John Bute Holmes (March 31, 1822 - May 21, 1887) was an Irish civil engineer, city surveyor, and mapmaker based in New York City in the middle to latter 19th century. Holmes was described as a 'short, stout man, with curly gray hair, a smooth face, and a short, thick neck.' Holmes' father-in-law supplied funds for him to immigrate to America in 1840 and shortly thereafter, in 1844, he established himself in New York City. He briefly returned to Europe before once again settling in New York City in 1848. Apparently, according to several New York Times articles dating to the 1870s, Holmes was a man of dubious personal and moral character. He was involved in several legal disputes most of which were associated with his outrageous - even by modern standards - womanizing. In 1857 he was convicted of forgery of a marriage document and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor at Sing Sing, of which he served 5 before wealthy associates interceded on his behalf for an early release. Holmes seems to have been married to several different women at the same time and to have had an unfortunate attraction to exceptionally young women - one of whom, 16 year old May Chamberlayne claimed to be his wife and sued him for 50,000 USD. On another occasion he was found guilty of killing Brooklyn policeman David Gourly with whose wife he 'had been intimate.' Another woman, Miss Abrams, who he hired as a housekeeper, was repeatedly attacked by Holmes and ultimately driven to madness and was consigned to Bellevue Hospital, where she died. Although he attempted to flee the country rather than face conviction for 4th degree manslaughter, he was ultimately arrested and served one year in prison. During the American Civil War he ran for Alderman of the First Ward, in New York. Despite his legal issues, Holmes was a man of considerable means, with a personal fortune estimated between 100,000 and 500,000 USD - a significant sum in the late 19th century. Much of his wealth is associated with a series of important cadastral maps produced between 1867 and 1875 while he was employed as a surveyor and civil engineer under the corrupt Tweed regime. When Holmes died of an 'apoplectic fit' there was considerable wrangling over his estate among his 7 heirs and 11 children. The cream of his estate where his maps, some of which were valued at more than 30,000 USD in 1887. Holmes lived on a large farm-estate in Fanwood New Jersey. More by this mapmaker...

Thomas Bonar (1820 - May 19, 1891) was a New York City engraver and lithographer active in the second half of the 19th century. Bonar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is described as 'the handsomest man to be seen in New York,' notable for his exceptional height, long white hair, and erect posture (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 20, 1891). He emigrated to New York City around 1847, which also corresponds to the earliest records of his work. From 1860 to 1863 worked for the New York Herald, producing engravings and 'war maps' illustrating Civil War events. He later worked for the Telegraph and the Tribune. In 1850, his work is associated with the firm of 'Bonar and Cummings', who produced engravings for the Methodist Book Room and Methodist Magazine. He retired from the lithography business around 1886 to devote himself to home life, travel, and the New York Press Club, of which he was an honorary member. He was also an active supporter of the Temperance Movement. Bonar maintained offices at 87 Nassau Street but lived in Brooklyn at 173 Taylor Street. Learn More...