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Thorne 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
Jonathan Thorne (1801-1884) was descended from a distinguished Dutchess County Quaker family. His father was a successful merchant, and about 1820, Jonathan moved to New York City where he became a prominent businessman. In 1823 he married Lydia Ann Corse. The family maintained a summer residence in Dutchess County and raised prize-winning cattle and sheep. Jonathan and Lydia had eleven children, but five died in their youth. Jonathan married a second time in 1872 to Eliza T. Merritt. Phebe Anna Thorne (1828-1909) was the third eldest, the oldest surviving daughter, and never married. A devout Quaker who wore plain dress, she was acknowledged as a minister of New York Monthly Meeting and traveled with Rachel Hicks, also a New York Quaker minister. The family was active in Quaker concerns and philanthropy, and Phebe Anna and her brothers established in 1894 a meeting hall and school in Millbrook, their birthplace in Dutchess County, in memory of their parents. Phebe Anna died at the home of her brother, Samuel (1835-1915), a successful businessman who maintained a home in Millbrook. He married Phebe Van Schoonhoven, and their daughter Margaret married C. Richard Tjader.
This collection contains correspondence, memorabilia, and photographs of a New York City Quaker family. It includes some writings by Phebe Anna Thorne (1828-1909), a Quaker minister, and travel correspondence from various family members
The collection is divided into three series:
- Biographical material
- Correspondence
- Family memorabilia
Accession information:
Donor: Marguerite Thorne Tjader Harris, 1960
The collection was given by great-granddaughter of Jonathan and Lydia Ann Thorne. She was the granddaughter of their son, Samuel.
Received unprocessed. Organized and described by FHL staff circa 1960.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- FHL staff
- Finding Aid Date
- ca. 1960
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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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
10 letters
10 letters
12 letters
letters during European tour
Physical Description33 letters
39 letters
2 pictures