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John Lott Phillips Collection

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. 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

Phillips

John Lott Phillips, a clergyman of the Church of England, was a relative of William and Mary Lott Phillips of Maidenhead, New Jersey. He entered the freshman class of the College of New Jersey in 1770 and graduated in 1774. While at the College, he was a member of the Cliosophic Society. After graduation, Phillips lived at Wake County, North Carolina, on a 573 acre farm gifted to him from a relative in Princeton, Mrs. Pheve Warner. However, when his Loyalist tendencies were discovered, he had to abandon his property and escape to the where he tried to board a ship to England. He was found in Savannah, Georgia, and imprisoned for three months before he was released and deported to England. In 1776 he was ordained priest and then deacon in the Church of England at Fulham Palace, and a Chaplain under the command of Banastre Tarleton of the British Regiment of Light Dragoons.

The collection consists of selected material by and about John Lott Phillips. Included are two certificates of ordination (1776) as deacon and priest, both signed by Richard, Bishop of London, one containing his seal; a certificate (1782) of King George III, with his seal, appointing Phillips as chaplain to the British Regiment of Light Dragoons commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton; "A Memorial of the Misfortunes of Mr. Phillips an American Clergyman & First Graduate of New Jersey College" (1781?), which is an explanation of how he lost his land in North Carolina for being a Loyalist to the British Crown; and an 1802 document (with seal of) John the Archbishop of Canterbury, with his seal, appointing Phillips' wife Mary as administrator of her husband's estate. There are two letters from family members, including one from Phillips' son Edward W. to his mother telling her about his brother's death. In addition, there is correspondence (1921-1987) between members of Phillips' family including Mrs. A. E. Miles and the Rev. Joseph Meakins Harte, and librarians and others at Princeton University, the Princeton Club of Chicago, The Church Historical Society, and The Bishop of North America, trying to gather information about the life of Phillips.

Gift of Rev. John Meakins Harte on January 29, 1997 (AM1997-73).

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on October 17, 2008. Finding aid written by Natalie Kim on November 20, 2008. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2008
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Physical Description

1 box

Ordination Certificate of John Lott Phillips as Priest, 1776 June 17. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Document appointing Mary Phillips Administrator of John Phillips Estate with Seal of the Archbishop of Cantebury, 1802 April 24. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Certificate appointing Phillips Chaplain to regiment of Light Dragoons with Seal of King George, 1782 December 25. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

A Memorial of the Misfortunes of Mr. Phillips an American Clergyman & First Graduate of New Jersey College, circa 1781. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ordination Certificate of John Lott Philips as Deacon with Seal of Richard Terrick, Bishop of London, 1776 June 2. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from C. W. Meakins to Mrs. Meakins, 1842 October 26. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Edward W. Phillips to his Mother concerning Death of Frank (which occured on the 7th of January, 1868), 1868 January 9. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physical Description

1 box

Clipping from "Princetonians: 1769-1775: A Biographical Dictionary" by Richard A. Harrison, 1980. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Clipping from "General Catalogue of Princeton University", 1908. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Clippings from Volumes XI and XXIII of The State Records of North Carolina collected and edited by Walter Clark, 1895-1904. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Clipping from "The Formation of The North Carolina Counties 1663-1943" by David Leroy Corbitt, 1969. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Encyclopedia Entry about Sir Banastre Tarleton, Commander of the Regiment Light Dragoons, of which Phillips was the Chaplain, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physical Description

1 box

Unsigned Short Biography of Phillips with Notes on stationary from Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie, Pennsylvania, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from James Thayer Gerould, Librarian of Princeton University, to Mrs. A. E. Miles regarding records of Phillips, 1921 September 1-16. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from William S. Warfield III to Mrs. A. E. Miles putting her in touch with Robert C McNamara, 1921 September 24. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from R. C. McNamara to Mrs. A. E. Miles inquiring about the location of documents and expressing thanks for writing, 1921 September 27. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Gordon G. Sikes to Mrs. A. E. Miles explaining that the documents are being looked at by Mr. Collins, 1921 October 10. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from R. C. McNamara to Mrs. A. E. Miles thanking her for a note and intending to determine "a reasonable price", 1921 November 18. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from William S. Dix, Librarian of Princeton Univeristy, to Dean Rev. Joseph Harte concerning acquisition of Phillips Papers, 1953 November-December. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Howard L. Applegate to Rev. Joseph Harte explaining that he has no information on Phillips and advising him to look elsewhere, 1961 September 5. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from G. MacLaren Brydon to Rev. Joseph Harte explaining that he has no information on Phillips and suggesting writing to Gordon Lewis, 1962 January 26. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Lawrence F. London to Rev. Joseph Harte explaining that he has no information on Phillips, 1962 February 6. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Nelle Belamy of The Church Historical Society to Rev. Joseph Harte enclosed with some information on Phillips, 1962 February 13. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from J. H. Goodwin, Librarian of Bishop Payne Library, to Rev. Joseph Harte enclosed with some information on Phillips, 1987 March 3. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Robert W. Estill to Rev. Joseph Harte explaining that he has no information on Phillips, and pointing him to an archivist, Michelle Francis, who may have some information, 1987 March 26. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

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