Main content
Richard T. Cadbury collection
Notifications
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
James Thornton (1727-1794) was born in Buckinghamshire, England and removed to Pennsylvania in 1740. He traveled considerable distances in the Quaker ministry and was in Europe in 1788-1789.
Richard Tapper Cadbury (1853-1929) was a Quaker businessman, writer, and art connoisseur. The son of Richard and Lydia Shinn Cadbury, he married Helen Nathans in 1884. He was a graduate of Haverford College, class of 1872.
This collection contains letters of Quakers in England and the United States written primarily during the late 18th century. The collection includes letters of Friends, mostly addressed to James Thornton, an ancestor of Richard T. Cadbury, Anna Shinn Maier, and others. Among the letter writers are John Pemberton, Henry Drinker, James Pemberton, Samuel Allinson, Abel James, Moses Brown, Rebecca Jones, and Esther Tuke. The topics are primarily religious in nature and discuss attending Meetings both in England and the northeastern United States. As well, there is some attention to the plight of African Americans and quite a lot of discussion of health issues. Letter writers often mention other Friends.
Letter writers include: Samuel Alexander, Samuel Allinson, David Barclay, Sarah Benson, Moses Brown, Hannah Cathrall, Isaac Collins, David Comfort, John Cox, John De Brahm, Joseph Dell, Henry Drinker, Thomas Fisher, Margaret Wistar Haines, Abel James, John James, Rebecca Jones, Mary Lloyd, James Logan, John Parrish, Edmund Peckover, James Pemberton, John Pemberton, Elizabeth Rathbone, William Rathbone, James Rigbie, Richard Routh, Samuel Smith, James Thornton, James Townsend, Esther Tuke, Agnes Walmsley, and Jane Watson.
Original processing information unknown.
People
- Cadbury, Richard Tapper, 1853-1929
- Thornton, James, 1727-1794
- Anna Morris Shinn Maier
- Pemberton, John, 1727-1795
- Drinker, Henry, 1734-1809
- Pemberton, James, 1723-1809
- Allinson, Samuel, 1739-1791
- Brown, Moses, 1738-1836
- Jones, Rebecca, 1739-1817
- Tuke, Esther, 1727-1794
- Alexander, Samuel, 1840-1914
- Brown, Moses, 1793-1879
- Collins, Isaac
- Cox, John, approximately 1754-1847
- Fisher, Thomas
- Wistar, Margaret, 1728?-1793
- James, John, -1710?
- Lloyd, Mary Ann
- Logan, James, 1674-1751
- Parrish, John, 1729-1807
- Rathbone, William, 1757-1809
- Smith, Samuel, ca. 1738-1817
- Watson, Jane, approximately 1739-1812
Subject
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Standard Federal Copyright Law apply (U.S. Title 17).
Collection Inventory
Alexander, Samuel to James Thornton. Needham Market? [Eng.], 1789 7/9.[religious in tone, and relating health issues, also mentions friends George Dillwyn, Hannah Wigham and others]
Allinson, Samuel to Mary Thornton. Philadelphia, 1780 6/1. [her husband, James Thornton gave good testimony in Meeting, and is traveling further to other Meetings]
Barclay, David to James Thornton. Red Lion Square, [Eng.?], [17]89 6/12. [is sending an apparatus to make seltzer which might relieve Thornton's complaint]
Benson, Sarah to James Thornton. Liverpool, [Eng.], 1794 10/1. [traveling on a religious mission in the company of Thomas Colly and his wife & son]
Brown, Moses to [James Thornton]. Providence, [R.I.], 1787-1791. 2 items. [1787: religious reflections; stopping the African slave trade by applying to the assembly of R.I. was satisfactory, and encloses a copy of their address (not present), and hopes Thornton will bring about a similar response in PA]
Cadbury, Richard T. Diploma from Harvard University, 1877 & 1878
Cadbury, Richard T. Miscellaneous file, including information on the Thornton file and some genealogical information on James and Mary Thornton's daughter, Lydia, some poems, including by James Thornton, etc.
Collins, Isaac to James Thornton. Trenton, 1790 6/4. [sends some of Holmes' poultice root and other health related]
Drinker, Henry to James Thornton. Philadelphia, 1788 7/26 & 8/31. 2 items. [7/26: has heard that John Pemberton journeying to Scotland after Yearly meeting in London; mentions Rebecca Jones, George Dillwyn, Warner Mifflin; great stir among the people regarding the Federal Constitution]
Logan, James to James Thornton. Philadelphia, [17]84 12/23. [hopes Thornton will come to see his farm and they will discuss rent]
Parrish, John to James Thornton. N.p., n.d. [will be traveling to visit a number of Meetings and will spend some time at Annapolis with the Assembly on account of the oppressed African Americans]
Pemberton, James to James Thornton. 1788-1792. 3 items. [1788: address to NJ Assembly for "relief of the Negroes" and need for law similar to that passed in PA for preventing the equipment of any ship for the slave trade; R[ebecca?] Jones and H.C. have rented an apartment together across from S. Emlen; 1789: mention of various Friends]
Pemberton, John to James Thornton. 1782-1794. 15 items. [religious content & mention of various Friends & health issues & attending Meeting; 1783 6/18: Meeting devoted to discussion of the care of Black people; 1788 9/16: licentiousness of theatrical presentations in defiance of law and Friends were preparing advice against such temptations; 1793 4/18: a number of Friends have gotten certificates to journey among Native Americans in NY]
Thornton, James to Mary Thornton. 1780-1794. 5 items. [traveling to various Meetings in New England and London & health]