Call Number:

0498

Repository:

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Extent:

7.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 49 volumes )

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate cited item or series here], Richard Peters papers (Collection 0498), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Date:

1730-1820 (bulk) and 1697-1871 (inclusive)

Creator:

Peters, Richard, 1704-1776.

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 Pennsylvania social, legal, political, and economic issues.

Richard Peters was born to English attorney Ralph Peters and Esther Preeson in 1704. He studied law at London's Inner Temple but came to Philadelphia sometime in the 1730s for religious work. He served on and off with Christ Church between the late 1730s and early 1750s. He became a rector at the same church later in life and worked there until just before his death in 1776.

In the 1740s, Peters was appointed by the Penn family to two official positions: secretary of the land office and secretary and clerk of the Provincial Council. As secretary, Peters was privy to information concerning Pennsylvania's economic and political dealings, as well as its social and religious growth. He made connections with the proprietors of Pennsylvania – Thomas, John, and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn – and conversed with them often. In Philadelphia, he worked with James Logan, Benjamin Franklin, William Allen, and others in the local government. In addition to being named a Council member in 1749, he also served, with approval from the Penns, as a state commissioner to the 1754 Albany Congress.

In addition to his political and religious ventures, Peters held a number of civic positions with organizations such as the Library Company of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the Pennsylvania Hospital. He is also noted as one of the one of the founders of what is now the University of Pennsylvania.

Reverend Richard Peters, who never married, had a brother, William, who had at least one son named Richard (1743/4-1828). This Richard went on to have a distinguished career in law and politics that included stints with the Continental Congress (1782-1783) and State Assembly (1787-1790). He also served as a judge for the U.S. District Court of Philadelphia (1792-1828). Richard Peters (1743/4-1828) married Sarah Robinson, and the couple had three children, one of whom, Richard Peters (1780-1848), was an attorney and was appointed reporter of decisions of the United States Supreme Court.

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 grand-nephew, attorney Richard Peters Jr. (1780-1848). The Richard Peters papers are housed in forty-nine volumes and two boxes and 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. As a whole, this collection is of special interest because most of it relates directly to the colonial history of Pennsylvania, and because of Peters's official connection with the proprietary government.

At some point, the majority of Peters's papers were bound into volumes (Volumes 1-13), and full photocopies of those volumes were made (Volumes 14-39). In these volumes researchers will find numerous documents pertaining to Peters's political and religious work, including accounts of negotiations and treaties with Pennsylvania Indians tribes and some notes of General Timothy Pickering on the battle at Brandywine. Among the additional volumes in the collection are minutes of council, 1756-1757 (Volume 46); letters of Thomas Penn to Richard Peters, 1752-1772 (Volume 40); Henry Brooke's commonplace book, 1725 (Volume 49); Richard Peters's drafts of Pennsylvania lands, 1795-1813 (Volume 47); and letters of the Rev. Richard Peters to the proprietors of Pennsylvania, 1755-1757 (Volumes 41-42). There are also three of Peters's own diaries from 1750, 1758, and 1762 (Volumes 43-45), in which he discussed daily events and discussions, many of which are political in nature. Richard Peters's original Episcopal minister's license from 1725 is also in the collection (Box 2).