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John Ewer letters
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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
Owen Biddle (1737-1799) was a merchant and scientist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was trained as a clock and watchmaker, and was a member of the American Philosophical Society. Additionally, Biddle served as a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1776. He married Sara Parke in 1760; they had ten children. The Biddle family in Philadelphia descended from English Quakers.
Letters of John Ewer, located in London, to Owen Biddle (1737-1799), located in Philadelphia. Ewer was supplying Biddle, a Philadelphian merchant, with fabric of various kinds and patterns. Most of the letters deal with the shipping of this merchandise to Biddle and its payment. There are references to the increasing difficulties between Great Britain and the British colonies that would become the United States in Ewer's letters of 1775-1776.
All letters are written by Ewer from London and addressed to Owen Biddle, Philadelphia. Many of the letters are marked "(copy)" but are in Ewer's handwriting and are referred to as being copies made by him and sent to Biddle via a different ship (to insure at least one gets to Biddle).
Correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Original processing information unknown.
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- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open to research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Standard Federal Copyright Laws apply (U.S. Title 17).
Collection Inventory
8 items. Letters discuss fabric ordered by Biddle and shipped to him by Ewer, invoices show charges for same. Several items are duplicates (marked "copy), still written in Ewer's hand.
10 items. Letters and invoices related to ordering and sales of fabric. Duplicate copies of letters. Letter of 24 Oct 1774 mentions rising tensions between England and the Colonies, hopes for peaceful resolution.
9 items. Invoices. Letters discussing orders and asking for payment. Speaks about rising tensions from the British colonies that would become the United States and difficulties sending goods and receiving payment. Last letter June 11, 1776.