17 , 1775 . " Romans also published a map of the area around Boston , " The Seat of Civil War in America " , and dedicated it to John Hancock . Romans ' earlier work was also used by the British in their maps , particularly in " A General Map of the Southern British Colonies " , which was included in the " American Military Pocket Atlas " , intended for the use of mounted British officers . In New York , James Rivington had proved to be too neutral in his coverage of the growing conflict between the colonies and Britain , and , in November 1775 , a mob of patriot s destroyed his print shop . The second volume of Romans ' book was in production at the time and was lost . Later , in 1775 , the Continental Congress recommended Romans to the New York Commissioners for Fortifications in the Highlands to oversee the construction of a fort at Martelaer ' s Rock , across the Hudson River from West Point . Romans set to work surveying the river and designing fortifications . When the commissioners inspected the site , they were unhappy both with Romans ' plans and with the site , which was exposed to the superior positions available across the river on West Point . Romans went to New York City and presented his plans to the Committee of Safety without mentioning the doubts expressed by the Commissioners . the Committee of Safety forwarded Romans ' plan and expenses to the Continental Congress and , according to Romans , promised him that he would be appointed principal engineer for New York with the rank and pay of a Colonel . A struggle ensued for control of the project between Romans and the Commissioners for Fortifications in the Highlands . Romans proceeded with much of the work , but eventually went to Philadelphia to report and seek support . While Romans appeared to win approval from the congress , it was generally recognized that his work had not been very fruitful . In George Washington ' s words , Romans ' s fortifications were " very neat " and " very picturesque " but " upon the whole , Mr . Romans has displayed his genius at a very great expense and to very little publick advantage . " Romans was next given a commission of captain of the First Pennsylvania Company of Artillery , which soon joined the campaign against Quebec . After the Americans were defeated in Quebec , Romans ' s company was reassigned , in July 1776 , to Fort Ticonderoga . Shortly after , General Horatio Gates sent Romans to investigate the preparations being made under the direction of Major General Philip Schuyler to defend Lake Champlain against the expected British invasion . Romans was shocked by the sight of the vessels being prepared for the lake fleet , but was unable to do anything . This fleet was soon defeated at the Battle of Valcour Island . Fortunately for the Americans , the battle had also been costly for the British , and they delayed their invasion southwards . In November 1776 , the Pennsylvania Council of Safety appointed Romans " Engineer " and ordered that he be furnished with the means to conduct an experiment in " destroying distant objects by fire . " Unfortunately , there is no further record of this " experiment . " Romans also continued to produce maps , including two of Connecticut , one centered on Philadelphia , including most of New Jersey and Delaware , and portions of Maryland and Pennsylvania , showing the location of the " Grand American Winter Camp 1778 " at Valley Forge , and a map of the " Northern Department of North America " ( this was the first map to use the name " Vermont " ) . " On February 8 , 1776 , Romans was commissioned a Captain of the 1st Pennsylvania Company of Artillery . He was in " Sorrell " on May 15 , 1776 , a member of the retreating forces from the unsuccessful Quebec venture , when he wrote a letter relating to an appointment in his company . On July 24 , 1776 a court of inquiry was convened under General Gates because of a disagreement between Romans and a brother officer . Romans ' military career ended by resignation on June 1 , 1778 . In the following year on January 28 , Romans married Elizabeth Whitney of Weathersfield , Connecticut . A son , Hubertus Romans , was born on October 23 . Later Romans joined the southern Army and was captured in 1780 , a short time after writing a character reference for Captain Thomas Machin to James Clinton . " Romans resigned his commission on June 1 , 1778 . He continued working on a history of the oppression of the Netherlands by the British . By the end of 1778 , he had finished the two - volume " Annals of the Troubles in the Netherlands " , and the first volume was in the bookstores in January 1779 . The second volume did not appear until 1782 . On January 28 , 1779 , Romans married Elizabeth Whiting of Wethersfield , Connecticut , who was just 19 years old . A son , Hubertus Romans , was born on October 23 , 1779 . Romans joined the Southern Campaign in 1780 . It is not clear what Romans ' s assignment was to be , but an application for a pension filed by Elizabeth Romans in 1848 states that Romans " was ordered to go to the State of South Carolina , there to join the Southern Army " . The ship on which Romans was traveling from New London , Connecticut to Charleston , South Carolina was captured by the Royal Navy . Romans was held prisoner until the war ended . He died aboard ship while returning home . Both his widow , Elizabeth Whiting , and at least one early historian believed that Romans had been murdered on the voyage .