Call Number:

MC.975.01.049

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

0.02 linear ft. (1 volume, 1 folder)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Margaret Hill Morris diary (HC.MC.975.01.049), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1776-1778 (inclusive)

Creator:

Morris, Margaret Hill

Form:

Diaries

Abstract:

Margaret Hill Morris was a colonial Quaker woman who lived outside of Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War. The entries detail Morris's experiences during the early years of the war, including her fears for her family, the movement through her town of various military groups, and her treatment of the sick and injured at surrounding military camps.

Margaret Hill Morris (1737-1816) was born in 1737, at South River, near Annapolis, Maryland. Her parents, Richard and Deborah (Moore) Hill moved to the island of Madeira when she was young, and Morris was raised by her aunt and uncle in Philadelphia. Margaret Hill Morris married William Morris, a Quaker merchant and early contributor to the Pennsylvania Hospital, in 1758. The couple had four children; three were born before William's death in 1766, and one was born after. In 1770, the family moved to the vicinity of Burlington, New Jersey, and established a home called "Green Bank." Morris was recognized as a skillful doctor and she regularly treated the ill and injured during the American Revolutionary War. Morris died on October 10, 1816, of a stroke at the age of 79.

This collection is composed of the original, handwritten Revolutionary War diary of Margret Hill Morris, as well as a photocopy of the diary. The entries detail Morris's experiences during the early years of the American Revolutionary War, including her fears for her family and the movement through her town of various military groups, including "Tory Hunters," "Gondola Men," and Hessian soldiers. Morris also describes her treatment of the sick and injured at surrounding military camps.