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Joseph Brevitt Townsend papers
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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Joseph Brevitt Townsend (1821-1896), a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, to Joseph and Sarah (Hickman) Townsend. The son of a saddler, Joseph Brevitt was educated mainly at the well-respected Bolmar's Academy in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Upon completion of his schooling, he apprenticed with prominent Philadelphia lawyer Eli Kirk Price. J.B. Townsend passed the bar in 1842 at the age of twenty-one. His private legal practice focused on real estate and wills, but he was also involved in commercial and insurance law and acted as a legal consultant for several commercial, insurance, and trust companies. Townsend practiced law in Philadelphia for the duration of his career. His first office was located at 813 Arch Street, and then moved to 709 Walnut Street. After many years of legal service, the University of Pennsylvania conveyed upon him an honorary degree of Doctor of the Laws in 1895.
In addition to a successful legal career, Joseph Brevitt Townsend was involved in the management of many other institutions in the city. For four and a half years, he was a member of the Board of Guardians for the Poor. From 1869 until his death in 1896, he was the manager of The Contributors to the Pennsylvania Hospital, and acted as director of the Hospital for a period. Beginning in 1879, he was on the Board of Trustees of the Jefferson Medical College, and he was the president of the institution at the time of his death. He was also the chancellor of the Law Association of Philadelphia and one of the managers of the Western Savings Fund Society of Philadelphia. The only social club he ever belonged to was the Union Club, which evolved into the Union League. He was a founding member of this club, and was among the first elected directors in 1864, and he was vice-president in 1892.
Joseph Brevitt Townsend was married twice. His first marriage, to Mary E. Price, lasted only nine years, ended by Mary's death in 1856. J.B. and Mary Townsend had three children: Edward Shippen Burd (b. 1849 - d. 1851); James Price (b. 1851 - d. 1900); and Eleanor Holliday (b. 1853 - d. 1894). Three years after Mary's death Townsend married Adaline (Ada) E. Barton. J.B. and Ada had three children: Joseph Brevitt, Jr. (b. 1861); John Barton (b. 1865); and Charles Cooper (b. 1867 - d. 1914). Although Joseph Brevitt Townsend worked in Philadelphia, he and his family lived in the suburb of Overbrook.
The four Townsend sons who survived into adulthood entered the law profession, and worked with their father at certain points in their careers. J.B. Townsend, Jr. graduated from the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1884, and was admitted to the bar in that same year. He then went into practice with his father, and they worked together until the death of J.B. Townsend, Sr. in 1896. In addition to his legal practice, Joseph Brevitt, Jr. was the solicitor for the Western Saving Fund Society of Philadelphia, and the director of both the Provident Trust Company, and the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Philadelphia. After the death of his father, Joseph Brevitt, Jr., was joined in his legal practice by his brothers James Price and Charles Cooper . The three brothers maintained their father's practice under the name Townsend, Elliot & Townsend. A fourth son, John Barton , pursued the study of law in his father's law office after he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1884. In 1885 he became a clerk for the Provident Life and Trust Company. He remained with this company for the duration of his career, eventually becoming vice-president.
Eli Kirk Price (July 20 1797 - November 15, 1884) was a prominent lawyer and law reformer of Philadelphia and handled the most important estates in the city. He specialized in equity and real property law, and mentored J.B. Townsend in such law when he was preparing to enter the bar. In 1828 Eli Price, a Quaker, married fellow Friend Anna Embree and they had three children. He served in the State Senate from 1854 to 1856 and in these years was involved in the passage of legislation that allowed for Philadelphia's growth. He was also instrumental in city improvement projects such as the creation of Fairmount Park in 1867. As a legal reformer, Eli K. Price focused on revising conveyance laws, particularly to protect women's property rights in marriage.
T.L. Montgomery.Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Vol. 14. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914.Chronicle of the Union League of Philadelphia, 1862-1902. Philadelphia: Union League, 1902.
The Joseph Brevitt Townsend papers, spanning the dates 1810-1917 (bulk dates 1840-1896), document the professional career, and to a lesser extent the personal life, of the Philadelphia lawyer, Joseph Brevitt Townsend.
A gift of the Moyerman family in 1970, the collection comprises approximately 2,000 items (4 linear feet) of legal and personal correspondence, printed and manuscript wills and estate records, personal and legal account books, printed and manuscript legal proceedings, and court decisions and drafts of agreements. Eli K. Price appears frequently in Townsend's early career, as Price was Townsend's mentor and later business partner. Also represented in the papers are Townsend's four sons: James Price, Joseph Brevitt Jr., John Barton and Charles Cooper.
Soon after receipt at the University of Delaware Library, the collection was arranged into four series, largely by document type with chronological subdivisions. These series include: I. Legal documents and professional correspondence (F1-F47), II. Miscellaneous documents and correspondence (F48-F51), III. Printed court proceedings and legal documents (F52-F55), and IV. Financial records (F56-F64).
Series I. contains legal documents and the professional correspondence of Townsend's Philadelphia practice. The largest series, this material has been arranged chronologically. There are several divisions by decade, with subdivisions by document type (legal documents or correspondence). Drafts of court proceedings from the Orphan's Court of Philadelphia, the Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and various Circuit Courts frequently appear in this series. There are also many records of land transactions, some maps of land holdings, and indentures and mortgages. A series of land transactions pertaining to the formation of Fairmount Park, a project Eli K. Price was heavily involved in, appears in the collection beginning in 1867 (F11). J.B. Townsend served as the trustee or executor of many wills and estates of Philadelphia families. Discussion of estate dispersals, land disputes and land sales are the main topics discussed in the professional correspondence in this series. The correspondence, with Philadelphia names such as Lea, Biddle, Barton, and Price, also conveys a sense of Townsend's extensive social and professional network. J.B. Townsend practiced law with his mentor, Eli K. Price, early in his career and therefore Eli Price appears in many documents and pieces of correspondence early in this series. Beginning circa 1850, J.B. Townsend was joined in his law practice by the first of his four sons, who all appear in the collection. James P. Townsend, Charles C. Townsend, and J.B. Townsend, Jr. appear most frequently in the documents and professional correspondence, and John Barton appears through his affiliation with the Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia. Upon J.B. Townsend's death in 1896 his sons continued his law practice under the name Townsend, Elliott & Townsend, a firm name that appears in this series beginning in F40.
Series II. Miscellaneous documents and correspondence, contains items related to the estate of the Picot family, John B. Chrisman and his business Chrisman, Brothers & Company, correspondence related to the Pennsylvania Hospital, and miscellaneous papers related to the legal careers of the Townsend men. These items were separated arbitrarily from the first series in the early processing of the collection. The Picot papers (F49) include correspondence and other documents dealing with the settlement of the estate of Charles Picot, of which Eli K. Price and J.B. Townsend were executors. The John B. Chrisman papers (F50) include receipts, accounts and correspondence related to Chrisman, Brothers & Company, a firm affiliated with the Rolling Iron Mill in Bergen County, New Jersey. John B. Chrisman lived in Wallace Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, with his wife Isabella. The Pennsylvania Hospital correspondence (F51) includes letters concerning J.B. Townsend's management of the hospital, as well as many recommendation letters in reference to a vacant position on the hospital staff. The final folder in this series contains legal certifications awarded to J.B. Townsend, Jr. and Charles C. Townsend, making them eligible to practice law in certain types of courts in Philadelphia. This folder also contains J.B. Townsend, Jr.'s diploma from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
Series III. Printed court proceedings (F53 - F56), separated by document type, contains the printed court proceedings of various Philadelphia cases represented in the first series. This series also contains the printed wills and estate audits of many of the Townsend clients.
Series IV. Financial records and pocket diaries includes the personal financial records of various Townsend family members, as well as the financial accounts of Townsend, Elliott & Townsend. Other financial records relate to two of J.B. Townsend's clients, the William Chamberlain Estate and the Woodlands Cemetery.
The Joseph Brevitt Townsend papers highlight Townsend's legal practice, including his collaboration with his four sons, and his mentor and associate Eli K. Price. This collection would be of interest to legal historians, particularly of those interested in nineteenth-century Philadelphia. As documented in this collection, Townsend's work with real estate and estate settlements provides insight into various land transactions that shaped Philadelphia's growth and development in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.
- Boxes 1-3: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
- Boxes 4-6: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
- Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)
Gift of the Moyerman family, 1970.
Processed by Emily Holloway, March 2006. Encoded by Lora J. Davis, August 2011.
People
- Townsend, Joseph Brevitt, 1821-1896
- Townsend, James Price, 1851-1900
- Townsend, Joseph Brevitt, Jr., 1861-
- Townsend, J. Barton (John Barton), 1865-
- Price, Eli K. (Eli Kirk), 1797-1884
- Chrisman, John B.
- Picot family
Organization
- Townsend, Elliot & Townsend
- Provident Life & Trust Company of Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Chrisman, Brothers & Company
- University of Pennsylvania. Law School
- Pennsylvania. Supreme Court
Subject
- Probate law and practice--Pennsylvania--History--19th century
- Probate courts--Pennsylvania--History--19th century
- Circuit courts--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--History--19th century
- Law--Pennsylvania--History--19th century
Place
Occupation
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2011 August 1
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Collection Inventory
This series includes documents and correspondence related to the legal career of Eli K. Price, J.B. Townsend, J.B. Townsend, Jr., Charles Cooper Townsend, James Price Townsend, John Barton Townsend, and William Elliott. The types of documents include legal drafts and correspondence dealing with land transactions and estate settlements. Proceedings and discussion of the Philadelphia Orphan's Court, Circuit Courts, Court of Common Pleas, and Pennsylvania Supreme Court appear regularly. Many family estates and settlements appear more than once throughout this series.
8 items
"Brief of Title" for ninety-two acres and sixty perches in Moyamensing, Philadelphia County, tracing ownership from 1684-1790, re-recorded in 1825. Also includes hand drawn map.
Richard M. Wistar appeal for relief from debts under the Insolvent Laws of the Commonwealth in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, 1832.
Includes a copy of the will of John Lusk; notes for argument concerning the estate of George Pepper; Deed of sale for land in Philadelphia between Joseph B. Townsend to James Ridings; letters appointing J.B. Townsend power of attorney, leases for house or land rental, J.B. Townsend as landlord; copy of auditor's report and account book of Elizabeth Wistar estate; and agreement concerning ground rent between J.B. Townsend and William Chamberlain.
Physical Description17 items
Includes legal documents related to a questionable sale of real estate from the Estate of Samuel Porter; notes for other land sales; copy of an agreement for the transfer of a land lease between James Donaghue and William McGlaughlin; a Letter of Attorney from Daniel Maloney; notes and documents for a land claim case between Silliman and Patterson; receipts for payment of ground rent and city taxes on various properties in Philadelphia; a copy of Thomas Graham's will "found in his desk"; various documents pertaining to the death of Ann Cowgill and the administration of her estate; a deed for land in Baltimore County, Maryland, concerning William Townsend and Sarah Townsend; and a copy of an auditor's report for the estate of Philetus Phillips.
Physical Description46 items
Includes various deeds and leases; documents pertaining to the death and estate of John J. Jones and petitions related to the estate of his wife, Catharine (Rodes) Jones; and the will and estate accounts of Elizabeth Price, Joseph B. Townsend executor.
Physical Description38 items
Includes a certified copy of a petition against the estate of Sarah P. Howard filed in the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia; a copy of the Orphans' Court sale of the estate of "Valparaiso" owned by William Meredith, deceased; documents pertaining to the sale of the former real estate of Deborah Morris, deceased; a petition of Robert Porter concerning the Porter Estate; and a petition concerning the sale of land in the Wistar estate and a printed hand bill advertising the sale.
Physical Description12 items
Includes legal documents of J.B. Townsend and Henry C. Townsend; documents and receipts related to the estate of Elizabeth Price; notes on a drafted deed and receipt for such services; petitions and accounts related to the firm John Farnum and Company; "Exemplification of Deed, John Farnum et al to Thomas Williamson et al"; interrogatories from various cases; Lease of property to Clara Whipple; various documents related to the estate of Nathaniel Randolph, deceased; and an Orphan's Court settlement and other documents concerning the estate of Deborah Morris.
Physical Description42 items
Includes correspondence both to and from Joseph Brevitt Townsend, William Townsend and Henry C. Townsend discussing various legal cases, accounts, and real estate agreements they were involved in. Primary correspondents include: John Tarrey, Isaac R. Pierce, Richard J. Downey, William H. Price, John Farnum, Thomas Williamson, and James Biddle. The correspondence occurred in Philadelphia and surrounding towns, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago and New York.
Physical Description81 items
Includes documents from the legal practice of J.B. Townsend, Henry C. Townsend pertaining to the estates of Samuel Porter, John Jones, Nathaniel Randolph, Henry E. Drayton, and James Donaghue; receipts of Mrs. Drayton; and a record of supplies purchased for J.B. Townsend.
Physical Description79 items
Includes documents related to the Porter estate and the Rachel Zook estate and mortgage; a copy of the auditor's report for the estate of Robert V. Massey; the opinions of Eli K. Price and J.B. Townsend on various cases; and Sharpless vs. Sharpless, Bill in Equity for Partition.
Physical Description16 items
Includes an edited draft of the Sharpless vs. Sharpless equity case prepared for the printer; a dispersal of the Sharpless estate; a copy of the power of attorney for Sarah Ann Myers; settlement of a portion of the will if Elizabeth Price; list of Drayton estate sale carried out by M. Thomas & Sons, Auctioneers; and a copy of the auditor's report for the estate of David H. Wright, deceased.
Physical Description25 items
Includes copies of searches for any unsatisfied mortgages of the land of Price L. Patton; a copy of the will of Philetus Phillips, Sarah Clark, and the original will of Mary Tweddle; papers pertaining to the John Sharp Estate; auditor's reports for the Henry M. Crawford estate, Thomas Graham estate, and Robert V. Massey estate; assessment of damages incurred on the land of Isaac Hawk by the Wilmington and Reading Railroad Company; "Transfer of 1/3 Interest in Patent Right Caldwell C. Jenkins to J. Barton Paxton"; Opinion on a land contract written by Eli K. Price; documents pertaining to the acquisition of lands to extend Fairmount Park; and "Agreement, Thomas Lea and Joseph B. Townsend, Executors and the Fair Hill Land Company."
Physical Description44 items
Includes correspondence related to the Henry Drayton estate; discussion of stores to be built on the property of the late Mr. Burd at the southwest corner of 9th and Chestnut in Philadelphia; and discussion of Railroad stock. Primary correspondents include George Biddle, Anna K. Massey, Joseph Jones, Joseph Lea, J.B. Packer, M.A. Goodenough, Mr. Bakewell, Mary Drayton, and Richard J. Downing.
Physical Description68 items
Includes correspondence written by and to J.B. Townsend, and other parties pertaining to his legal practice. Major correspondents include William Rockefellar, Emma (Phillips) Barney, W.C. Tweddle, Johnathan Tweddle, Thomas Lea, S.S. Ashmead, Mary Sears, and E.D Haines and Company.
Physical Description58 items
Includes documents pertaining to the legal work of J.B. Townsend, James Townsend; a copy of a petition in the Orphan's Court concerning the will and estate of Henry Root and other documents related to this estate and land transaction with Fairmount Park; a copy of the will of Philip M. Price; a copy of the will of Sarah Benner; the will of Mary C. Brooks; the Final Account of Rebecca W. Morris of Burlington County, New Jersey, widow deceased; a case between the Fair Hill Land Company and the estate of Sarah Clark, with Thomas Lea and J.B. Townsend executors; bills for interior and exterior building repairs on various properties; a copy of the appraisement of the estate of Peter Ihrie; the will of Samuel Canby; and landlords' notices.
Physical Description50 items
Includes a contestation of the sale of land from estate of Martin Curran; an Assessment of the property of William and Robert Greer; the estate of Thomas Graham; and copies or drafts of court cases or court decisions.
Physical Description47 items
Includes advertisement and documentation of the Executors sale of the Greer estate; documents related to the estate of Sarah Clark; an envelope of the Adams Express Company; the Assignment of Bond and Mortgage of Joshua Cowpland, Jr., to Joseph B. Townsend; the Final account of Joseph B. Townsend as Guardian of Rachel Zook, who has reached lawful age; bills for masonry work performed at various properties; and the estate of William Reed.
Physical Description51 items
Includes legal documents involving J.B. Townsend, James P. Townsend, and other documents related to their work; a draft of an appeal to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; a lease, John Wallace to Aaron Dunkle; a draft of an auditor's report in the William J. Reed Estate; cases heard in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Number 4; a copy of "Inventory and Appraisement of the Goods and Chattels, Rights and Credits which were Anne Kelly (coloured woman) dec'd"; and the account of Charles H. and George Abbott, executors of the will of Timothy Abbott.
Physical Description17 items
Includes copies of arguments, petitions and appeals brought in the Orphan's Court, Court of Common Pleas, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; an argument from McLaughlin vs. Sanger heard by Mr. Townsend; a Court of Common Pleas case Wood, administrator of Herring vs. Francis J. Ott; an eviction notice from I. Inez Van Tassel to Elizabeth Davis; a letter of attorney Charles H. Abbott to his wife Rebecca Abbott; Estate of Mary P. Loxley; Charles McLaughlin vs. Charles Sanger; and the estate of George Abbott.
Physical Description19 items
Documents pertaining to the legal work of J.B. Townsend and James P. Townsend. Includes petitions and arguments brought to the court of common pleas in the cases of Middleton et al vs. Smith et al, Ferris vs. Wilson, M.S. Yearlsey, a dairy dealer, vs. Hugh Conway, a dairy dealer; answers to interrogatories of the Executors and Trustees of the Will of Algernon Roberts provided by J.B. Townsend; William Wallace Cook's Estate; and testimony related to Wood vs. Ott.
Physical Description20 items
Includes correspondence addressed to and written by J.B. Townsend, most of which is of an official nature. Major correspondents include: Royal Phelps of New York; Thomas Lea, Esq.; M.H. Jones, Esq.; Cyrus Elder, Esq. of the Cambria Iron Works, Johnstown, PA; Mary Drayton; J.H. Barton, J.B. Townsend's cousin, of Lock Haven, PA; James Paul, Esq. of Philadelphia; To Miss Walker from C.C. Cowpland; Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company; and a personal letter from J.J. Parker, perhaps a Quaker brother.
Physical Description68 items
Includes correspondence addressed to and received by J.B. Townsend, and other letters related to clients or associates. Major correspondents include: Thomas Lea; J.H. Barton; Maitland Phelps and Co. of New York; Western Union Cable Messages; and Fisher and Fisher, of London.
Physical Description43 items
Includes correspondence addressed to and received by J.B. Townsend and his son James P. Townsend, and other letters concerning Townsend clients or business associates. Major correspondents include H.O. Chapman of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company; Mr. Dunston of London referring to the case Bird vs. Fiddian; Van Winkle, Candler and Jay, Counsellors at Law, Wallstreet, New York; Maitland Phelps; J.R. Romeyn to James P. Townsend concerning the death of famed angler Thaddeus Norris; and Thomas beck and Son, Front Street Feed Mill, Philadelphia.
Physical Description52 items
Includes correspondence written to and received by J.B. Townsend and James P. Townsend. Major correspondents include J.W. Lodge, W. Dunston of London, George Tucker Bispham, John Ashbridge, William Henry Ramey, E.S. Gleason, Edgar Petit, Thomas Lea, and Frank Faulkner of London in regards to the Woods estate.
Physical Description80 items
Includes Orphan's Court cases of Dr. George B. Wood estate, Joseph Singerly estate, and Charles Henderson, a minor. Also includes the wills of Robert Buist, horticulturalist, and John Goforth, and an insurance police held by Sarah Curtis with the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Germantown.
Physical Description29 items
Includes three copies of an agreement between the Pennsylvania Hospital and Bertha Hoffman in regards to the will of Sylvanus W. Godon, Surrogates Court of New York County in the matter of the will of Sylvanus W. Godon, and other documents related to the Pennsylvania Hospital and the Godon estate; Orphans' Court documents related to the estate of Alan Wood, Dr. James Bond, and Julia A. Miller's account with the estate of Richard J. Rutter; and estate of Robert Buist, copy of the last will and testament of Rebecca F. Abbott.
Physical Description18 items
Includes documents related to the Robert Buist estate and his minor children ; McLaughlin and Sanger real estate auction held by James A. Freeman & Co. Auctioneers; Orphans' Court cases related to the estate of J, Thornton Weaver, estate of Robert Buist, and the estate of Catharine Alexander; an audit of the estate of Dr. James Bond; a Certified Copy of the Distribution of the estate of George Massey as settled in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia; an account of Robert V. Massey, Jr. attorney for Mrs. Susanna M. Lea, witnessed by James P. Townsend; and a Judgment on Richard Wistar, et al vs. John M. Scott, et al concerning an area of land named "Prospect Hill."
Physical Description27 items
Includes McLaughlin vs. Sanger case; A.S. Roberts account with the estate of Algernon Roberts; a copy of a Bond and Warrant binding David Woelpper, Benjamin H. Brown, and George Woelpper, lumber merchants, to James S. Mason; documents related to the estate of Alexander Young; a real estate case, heard by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Alfred Wetherill, et al vs. John Price Wetherill, et al; "Policies of Insurance of the Insane Department for Males"; and James P. Townsend account with Marianne Walker.
Physical Description27 items
Includes a copy of the estate of Algernon Roberts; a copy of the deposition of Passmore Williamson, trustee in account with the estate of the late Thomas Williamson, and other documents related to this case; a copy of the will of Charles Spencer; Court of Common Pleas, Nelson F. Evans vs. John Crawford, Sophia A. Young vs. John Crawford; Court of Common Pleas regarding the Trust Estate created by Daniel J. Morrell; Orphans' Court concerning the estate of Sarah Clark, dec'd, Thomas Lea and Joseph B. Townsend, executors; Orphans' Court concerning the estate of James M. Benners; Bond certificate for the Crane Iron Company; Home Insurance Company policy certificate of Joseph B. Townsend for rental property in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; and bills for repairs on "Price House" and "Richie House" billed to J.B. Townsend and A.F. Ryan.
Physical Description30 items
Includes Orphans' Court documents related to the Sarah Clark Estate, J.B. Townsend executor, the Rebecca Abbot Estate, James P. Townsend, Executor; Statement of amount due A.F. Ryon from J.B. Townsend for property in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; documents related to the Sepviva Estate; mortgage between William Thomas and Joseph B. Townsend; and a list of land in Philip K. "Price's Addition to the Town of Lock Haven."
Physical Description15 items
Documents related to the estate of Charles Spencer; a valuation of the Sepviva Estate and other documents related to it; and J.B. Townsend insurance certificates for personal property at his residence in Overbrook; receipts, bills, and tax records for property in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; and other documents related to the sale of the "Price Homestead" in Lock Haven, J.B. Townsend as executor, A. F. Ryan is the attorney overseeing the sale in Lock Haven.
Physical Description25 items
Includes letters written to and received by J.B. Townsend and James P. Townsend in their law practice. Main topics discussed include the Godon Estate and the Pennsylvania Hospital, Singerly estate settlement, and the Woods estate. Major correspondents include W. Dunston of London, D. Henderson, the firm of Lord, Day & Lord of New York, George Biddle, Helen Bunting, E. Coppee Mitchell, and Thomas Lea.
Physical Description57 items
Includes letters written to and received by J.B. Townsend. Major topics discussed include the Sharp's estate, the Godon Estate and the settlement with the Pennsylvania Hospital, and the Algernon. Sydney Roberts estate. Major correspondents include E. Coppee Mitchell, Thomas Lea, Samuel Wakeling, Edward Perkins, Charles Sanger, Henry J. Hoffman Bond and Stock Broker of New York, George De Forest Lord of Lord, Day & Lord firm of New York, R. L. Ashhurst, and Maitland Phelps of New York.
Physical Description68 items
Letters written to and received by J.B. Townsend and James P. Townsend related to their law practice, as well as J.B. Townsend's involvement with the Pennsylvania Hospital. Major topics include J.B. Townsend's health, a marriage annulment for a former resident at the Pennsylvania Hospital, the estate of Algernon S. Roberts, the estate of Joseph Singerly, and the Price property in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Major correspondents include Marianne Walker of England, Cyrus Elder of the Cambria Iron Works, and Mariano Artis of Matanzas, Cuba, Charles Sanger, John B. Chapin of the Willard Asylum for the Insane, Edward L. Perkins, J. H. Barton of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, Maitland Phelps and Company, and A.F. Ryon of Lock Haven.
Physical Description84 items
Letters written to and received by J.B. and James P. Townsend. Major topics discussed include the Leicester Knitting Mills in Germantown, Philadelphia, the estate of Charles Spencer, the estate of A.S. Roberts, the Lock Haven land in the Price estate, and the J. Aubrey Jones estate. Main correspondents include The Fidelity Insurance, Trust and Safe Deposit Company, A.F. Ryon, J.H. Barton, G.B. Roberts, and Horace F. Weeks.
Physical Description49 items
Includes bills for housework done at J.B. Townsend's home at Overbrook by R.Q. Gibbon, Contractor and Builder; "The Second Account of Daniel B. Cummins, Sole Surviving Executor of the Last Will and Testament of Isaiah V. Williamson"; account of the will of Robert J. Wright with the Providence Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia; and account of the estate of Alan Wood estate.
Physical Description11 items
Includes documents related to the sale of the Lock Haven property, owned by Philip K. Price but conveyed to J.B. Townsend in 1867, and the estate of Isaiah V. Williamson.
Physical Description25 items
Legal documents associated with the legal career of J.B. Townsend and James P. Townsend. Includes legal claims of the Provident Life Insurance and the Philadelphia Trust Company, a case involving George H. Earle, Jr. and the Art Library Publishing Company heard by the U.S. Circuit Court of Pennsylvania; a bill from the firm John Wanamaker; tax bills for the year 1899; bills for house repairs on various properties; and 3 copies of the rule from the Court of Common Pleas on the case of the trustees of the will of James Mason vs. Benjamin Brown.
Physical Description42 items
Legal documents associated with the law firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend. Includes "Guaranteed Locality Claim Search" by the Land and Title Trust Company for property on Park Avenue in Philadelphia, Interrogatories for the case of S.E.M. Rice Varnish Company vs. W.O Bowman Trading Company heard by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and the account of Robert V. Massey, Trustee for Susanna Lea.
Physical Description12 items
Letters written to and received by J.B., James P., and Charles C. Townsend from various lawyers from eastern Pennsylvania, New York, and elsewhere. Main topics include the Price land in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Hospital, and the estate of Alan Wood. Major correspondents include A.F. Ryon, A. Sydney Biddle of the Philadelphia law firm Biddle & Ward, W.E. Doster, J.H. Barton, George S. Lay, The Law Offices of Wayne MacVeagh, George Tucker Bispham, A.H. Wintersteen, John Hampton Barnes, William M. Stewart, Jr., George Northrop, and attorney William H. Baker of Jacksonville, Florida.
Physical Description77 items
Legal correspondence written to and received by J.B. Townsend. Major topics include the Price land in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and The Pennsylvania Hospital. Main correspondents include A.F. Ryon, J. Barton Townsend and others of The Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia, and J.H. Barton.
Physical Description57 items
Legal and personal correspondence written to and received from J.B. Townsend, and the firm of James P. Townsend, William Elliott, and J.B. Townsend, Jr., formed after the death of J.B. Townsend in 1896. Major topics discussed include a possible loan to J.B. Townsend's nephew Phillip Barton for an investment in the Ohio Valley Electric Co., a scholarship for a member of the Dover Baseball Club, and the rental of various properties in Philadelphia. Main correspondents include attorney A.M. Holding of West Chester Pennsylvania, J.F. Rohrer of the Paxtang Land Company, and Francis T.S. Darley.
Physical Description67 items
Includes legal documents associated with the estate of James S. Mason; the funeral of Elizabeth Taylor; the will of Rebecca F. Abbott; and the estate of John W. Dean, as well as telephone bills of the firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend.
Physical Description19 items
Personal and legal correspondence written to and received by members of the firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend. Also includes Western Union and The Postal Telegraph-Cable Company telegrams. Main topics include J.B. Townsend's estate, a hunting trip planned by J.B. Townsend, Jr., the real estate issues of Francis Darley, and John Wanamaker as guardian of Jean M. Farquhar Reed. Major correspondents include Frank (Francis) Darley, J.H. Jolley & Co., and John Wanamaker.
Physical Description60 items
Personal and legal correspondence written to and received by members of the firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend. The real estate sales connected with the estate of Stuart Wood, dec'd. are discussed frequently. Main correspondents include H.M. Blake of The American Gas Company, Philadelphia bankers Reilly, Brock & Company, The Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia, the Florence Iron Works.
Physical Description71 items
Includes undated legal correspondence written or received by J.B. Townsend, Sr., and the members of the firm of Townsend, Elliot & Townsend.
Physical Description31 items
Includes undated copies of legal documents and agreements of various types; estate accounts and records; and hand-drawn property maps.
Physical Description30 items
Includes records of the unimproved real estate of the Sepviva Estate; copies of various Orphan's Court and Court of Common Pleas cases; and documents related to the estates of Robert Greer, Philetus Phillips, and Henry M. Crawford.
Physical Description22 items
Undated legal documents, drafts, and notes related to the law practice of J.B. Townsend, Eli K. Price, and James P. Townsend. Includes copies of legal documents; drafts of arguments; house inventories; alphabetized list of names; and, possibly, a client list. Main topics include the shipbuilding agreement between Harry Drinker and C.H. Scott, the Valparaiso Estate, the Crawford Estate, and the reopening of Sedgely Avenue.
Physical Description70 items
Documents related to the Charles Picot estate, of which Eli K. Price and J.B. Townsend were executors.
Physical Description105 items
Receipts, accounts and correspondence pertaining to the Chrisman estate, and the firm of Chrisman, Brothers & Company, of the Rolling Iron Mill in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Physical Description85 items
Correspondence related to business affairs at the Pennsylvania Hospital and letters of recommendation written to J.B. Townsend concerning an available resident physician position.
Physical Description27 items
Includes certificates enabling J.B. Townsend to practice as an attorney in the Court of Common Pleas Number One of Philadelphia, certificates enabling Charles C. Townsend to practice as an attorney in the Court of Common Pleas Number 3 and the Orphan's Court of Philadelphia, Joseph Brevitt Townsend, Jr.'s diploma from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and an obituary of Joseph Brevitt Townsend clipped from a newspaper.
Physical Description9 items
Printed legal materials from various court cases J.B. Townsend was involved in. Includes cases heard by the Orphan's Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the District Court of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Physical Description20 items
Printed legal materials from various court cases J.B. Townsend was involved in. Includes cases heard by the Orphan's Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the District Court of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Physical Description21 items
Printed legal materials from various court cases J.B. Townsend or James P. Townsend were involved in. Includes cases heard by the Orphan's Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the District Court of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Physical Description17 items
Printed copies of wills of Mary P. Loxley, Thomas Williamson, Joseph Harrison, Jr., Charles Taylor, Joseph Singerly, Robert Joseph Wright, and William E. Lehman. Also includes a printed copy of an auditor's report of the Sepviva Estate of Joseph Parker Norris.
Physical Description11 items
Checks filled out by J.B. Townsend drawing from an account with the Western Bank of Philadelphia.
Physical Description127 items
Checks signed by J.B. Townsend drawing from an account with the Western Bank of Philadelphia.
Physical Description161 items
Checks signed by J.B. Townsend, James P. Townsend, or members of the firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend drawing from accounts with the National Exchange Bank of Philadelphia, Provident Life & Trust Co. of Philadelphia, the Fidelity Insurance, Trust and Safe Deposit Co. of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia National Bank, and the Independence National Bank of Philadelphia.
Physical Description157 items
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Includes savings account records with the Trust Department of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, and multiple account books with the Provident Life and Trust Company.
Physical Description5 items
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J.B. Townsend, Jr. account with the Provident Life & Trust Company of Philadelphia, Mary B. Townsend account with the Gerard Trust Company, Eleanor Townsend account with the Gerard Trust Company, and the law firm Townsend, Elliott & Townsend account with the Central National Bank of Philadelphia.
Physical Description4 items
Account books for estates in which J.B. Townsend was executor, including W.A. Hoopes, Dec'd., in account with the Philadelphia National Bank, the estate of Henry W. Morris, in account with the Provident Life and Trust Company, William G. Malin in account with the Pennsylvania Company for Insurances on Lives and Granting Annuities, and J.G. Murtagh in account with the Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia.
Physical Description5 items
Chamberlain estate records kept by James P. Townsend, executor.
Physical Description1 item
Receipt book recording the expenditures of the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, maintained by J.B. Townsend, treasurer.
Physical Description1 item