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William Sharp Prickett Family Papers

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Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 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

Call Number:
RG5.127
Repository:
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Extent:
1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], William Sharp Prickett Family Papers, RG 5/127, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Date:
1716-1932 (inclusive)
Creator:
Prickett, William Sharp, 1862-1926, Prickett, Josiah J., 1808-1862, Prickett, Lewis L, 1844-1929, and New Freedom School (Burlington County, N.J.)
Form:
Account books
Abstract:
William Sharp Prickett (1862-1926) was youngest child of Josiah J. and Emaline B. (Engle) Prickett. The Prickett/Prickitt family were Quakers who lived in the area of Northampton and Southampton Townships, Burlington Co.,, New Jersey, from 1716, the date of the earliest document in the collection. They lived in or near villages such as Masonville, Easton, and Vicentown, near Rancocas Creek. In later generations most of the children attended or graduated from Westtown Boarding School, as did many of their spouses. The men in this family were farmers, educators, and lumbermen. The collection contains the family papers preserved by William Sharp Pickett (1862-1926), whose family were New Jersey Quakers. It includes biographical and genealogical, family correspondence, school papers relating to Josiah J. Pickett who served on the school committee of Northampton Township, N.J., family legal and financial papers and memorabilia.

William Sharp Prickett (1862-1926) was youngest child of Josiah J. and Emaline B. (Engle) Prickett. The Prickett family were Quakers who lived in the area of Northampton and Southampton Townships, Burlington Co., New Jersey, from 1716, the date of the earliest document in the collection. William Prickett's parents were married out of unity, but his mother, Emaline B. Engle Prickett, retained her membership in Evesham Monthly Meeting and, later, Upper Evesham Monthly Meeting. They lived in or near villages such as Masonville, Easton, and Vincentown, near Rancocas Creek. In later generations most of the children attended or graduated from Westtown Boarding School, as did many of their spouses. The men in this family were farmers, educators, and lumbermen.

William S. Prickett graduated from Westtown in 1879 and served as an assistant teacher for a few months after graduation. He taught at Newark Academy, Delaware, under headmaster Joseph Polk, and in 1888 married Polk's daughter, Mary Wilson Polk. She was not a Quaker, and at that time, William Prickett resigned his membership at Upper Evesham Monthly Meeting. He became an attorney in Wilmington, Delaware, after his marriage and died there in 1926. His correspondence is mainly about family affairs.

The collection contains the family papers preserved by William Sharp Pickett (1862-1926), whose family were New Jersey Quakers. It includes biographical and genealogical, family correspondence, school papers relating to Josiah J. Pickett who served on the school committee of Northampton Township, NJ., a minute book (1867-1893) kept by Lewis L. Prickett as Secretary of the Trustees of the New Freedom School, Southampton Township, family legal and financial papers, and memorabilia.

The collection is divided into six series:

  1. Genealogy
  2. Correspondence
  3. Writings
  4. Legal and financial papers
  5. Memorabilia
  6. Reference material

Donor: Florence Prickett Hershey, 1984

The collection was given by Florence Prickett Hershey, the daughter of William Sharp Prickett.

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
FHL staff
Finding Aid Date
1984
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Collection Inventory

Charts and lists.
Box 1
Death notices.
Box 1
Marriage certificate of Josiah P. and Emaline B. (Engle) Prickett.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

By William Irick, Justice of the Peace.

Received and sent by William S. Prickett, 1879-1899.
Box 1
Received and sent by other family members.
Box 1

School lesson books of Josiah J. Prickett, 1808-1862.
Mathematics workbook, 1817.
Box 1
"Ciphering" workbook, 1825.
Box 1
Mathematics workbook, part used later as a ledger, 1823-1845.
Box 1
Surveyor's lesson book, 1830-1831.
Box 1
Reports to Josiah J. Prickett by trustees of the various school districts.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Reports concern children who were entitled to public school funds in the years 1840 and 1841. Josiah served on the School Committee of Northampton Township.

Minute book, Trustees of New Freedom School, Southampton Township, Burlington Co., 9/2/1867-3/21/1893.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Kept by Lewis L. Prickett (1844-1929) while serving as Secretary of the Trustees.

School copy books of William S. Prickett while a student at Westtown School, 1876.
Box 2

between John Engle of Evesham Township, Burlington Co., and Zacharias Prickitt (-1727), 10/16/1716.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

For 300 acres of land in the township which had been purchased by John Engle from Hugh Sharp in 1715. Cataloged and filed in oversize chart case.

Physical Description

2 photocopies

between Samuel and Rachel Kemble of Burlington, and Job Prickitt (1744-1825) of Northampton Township, 4/11/1783.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

For 50 acres of cedar swamp, meadows, and low land on a branch of Raucocas Creek, called the Bear Swamp. This land had been conveyed to Samuel Kemble by Abraham Hewlings in 1762. Cataloged and filed in oversize chart case.

between Benjamin Springer of Northampton Rancocas Creek, 7/9/1782.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

This land had been purchased by Springer in May 1777.

Survey.
Box 2
Resurvey of 94 acres of swamp and upland owned by Job Prickitt in Northampton Township, 10/3/1801.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Recorded by the Surveyor General, Robert Smith.

Map of timberlands owned by the late Josiah Prickitt (1779-1860), dated 10/22/1860.
Box 2
Auction poster, 1930.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

For public sale of the farm of the late Lewis L. Prickett (1844-1929) on 11/20/1930, by Myra W. Prickett, his daughter. Farm located about 1.5 miles from Vincentown, Burlington Co. Filed in RG 5, oversize chart case

Estate of Thomas Smith, died 1780, 1781-1782.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Books kept by Job Prickitt, his executor and son-in-law. Prickitt's wife was Ann Smith,, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Smith.

Ledger, creator unknown, for an unidentified business., 1859-1876.
Box 2
School fund accounts, 1849.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

For Northampton and Southampton Townships, kept by Josiah J. Prickett as Superintendent.

Photographs.
Box 2
Clippings kept by Rachel (Barton) Hutchinson.
Box 2
Miscellaneous papers.
Box 2

Title pages (photocopies) of books donated to FHL, but not kept.
Title pages (photocopies) of small collection of school books transferred to Swarthmore College, McCabe Library, Treasure Room.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Transferred books chosen as representative of books used by mid- nineteenth century schools and academies, Quaker and non Quaker.

Print, Suggest