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Rodman-Rotch 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:
RG5.132
Repository:
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Extent:
0.75 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], Rodman-Rotch Family Papers, RG 5/132, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Date:
1763-1865 (inclusive)
Creator:
Rodman-Rotch family, Rodman, Elizabeth Rotch, 1757-1856, Rotch, William, 1734-1828, Rodman, Samuel, 1753-1835, Barrow, Robert, -1697, Cadwallader, Priscilla, 1786-1859, and Spavold, Samuel
Abstract:
The Rodman and Rotch families were New England Quakers. Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) married Elizabeth Rotch (1757-1856) in 1780. He was a successful Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts, whaling merchant and clerk of New England Yearly Meeting. Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, also from a family involved in the whaling business, and active in philanthropic and reform causes. They had nine children. The Rodmans and Rotches were closely intertwined by marriage; three of the Rodman siblings married three of the Rotch siblings. The families also had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. The collection contains chiefly personal correspondence (1763-1865) of the extended Rodman and Rotch families, along with travel journals (1805, 1807, 1809) and a manuscript copy of an autobiographical memoir of William Rotch (1734-1828), the father of Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, and some related material. The families had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. Some of the letters have been transcribed into typed copies. There are also miscellaneous Quaker manuscripts, including accounts of Priscilla Cadwallader's sermon delivered at Newport, R.I., in 1824; Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or Testimony in 1749; and Robert Barrow's testimony at the funeral of George Fox.

The Rodman and Rotch families were New England Quakers. Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) married Elizabeth Rotch (1757-1856) in 1780. He was a successful Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass., whaling merchant and clerk of New England Yearly Meeting. Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, also from a family involved in the whaling business, and active in philanthropic and reform causes. They had nine children. The Rodmans and Rotches were closely intertwined by marriage; three of the Rodman siblings married three of the Rotch siblings. The families also had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families and were related to the Fisher, Waln, Morgan, Hussey and other families.

The collection contains chiefly personal correspondence (1763-1865) of the extended Rodman and Rotch families, along with travel journals (1805, 1807, 1809) and a manuscript copy of the autobiographical memoir of William Rotch (1734-1828), the father of Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, and some related material. The families had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. Some of the letters have been transcribed into typed copies. There are also a small number of Quaker manuscripts, including accounts of Priscilla Cadwallader's sermon delivered at Newport, R.I., in 1824; Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or Testimony in 1749; and Robert Barrow's testimony at the funeral of George Fox.

The collection is divided into three series:

  1. Journals, biographical and genealogical
  2. Family correspondence
  3. Quaker manuscripts

  1. Genealogy of the Rodman Family by Charles Henry Jones, Philadelphia, 1886.

Donor: Mrs. Alfred Rodman Hussey, 1959, 1960

The collection was given by Mary Lincoln Warren Husssey, the widow of Alfred Rodman Hussey who was a descendent of Samuel and Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman. His grandparents, Charles W. and Sarah R. Morgan became Unitarians after the "New Light" controversy in New Bedford Monthly Meeting. Alfred R. Hussey was a Unitarian minister.

Processed by FHL staff prior to 1967. Other related papers from the same donor were cataloged as Alfred Rodman Hussey Manuscripts, MSS 030. In 4/2014, the miscellaneous Quaker writings in the manuscript collection were united with the larger collection, added to Series. 3. The journals by Sarah R. Morgan and Jane Hoskins were added to MSS 003, FHL Journals. See Acc. file for list of items previously cataloged as MSS 030.

See also:

  1. Account of the "New Light" Movement, 1823-1825. MSS 003/186, formerly part Alfred Hussey Manuscripts, MSS 030.
  2. Memorandum / written by William Rotch in 1814 in the eightieth year of his age. Falls Church, Va: Kimo Press, [1981?]

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
FHL staff
Finding Aid Date
1960
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

Diary, [Rodman, Eliza?] Phila., 1803.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

AMs. Eliza Rodman? (1782-1864), attending Quaker meetings, accounts of travels.

Diary, [Rodman, Eliza?], 1805, 1807.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

AMs. Includes visits to Stafford Springs, CT, and visit to Shakers. In 1807 visits to Boston, Plymoth, and Sandwich. First part of the volume was used by Benjamin Rodman as student work book.

Rotch, Joseph: "Journal of a Southern Tour", 1809, 5 mo.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

AMsS. From New Bedford to NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Virginia

Rotch, William (1734-1828): "An autobiographical Memoir of William Rotch written in the eightieth year of his age".
Box 1
Physical Description

Ms. copy. An account of events in Nantucket during the years 1775-1794, written ca. 1814.

Material on Rotch, Starbuck, Rodman, Prior, Haydock.
Box 1
Chart of Robert Susanna Heath's family.
Box 1
Chart of Tristram Coffin descendants.
Box 1
Memo of Mary Prior to her children.
Box 1
Memorial for Mary Prior.
Box 1
An exile from Home: Elizabeth Barker Rotch.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

An account of the life Eliza Rotch (1764-1858) daughter of Josiah and Elizabeth (Hussey) Barker. An address by Alfred Rodman Hussey presented to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Photocopy of a draft typescript and notes.

Newspaper clippings (photocopies).
Box 1

Dean and Lydia Rotch (1770-1822) on death of Mother Rodman, 1798 2mo. 27.
Dean and Lydia Rotch on death of Thomas Rodman, 1809 5mo. 14.
Box 1
Fisher, Hannah Rodman (1764-1819) correspondence, 1781-1819.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes a letter by Samuel Fisher on death of Hannah.

Fisher, Mary Rodman (1781-1813) correspondence from Wakefield, [Mass.], 1807-1812.
Box 1
Hazard, Anna Rodman (1761-1845) correspondence, 1786-1837.
Box 1
Robeson, Anna Rodman (1787-1848) correspondence, 1809-1839.
Box 1
Rodman, Benjamin (1794-1876) correspondence, 1811-1857.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes "Salutatory oration pronounced before the trustees of the "Friends Academy", New Bedford "...being the second anniversary of the establishment of the Institution..." 5/21/1813.

Rodman, Mary Borden (1729-1798) correspondence, 1781-1794.
Box 1
Rodman, Samuel (1753-1835) correspondence, 1782-1819.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Mostly to his wife, Elizabeth Rotch Rodman.

Rodman, Samuel, Jr. (1792-1876) correspondence, 1809-1865.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Also typed extracts of letters written to S.R., Jr. while at school.

Rodman, Sarah (1764-1793) correspondence, 1787-1793.
Box 1
Rodman, William Rotch (1786-1855) correspondence, 1811-1836.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Mostly concerning business.

Rotch, Benjamin (1762-1839) correspondence, 1768-1836.
Box 1
Rotch, Charity Rodman (1766-1834) correspondence, 1791-1823.
Box 2
Physical Description

2 typed copies

Rotch, Elizabeth Barker (1764-858) correspondence, [1790]-1855.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Written from Dunkirk, Islington, Milford, Lowlands.

Rotch, Elizabeth Rodman (1759-1828), 1779-1781.
Box 2
Rotch, Mary (1777-1848), 1790-1813.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Includes copy of Epistle from New England Y.M. (Women) to Philadelphia YM (Women) 1817, Mary Rotch, clerk.

Rotch, William (1734-1828), 1785-1813.
Box 2
Rotch, William, Jr. (1759-1850), 1779-1842.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Filed chronologically.

Bowne, Hannah to Elizabeth Rodman, [1805?] 12mo. 10, 1806 3mo. 10.
Box 2
Emlen, Susannah to Hannah Prior, 11 7mo. 12, 1815 1mo. 1. 1819 2mo. 14.
Box 2
Fillers, Felix, 1809-1815.
Box 2
Physical Description

3 ALsS

Fisher, William L. to Samuel Rodman, Jr., 1814 3mo. 1.
Box 2
Haydock, Hannah and/or Henry.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

[Attached to letter by Eleanor Moode(?)]

Haydock, Mary to Samuel Emlen, 1791 7mo. 6.
Box 2
Moode(?), Eleanor, 1763 5mo. 31.
Box 2
Newhall, Mary-Lynn, Troy, 1817 6mo. 26, 1827 3mo. 25.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

To Samuel & Elizabeth Rodman re religious controversy.

Rodman, Eliza to Rodman, Samuel, Philadelphia,, 1811 1mo. 11.
Box 2
Rodman, H.H. to Elizabeth Rodman, 1820 5mo. 20.
Box 2
Rodman, Julia, Correspondence on meteorological records, 1915.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Includes Rodman, T.P. to Harriet Amanda Holt, 1830 1mo. 24

Shober, Samuel L. to Charles --, Philadelphia,, 1820 12mo. 27.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

A theological discussion.

Fothergill, Samuel, testimony.
Box 2
Hints for my Government externally internally (Rules of Conduct).
Box 2
Lines on the Death of -- by M.W.C. to Miss Lydia Rodman.
Box 2
Mary Newhall's testimony at Rochester, 1818 1mo. 4.
Box 2
Mrs. Mary Newell [poem].
Box 2
Account of a sermon by M.M., [Pine Street Meeting], n.d.
Box 2
Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or testimony at Sauterforth, "the 3d of ye 10th mo 1749".
Box 2
A Sketch of Priscilla Hunt's Discourse Delivered at New Bedford, 1824 5 mo 15.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Text of a sermon delivered by Priscilla Hunt Cadwallader (1786-1859), Quaker minister.

The testimony of Robert Barrow at George Fox's burial, 1691 11mo. 16.
Box 2
...Expressions that were dropped by my beloved sister Elizabeth Rathbone. . ., n.d.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Ms volume. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

"Dominum Collaudemus", n.d.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Ms poem (copy) by Peleg Folger, born 1734, Nantucket. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

D[avid] H[all] to [James Wilson], 1738 4 mo 24.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

A.L.S. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

Commonplace book, n.d.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Small Ms volume containing Quaker writings. Includes "A Remarkable Dream on the 30th of ye 10 mo 1762, A Passage concerning Peter Gardner," and the dream of Elizabeth Wilkinson. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

Sermons made at Boxboro, 1787 3mo 21 and 22.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Small Ms volume. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

Testimonies by Mary Ridway, Jane Watson, Samuel Emlen, and Thomas Scattergood, 1791 6 mo 3-7 mo 10.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Ms volume. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

"A new confession of faith", 1825 5 mo.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

New York. 1 page Ms, a satirical creed directed against the Orthodox. Transferred from Hussey MSS, 4/2014.

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