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Lindley Murray Papers
Notifications
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
Lindley Murray, Quaker author and grammarian, was born in Pennsylvania in 1745, the son of Robert and Mary Lindley Murray. His mother was a birthright Quaker, and his father was a convinced Friend. Lindley Murray was educated as a lawyer and practiced in New York City, marrying Hannah Dobson in 1767.
Due to ill health, he moved to England in 1785. He resided in York and devoted the remainder of his life to publishing grammar books and religious tracts. He died in 1826.
His brother, John Murray, was born in 1758 and settled in New York City, where he died in 1819. A successful merchant, he was a member of New York Monthly Meeting and married Catherine Bowne at Flushing in 1783.
John Murray's son, Lindley Murray, was born in 1790 and lived in New York City. A member of New York Yearly Meeting, he worked as a book seller. In 1813, he married Eliza Cheeseman. In 1829 they aligned with the Hicksite branch of the Society of Friends. He died in 1847.
The collection is composed of letters written by Lindley Murray and other family members between 1785 and 1822. Series 1 contains letters which were originally assembled in Friends Historical Library and catalogued as SC/85. It includes letters written by Lindley Murray between 1785 and 1822. These primarily concern the publication of his English Grammar, the question of its acceptability for use at the Ackworth School, and the issue of the use of fiction in the work. Also included are two letters from Lindley Murray, his nephew, on the subject of the American political climate.
The remaining series came to Friends Historical Library by transfer of the New York Yearly Meeting records in 1997. Series 2 contains letters from Lindley Murray (1745-1826) to family members. In particular, there are 39 letters to his brother, John Murray of New York City, which concern family and financial matters and Quaker issues. Series 3 is composed of personal letters from other family members.
The collection is divided into three series:
- Correspondence formerly in the Murray Manuscript collection
- Correspondence transferred from New York Yearly Meeting;
- Family Correspondence, transferred from New York Yearly Meeting.
Accession information
Series 1 is composed of letters from three sources: Gift of A.A. Merritt, 1920; Gift of Friends House Library, 1959; and Purchase from Julia Sweet Newman, 1974. Series 2 and 3 contain letters transferred from New York Yearly Meeting (Haviland Record Room) in 1997 as part of the deposit of the NYYM records.
The collection is sorted according to the original provenance. Series 1 is composed of letters previously catalogued as a Small Collection (SC/85). The additional material was deposit of NYYM records in 1997. The two groups of papers were combined in 1997 into a single group of related family papers. Refoldered and stored in one box in Record Group 5.
Correspondence of Elizabeth Moger (Keeper of the Records, New York Yearly Meeting, 1979-1980) concerning reference questions on the Murray correspondence is included in the administrative folder, stored with the collection.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- Susanna Morikawa
- Finding Aid Date
- 1998
- 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
Lindley Murray letters and family correspondence from the Friends Historical Library Small Collection, Lindley Murray Letters. Most of these letters concern the publication of his English Grammar and related topics. There are also two letters from his nephew, Lindley Murray of New York, on the subject of the American political climate.
ALS
ALS
probably to James Pemberton
Physical DescriptionALS
ALS
AL
ANS
ALS
copy with Lindley Murray's reply
Physical DescriptionAL
2 ALsS
This series was received through transfer from New York Yearly Meeting (Haviland Record Room) in 1997. It is composed of personal letters from Lindley Murray to his family concerning family and financial matters. The letters are arranged by recipient, then chronologically.
ALS
Describes England's abolition of traffic in enslaved people.
Physical Description3 ALsS
1 ALS
Discussion of his new edition of The Power of Religion on the Mind.
Physical Description2 ALsS
His favorable reaction to the founding of a boarding school at Nine Partners by New York Yearly Meeting and on the importance of education.
Physical Description1 ALS
2 ALsS
His reaction to his brother's letter describing prison, medical, and African American concerns.
Physical Description1 ALS
1 ALS
Includes advice on the education of his nephew, Lindley.
Physical Description2 ALsS
2 ALsS
Mentions setting up his nephew, Lindley Murray, in the bookseller trade and the marriage of John's daughter, Mary, to Benjamin Perkins.
Physical Description3 ALsS
2 ALsS
3 ALsS
2 ALsS
Includes his thoughts on the Bible and its validity.
Physical Description1 ALS
Condolences on the death of Benjamin Perkins, John's son-in-law.
Physical Description1 ALsS
1 ALS
Includes his reaction to Noah Webster's criticism of his Grammar and mention of a previous letter on the subject of establishing a Quaker college in the U.S.
Physical Description4 ALsS
1 ALS
3 ALsS
Mentions visit of Seneca Indians in London.
Physical Description2 ALsS
1 ALS
Condolences on her husband's death.
Physical Description1 ALS
1 ALS
Extracts of letters with book lists.
1 ALS
1 ALS
1 ALS
8 ALsS