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George Fox papers

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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
MC.862
Repository:
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Extent:
.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
George Fox papers (HC.MC.862), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.
Date:
1660-1952 (inclusive)
Creator:
Fox, George
Form:
autographs (manuscripts), letters (correspondence), maps (documents), and clippings (information artifacts)
Abstract:
Includes letters, portraits, photographs, illustrations, articles, clippings, pamphlets, and a map concerning the life and times of George Fox. Topics covered include Fox's itinerary of his trip to America, the Dutch Bible Fox carried with him on his trip to Holland in 1677, pictures of places associated with Fox, birthplace, funeral, and grave of Fox. Includes material from the George Fox tercentary of 1924 (on the 300th anniversary of his birth).

George Fox (1624-1691) was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. George Fox was born in Dreyton-in-the-Clay, now called Fenny Drayton, in Leicestershire, England in 1624. He was the son of Christopher Fox, a weaver, and Mary Lago Fox. George Fox left Drayton-in-the-Clay in 1643 to travel around the country as his religious beliefs began to take shape. In 1647, Fox began to preach publicly. Fox married Margaret Fell in 1669. His ministry expanded and he undertook tours of North America and the Low Countries. Between these tours, he was imprisoned for more than a year. He spent the final decade of his life working in London to organize the expanding Quaker movement. George Fox died in 1691.

This collection includes letters (letters, manuscript copies, facsimiles, photocopies), portraits, photographs, illustrations, articles, clippings, pamphlets, and a map concerning the life and times of George Fox. It includes an autographed copy of Epistle to the King (1660) and Epistle to King and Parliament (1661); manuscript copies (some contemporary) of other Fox letters includes Epistle (1675) to Friends in America, letters (1679, 1683) to Peter Hendricks (1683 letter in hand of scribe, Mark Swanner), Epistles (1667, 1669) to Friends, and Epistle (1673) to Women's Meetings; and manuscript copies of Sermon of 1680. Other manuscript material includes a manuscript copy of an undated Epistle apparently challenging all dissenting bodies to submit their claims to Quaker test, and fragments of Fox's handwriting including lines written in Hebrew. Topics covered include Fox's itinerary of his trip to America, the Dutch Bible Fox carried with him on his trip to Holland in 1677, pictures of places associated with Fox, birthplace, funeral, and grave of Fox. Includes material from the George Fox tercentenary of 1924 (on the 300th anniversary of his birth).

The papers are arranged in three series: epsitles, letters, and miscellaneous.

Box and Folder Listing and More Information

Original processing information unknown.

People
Subject

Publisher
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Collection Inventory

To Friends, 1667.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle (1667) to Friends (early manuscript copy)

Also:

-Letter from Norman Thomas re: the above

-Notes on epistle say that it tells how the world has come to trust and respect the members of the Society of Friends (see p. 251 of G. Fox, Epistles, 1698 ed.)

To Friends (copy), 1669.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle (1669) to Friends (manuscript copy). Contains recommendations to Friends to preserve records of their testimonies and of deceased members. Note that this was published in G. Fox, Epistles, 1698 ed. as part of Epistle #264

To Friends in America - Copy, 1675.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle to Friends in America (1675) manuscript copy (gift, 1958)

To the King, 1660.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle to the King (1660)

letter (gift, 1922)

Also:

-2 typed transcripts of text of above

-manuscript copy, photocopy and facsimiles of above letter

-Note re: provenance of letter

-Photograph of bust of G. Fox by Alfred Turner, Friends House London

To the King and Parliament, 1661.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle to the King and Parliament from George Fox, 1661 (approximately 78K).

Letter (purchased 1951)

Also:

-Article from the Bulletin of Friends Historical Association 40 (1951) on the letter

-Photo reproductions of the letter

-Typed transcript and notes re: letter

To Parliament, 1656.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle (1656) to Parliament (photostatic copy­negative, gift, 1934)

To all the Women's Meetings (copy), 1673.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Epistle (1673) to all the Women's Meetings dated Worcestor gaol, 11 mo. 2, 1673 (manuscript copy, gift, 1937)

Also:

-Typed transcript of a letter from William Smith, dated Nottingham Countie Gaole, 4 mo. 21, 1664 to George Fox re: a woman named Martha Plats and her interest in marrying Edward Langford

Untitled (Copy).
Box 1

To Peter Hedricks (copy), 1st 5mo. 1679.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Letter to Peter Hendricks, dated Swarthmore, 5 mo. 1, 1679 (manuscript copy, gift)

To Peter Hendricks, 1682-1683.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Letter (1682/3) to Peter Hendricks, London

Manuscript in handwriting of a scribe, notes with letter indicate probably Mark Swanner (purchased 1947)

Also:

-Typed transcript of letter and photocopies of letter

-Notes re: provenance of letter

BIBLE - New Testament (in Dutch).
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Notes, letter (1914), photographs re: to history and provenance of Dutch Bible carried by George Fox on his trip to Holland in 1677 (gift) (ca. 9 items) [Note: Bible has initials of Fox on back fly­leaf in hand of Mark Swanner and lacks title page. Notes in folder indicate Bible is a New Testament in Dutch and one of the many issues of "Staats ­ General" version, first published in 1637.]

Birthplace of George Fox.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Picture said to be of George Fox's birthplace at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire (approximately 117K).

(ca. 10 items)

Contains photographs, article (1924) and illustrations of birthplace of Fox

Grave of George Fox.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Grave of George Fox

(ca. 6 items)

Contains photographs of grave of Fox

Handwriting of George Fox (original manuscript).
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Handwriting of George Fox (original manuscript ­ fragment) in envelope labeled "said to be the handwriting of George Fox. Given me by Eliza. Nicholson who vouches for it" and note that "Handwriting of George Fox. given to Samuel R. Shipley by Elizabeth Nicholson. Presented to Haverford College­ 1950"

Hebrew Lines (original manuscript).
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Hebrew lines in the handwriting of George Fox (gift, April 1938)

Also:

-Photograph of above

ITINERARY.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Itinerary of George Fox (ca. 9 items)

Includes:

-Map, letters and notes on the travel itinerary of GF in America

Lines written by G. Fox (original manuscript).
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Lines written by George Fox, n.p., n.d. (original manuscript, apparently cut from a longer memorandum, this was removed from Elizabeth U. Willis scrapbook which was presented to the college in 1951 )

Also:

-Letter of Henry J. Cadbury to Miss Hewitt, May 2, 1938 re: G.F. manuscript

-Typed notes re: G.F. manuscript

Pictures of places and people connected with life of Fox.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Pictures of people and places connected with the life of George Fox (ca. 56 items)

Includes photographs, illustrations, drawing, letter, portraits of people associated with Fox)

Portraits.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Portraits of George Fox (ca. 50 items)

Contains portraits and accompanying text (text dated 1942)

Sermon, 1680.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Sermon of 1680

2 manuscript copies

-1 manuscript copy labeled on back "G. Fox's sermon at Wheler Street, 1/4 mo. 1680" and "Claude Gay's copy" with note that "found among George Dilwyn's papers by S. Emlen"

-1 manuscript copy marked "exchange­ 1937"

Tercentenary.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Tercentenary of George Fox's birth, 1624­-1924 (ca. 25 items)

Includes pamphlets, clippings, articles (1924, 1952) re: above

Print, Suggest