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Start Over Subject United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 Year 1815 to 1819

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Dillwyn and Emlen family correspondence, 1770-1818 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 containers
Abstract:
The Dillwyn and Emlen family was joined in 1795 when Susanna Dillwyn married Samuel Emlen, Jr. Both the Dillwyn and Emlen families were prominent in early America as Quakers and advocates for abolition. This collection consists of five disbound volumes of letters written to and from William Dillwyn of London and his daughter Susanna Dillwyn in America from 1770 to 1795; and thereafter until 1818, to and from Susanna and her husband Samuel Emlen, Jr. of Burlington County, New Jersey. Although Susanna lived almost her entire life apart from her father, their letters are frequent and deal primarily with family matters and kin. However, there is frequent comment concerning such topics as yellow fever; abolitionism and slavery; Native Americans; breast cancer; and American and European politics, including the Napoleonic wars and the embargo, as well as their effects upon trade and merchants in Philadelphia and London.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Thomas Leiper and family business records, 1771-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
47.0 volumes
Abstract:
Thomas Leiper (1745-1825) was introduced into the business of tobacco shortly after his arrival in Virginia in 1763. Within several years, he moved to Philadelphia where he opened a tobacco shop. During the Revolutionary War, Leiper became the principal tobacco provider in Philadelphia. In 1776, Leiper purchased land in Delaware County that included a mill at a waterfall on the Crum Creek. He established snuff mills and later purchased a stone quarry. The Thomas Leiper and family business records include correspondence, country estate records, and business and financial records of the family's paper, lumber and wood working businesses, quarry business, and tobacco business dating from 1771 to 1947.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Albert Cook Myers Historical Collection: William Penn papers, 1645-1960 (inclusive)

Extent:
81.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Albert Cook Myers (1874-1960) was a Pennsylvania historian, who dedicated his life’s work to the identification, study and organization of William Penn’s published writings and personal papers. Beginning in 1910, after securing an endorsement from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, he set out to publish: “The Complete Works of William Penn.” All told, Myers devoted fifty years of his life to this project. Though his publication goals were never realized, he assembled a massive and notable body of information about William Penn. To complete his studies, Myers travelled abroad and throughout the United States. As a result of his efforts, he came to be regarded as an expert on the topic and often spoke publicly on the life and times of William Penn. The Albert Cook Myers research collection of William Penn materials contains the information gathered by Myers in his pursuit to thoroughly research and publish a volume documenting the complete writings of William Penn. Researchers...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Colonel Richard Thomas papers, 1741-1919 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Richard Thomas (1744-1832) was a Revolutionary War colonel and a politician. He served in the Revolutionary War in the 5th Battalion Association despite his Quaker faith and served as an Assembly man from 1796 to 1790, as Pennsylvania Senator from 1790 to 1794, and as Congressman from 1794 to 1798. The collection dates from 1741 to 1919 with the bulk of materials dating from 1741 to 1857. The materials in the collection document the history of Chester County and the United States as well as the personal side of the Thomas family.

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith families papers, 1683-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 boxes
Abstract:
The families in the Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith family papers, 1633 to 1980 (bulk 1685 to 1851) are all related by the marriage of Marianne Smith to Dr. Stephen Harris on April 14, 1833. Both sides of the lineage represented in this collection immigrated to Pennsylvania because of religious persecution in England and Ireland. As Presbyterians and Quakers, they no longer wished to live under a series of laws which forced non-Anglicans out of public office, schools and the church as well as prohibiting meetings for non-Anglican worship. These newcomers contributed to the establishment of the government and religious expression in early Chester County. The documents, covering topics such as land surveying, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, astronomy, publishing, the iron industry, and religious persecution, provide a broad picture of early Chester County and its residents as they interacted with each other at home and in Philadelphia through business, religious, and...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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John Dickinson papers, 1753-1808 (bulk) 1676-1885 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.2 linear feet and 13 containers, 5 volumes
Abstract:
John Dickinson (1732-1808), a Philadelphia lawyer and politician, was a major figure in colonial Delaware and Pennsylvania governments and during the early national period. He was an active presence and prolific writer during the American Revolution and early Republic from the passage of the Sugar Act (1764) until the Jefferson presidency (1801 to 1809). He also served in the military as colonel, private, and brigadier general. He married Mary Norris in 1770. John Dickinson died in Delaware in 1808. The John Dickinson papers contains incoming and outgoing correspondence; drafts and original manuscript documents from the revolutionary and early national government, Revolutionary War, Delaware and Pennsylvania government; land papers; legal papers; bills and receipts; collected essays, notes and commonplace books; and estate material. The papers provide a clear picture of the way in which colonists envisioned their new country and how these new Americans worked, compromised and...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Richard Peters papers, 1730-1820 (bulk) 1697-1871 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 49 volumes )
Abstract:
Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), in addition to serving in various capacities with Christ Church, also held two important colonial offices: secretary of the Land Office and secretary and clerk of the Provincial Council. In these roles, Peters helped manage the growing government of the colony of Pennsylvania through the access he had to members of the Penn family. He also worked closely with notable statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin and James Logan. Peters was appointed a Council member in 1749; he also served as a state commissioner to the 1754 Albany Congress. This collection is comprised of letters and documents from Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), with a few folders of papers from Peters's nephew, Judge Richard Peters (1743/4-1828), and his son, attorney Richard Peters (1780-1848). The papers primarily relate to Peters's public work rather than his private life (the same is true of the papers from the other two Richard Peters.) and they especially highlight early...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Logan family papers, 1700-circa 1850

Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Logans were a prominent Philadelphia family dating to 1699, when James Logan (1679-1751), the family patriarch, arrived in Philadelphia to serve as Secretary of the Pennsylvania colony. Through work in trade and politics, Logan and his descendants were intimately involved in the development of colonial Pennsylvania and, later, the fledging United States. The Logan family papers, 1700-circa 1850, consist of scattered documents related to the Logan family and their home, Stenton (in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.). It includes letters, deeds and estate papers, three cookbooks, and various other documents.

Held at: Stenton [Contact Us]

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Museum of the American Revolution collection, circa 1730-1977

Extent:
9.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Museum of the American Revolution focuses on the history of the rebellion of the North American colonies against British rule that resulted in the formation of the United States of America, and chronicles the development of the idea of independence over history. The Museum of the American Revolution collection, circa 1730-1977, includes an extensive array of materials that document the War, its aftereffects, the evolution of revolutionary ideas, the lives of prominent Founding Fathers and everyday soldiers, commemorations of Revolutionary sites (especially Valley Forge, Pa.), and related topics.

Held at: Museum of the American Revolution [Contact Us]

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Current results range from 1645 to 1980

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