Donated by Professor Samuel Cobb, date unknown
[identification of item], L. Henry Cobb "Field Notes of Surveying" Used in Classroom Instruction, SPEC.RARE.MMS.0054, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Beth Crowner, 2019 July; Finding aid written by: Beth Crowner, 2019 July
Surveying is the science of determining the relative positions of points above, on, or beneath the surface of the earth. It was first used circa 1400 B.C. by the Egyptians to divide plots of land for taxation purposes, with the Greeks later inventing the first surveying tool in 140 B.C., the diopter. Surveying became critically important in America during the 1800s due to the start of the industrial revolution, and social factors such as rapid population growth. The two main types of surveying are geodetic, which takes into account the curvature of the earth and is used to survey large areas, and plane, which covers small areas and assumes the area is flat.
Henry L. Cobb was an American school teacher during the mid 19th century. He taught geodetic surveying, algebra, and English writing.
The L. Henry Cobb "Field Notes of Surveying" Used in Classroom Instruction is a small notebook kept by L. Henry Cobb, dated 1853-1857. It is labeled "Field Notes of Surveying" by Cobb, and contains surveying measurements, notes, calculations, and diagrams. The last surveying entry mentions that those measurements were done with Cobb’s class on June 17, 1853. Some earlier surveying entries are marked 1856-1857, and at the back of the notebook are several pages of what were likely essay questions on religion, economics, politics, and current social issues like slavery. The notebook also includes over a dozen pages of algebra problems from