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[edit] John Penn ("the American")

John Penn (29 February, 1700 – October, 1746) was the eldest son of Pennsylvania founder William Penn by his second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the only of Penn's children to be born in the New World, and hence called "the American" by his family. He was brought up by a cousin in Bristol, England, where he learned the trade of merchant in the linen trade. By his mother's appointment, he received half of the proprietorship, and was confirmed in the enjoyment of it by the paying of the mortgage, by the annulling of the agreement to sell the powers of government, by compromise with the elder branch of the family, by the establishment of a provisional boundary-line with Maryland, and by Indian treaties that opened all the region required for settlements. He came to Pennsylvania in September, 1734, but returned to England the following year. During his stay he attended the meetings of the provincial council. He appears to have been the only descendant of William Penn in the male line who remained a Quaker. He never married and died in England without issue, leaving his rights in the province and lower counties to his brother Thomas Penn.

He became a member of the Church of England.

1746, June 30th, died in the South of France.

[edit] External links

*[http://famous-americans.net/williampenn/ Biography at Famous-Americans.net], under [[William Penn]]

[edit] Thomas Penn

[edit] John Penn (writer)

[edit] Granville Penn

http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~rstephen/livingeaston/local_history/Penn/Penn_family_part_5.html

[edit] Richard Penn (proprietor)

--William the founder's third son by his second wife, Richard Penn, born 1706; died in England in 1771, was also a proprietary and titular governor of Pennsylvania and the counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex (which three now comprise the state of Delaware) on the Delaware River. He married Hannah, daughter of John Lardner, and had two sons.

[edit] John Penn (governor)

[edit] Richard Penn (governor)

Richard Penn (1736 - 1811) was a lieutenant-governor of provincial Pennsylvania

He was born in England in 1736, the second son of Richard Penn and grandson of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania.

He spent some time at St. John's College, Cambridge, and was intended for the legal profession, but relinquished that study. He accompanied his brother John Penn (1729-1795) to Pennsylvania in 1763, and was qualified as a councilor on 12 January, 1764. After an absence of two years in England he was appointed by his uncle and brother lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania, and arriving the second time in Philadelphia on 16 October, 1771, made himself the most popular of his family. All his dealings with the provincial assembly were very friendly. He had a dispute with his brother concerning his father's will, and for some time after the arrival of John, by whom he was superseded in the governorship in August, 1773, Richard did not meet him, but the two were finally reconciled. Richard Penn's feelings were enlisted against the oppressive acts of the British government.

Both Penns longed for concessions, but Richard's situation being more independent, he could afford to be more demonstrative. He entertained the members of the Continental congress at his house, George Washington being among his guests. He left Philadelphia in the summer of 1775, carrying with him the second petition of congress to the king. On 7 November, 1775, its consideration being the order of the day in the house of lords, the Duke of Richmond, observing Penn below the bar, moved that he be examined, to authenticate it. Accordingly, after some discussion, he was sworn on the 10th, and testified to the ability and willingness of his colony to resist the home government. He was member of the British parliament from 1796 to 1806, but became very poor. He visited Philadelphia in 1808.

Richard Penn was elected a trustee of the College and Academy of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) in 1772, serving as president of the board in 1773 and 1774. With the coming of the Revolution, he retired and returned to England in 1775.

By his wife, Mary Masters, a Pennsylvania heiress, he had two sons, William (1776-1845) and Richard (1784-1863), and two daughters, who died without issue.

He died in Richmond, Surrey, England, 27 May, 1811

[edit] External links

He was member of the British parliament from 1796 to 1806, but became very poor. He visited Philadelphia in 1808. By his wife, Mary Masters, a Pennsylvania heiress, he had several children, who died without issue.

  • Trustee 1772-1775
  • President of the Board of Trustees 1773-1774
  • Grandson of William Penn
  • Lieutenant-Governor of Pennsylvania

Richard entered St. John's College at Cambridge, but did not complete his degree. The family then tried to put him up to law, but that suited him no better than had Cambridge.

In 1763, Richard, still without a profession at the age 27, joined his brother, John, on a voyage to Philadelphia. John Penn, then Lieutenant-Governor, gave Richard a seat on the Governor's Council. A sociable man who enjoyed sport and leisure, Richard was also a founder and first President of the Jockey Club. The group consisted of about eighty members, all of whom paid hefty dues to the club chartered to "encourage the breeding [of] good horses and to promote the pleasures of the turf." Richard returned to England in 1769.

Changes came with the death of Richard Penn the elder in 1771. John Penn returned from Pennsylvania to take on his father's role as proprietor, in partnership with Thomas Penn, the other proprietor and brother of the deceased Richard Penn. Richard Penn the younger was soon appointed lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania by his brother and uncle. In 1772, Richard Penn married Mary, the daughter of Mary and William Masters. Richard Penn is said to have gotten along very well with the Provincial Assembly, and to have shown sympathy with the designs of the Revolutionaries. He was especially receptive to the merchants of his state, and during his administration Pennsylvania saw unrivaled prosperity. John Penn, however, did not see eye to eye with Richard and removed him from office in 1773.


In 1775, when the dispute between Britain and its colonies was coming to head, Richard was enlisted in the colonial cause. Richard carried the "Second Petition of Congress to the King" to London with him. In London he was called to testify in front of Parliament, which he did, and expressed the rationality of the colonists actions.

During the Revolutionary War, with little income from Pennsylvania, Richard Penn had financial difficulties. At the close of the war, his situation improved when his brother gave him a large portion of the money acquired from the Divesting Act. In 1795, John Penn's death left Richard with a landed estate and a seat in Parliament for Lancaster where he sat from 1796 to 1806. He also sat in Parliament for Appleby (1784-1790) and Haslemere ( 1790 and 1806). In 1808 he returned to Philadelphia for a brief visit, and then died three years later in England.

Another son of the founder by his second wife, Richard Penn, lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania, born in England in 1735; died in Richmond, Surrey, England, 27 May, 1811, spent some time at St. John's college, Cambridge, and was intended for the legal profession, but relinquished that study. He accompanied his brother to Pennsylvania in 1763, and was qualified as a councilor on 12 January, 1764. After an absence of two years in England he was appointed by his uncle and brother lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania, and arriving the second time in Philadelphia on 16 October, 1771, made himself the most popular of his family. All his dealings with the provincial assembly were very friendly. Armor, in his " Lives of the Governors," says: "He was especially attentive to the commercial interests of the colony, and during his administration a degree of unexampled prosperity prevailed." He had a dispute with his brother concerning his father's will, and for some time after the arrival of John, by whom he was superseded in the governorship in August, 1773, Richard did not meet him, but the two were finally reconciled. Richard Penn's feelings were enlisted against the oppressive acts of the British government.

Both Penns longed for concessions, but Richard's situation being more independent, he could afford to be more demonstrative. He entertained the members of the Continental congress at his house, George Washington being among his guests. He left Philadelphia in the summer of 1775, carrying with him the second petition of congress to the king. On 7 November, 1775, its consideration being the order of the day in the house of lords, the Duke of Richmond, observing Mr. Penn below the bar, moved that he be examined, to authenticate it. Accordingly, after some discussion, he was sworn on the 10th, and testified to the ability and willingness of his colony to resist the home government. He was member of the British parliament from 1796 to 1806, but became very poor. He visited Philadelphia in 1808. By his wife, Mary Masters, a Pennsylvania heiress, he had several children, who died without issue.

[edit] William Penn (III)

The eldest, William Penn, son of Richard Penn (II), born 23 June, 1776; died in Nelson Square, Southwark, England, 17 September, 1845, entered St. John's college, Cambridge, but left the university without taking a degree, and devoted himself to literature, but became very intemperate. He came to Pennsylvania in 1808, spending some time in Philadelphia and in the interior of the state, and marrying there. After his return to England he was for a long time imprisoned for debt.

[edit] External links

[edit] Richard Penn (III)

--His brother, Richard, son of Richard Penn (II), born 1784, was for many years employed in the British colonial department, and was author of "A New Mode of Secret Writing" (1829) and "Maxims and Hints on Angling, and Miseries of Fishing" (1833). He was a fellow of the Royal society.

He died unmarried in Richmond, Surrey, England, 21 April, 1863.

[edit] External links

[edit] William Penn (IV)

William Penn (born in 1703; died in Shanagarry, Ireland, 6 February, 1746) was a grandson and heir of William Penn, founder and proprietor of Pennsylvania.

He was born in 1703, the son of William Penn, Jr. He was the heir of his elder brother Springett Penn (II). He executed for £5,500 a release to John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, dated September 23, 1731. He returned to the Society of Friends on marrying Christiana, daughter of Alexander Forbes, a merchant in London, on December 7, 1732. After her death he married Ann Vaux, 13 December, 1736, by whom he had an only son, who died without issue, whereupon Christiana Gulielma, wife of Peter Gaskell and daughter of William and Christiana Penn, became the heiress at common law of the founder.

[edit] Richard Penn (II)

[edit] Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly

The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly was the legislature of the Pennsylvania provincial government from the province's founding in 1692 until the ratification of the state constitution in 1790, when it was replaced by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

[edit] Origin

[edit] Powers

The powers of the Assembly changed with each version of the province's constitution, called the Frame of Government, of which there were four. The first Frame of Government of 1682, also known as Penn's Charter, was written by William Penn while he was still in England, but was rejected by Pennsylvania's Colonial Assembly. In the preface, Penn stated his political philosophy on government: "Any government is free to the people under it ... where the laws rule and the people are a party to those laws." However, the provision for amending the Frame of Government, Section XXIII, stated, "No act ... to alter, change, or diminish the form, or effect, of the charter ... without the consent of the governor, his heirs, or assigns, and six parts of seven of the said freemen in provincial Council and General Assembly."

Changes appeared in the second Frame of Government, also written by Penn. This was approved by the colony's bicameral General Assembly in 1683 and became the colony's constitution.

In 1696, the colony received its third Frame of Government, written by William Markham, Penn's cousin and appointed deputy governor. This version, known as Markham's Frame, was regarded as the constitution until Penn returned to Pennsylvania in December 1699.

Penn signed the fourth Frame of Government in October 1701 when he left Pennsylvania for England, where he died in 1718. This last frame, also known as the Charter of Privileges, was drafted for the first time in conjunction with members of the Provincial Assembly.

The Assembly by this time had power to make its own rules and initiate all legislation. The constitution continued to evolve, following the English tradition of permitting constitutional changes to occur through the ordinary legislative process. It was the basic constitution for the next 75 years and it virtually ended proprietary rule by giving self-government to Pennsylvania.

In 1751, the Assembly ordered a bell to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Privileges. The bell was inscribed with the words "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." This bell cracked on first ringing, was recast twice, and today it is known as the Liberty Bell.

The autonomy of the Pennsylvania House, under Speakers such as David Lloyd, Andrew Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin, was fashioned after that of the British Parliament and served as the model for American legislative and congressional government.

[edit] Speaker

In its opening session, the Provincial Assembly elected its first Speaker. As the Provincial Assembly was succeeded by the state House of Representatives, the office of the Speaker is today the oldest elected statewide position in Pennsylvania. The Speaker serves all members and upholds the orderly conduct of business, protecting the parliamentary rights of the elected Representatives.

The Speaker presides over the session, appoints committee chairpersons and refers bills to committee. The Speaker can sponsor legislation himself, vote on all bills, and on rare occasions may turn the podium over to a Speaker Pro Tempore in order to occupy his desk on the floor and participate in debate.

From PA House of Representatives site:

The Pennsylvania House first met as the Provincial Assembly on December 4, 1682, at Upland, near Chester, 40 days after William Penn arrived in the colony. After three years, the Provincial Assembly initiated greater independence from the colonial authorities. It insisted upon the right to control its own affairs, qualify members and initiate legislation. The Provincial Assembly became the foundation upon which organized representative government in America was built. In its opening session, the Provincial Assembly appointed the first Speaker. The office of the Speaker is the oldest elected statewide position in Pennsylvania. The Speaker literally speaks for the people and is beholden to no executive authority but the law. The Speaker serves all members and upholds the orderly conduct of business, protecting the parliamentary rights of every elected Representative. The speakership is a constitutionally mandated office, elected by the full membership. The House cannot convene without a Speaker. The Speaker presides over the session, appoints committee chairpersons and refers bills to committee. The Speaker can sponsor legislation himself, vote on all bills, and on rare occasions may turn the podium over to a Speaker Pro Tempore in order to occupy his desk on the floor and participate in debate. The autonomy of the Pennsylvania House, under Speakers such as David Lloyd, Andrew Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin, was fashioned after that of the British Parliament and served as the model for American legislative and congressional government. The Pennsylvania House has participated in several significant events throughout the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, particularly during the founding of the nation. The Pennsylvania House initiated plans and supported the construction of Independence Hall, one of the most important buildings in our history. In addition, it hosted the meetings and conferences during which two principle documents, the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, were written.

From Constitution Party web site:

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been governed by five constitutions between 1776 and 1968. Before that, the province of Pennsylvania was governed for almost a century by four successive constitutions, referred to as The Frame of Government. The first Frame of Government 1682, also known as Penn's Charter, was written by William Penn while he was still in England, and was repudiated by Pennsylvania's Colonial Assembly. In the preface, Penn stated his political philosophy on government: "Any government is free to the people under it ... where the laws rule and the people are a party to those laws." The provision for amending the Frame of Government, Section XXIII, states, "No act ... to alter, change, or diminish the form, or effect, of the charter ... without the consent of the governor, his heirs, or assigns, and six parts of seven of the said freemen in provincial Council and General Assembly." Changes appeared in the second Frame of Government, also written by Penn. This was approved by the colony's bicameral General Assembly in 1683 and became the colony's constitution. In 1696, the colony received its third Frame of Government. This constitution was written by William Markham, the proprietor's deputy governor and Penn's cousin. This version, known as Markham's Frame, was regarded as the constitution until Penn came back to Pennsylvania in December 1699. Penn signed the fourth Frame of Government in October 1701 when he left Pennsylvania for England, where he died in 1718. This last frame, also known as the Charter of Privileges, was drafted for the first time in conjunction with members of the Provincial Assembly. The Assembly by this time had power to make its own rules and initiate all legislation. The constitution continued to evolve, following the English tradition of permitting constitutional changes to occur through the ordinary legislative process. It was the basic constitution for the next 75 years and it virtually ended proprietary rule by giving self-government to Pennsylvania. In 1751, the Assembly ordered a bell to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Privileges. The bell was inscribed with the words "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." This bell cracked on first ringing, was recast twice, and today it is known as the Liberty Bell. As the colony grew in population and wealth, disputes arose over the respective powers of the elective Provincial Assembly and the appointed Provincial Governor. Divisions were developing between the established eastern city interest and the expanding western frontier, between the farmer and the city dweller, between the working man and the capitalist, and between the settler and the land speculator. As a result of general dissatisfaction with the proprietary government, there were petitions to make Pennsylvania a royal province, while other more radical elements urged the drafting of a new constitution and called for independence from England. The first Continental Congress was a turning point for most citizens who had expected the Congress to propose a new relationship between England and the colonies. Instead, the second Constitutional Congress on May 15, 1776, passed a resolution urging all colonies to draft and adopt constitutions.

[edit] Philadelphia Convention

Less then two weeks after the Declaration of Independence, the citizens of Philadelphia were inspired to form a convention for drafting a constitution for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Provincial Assembly and the governor were ignored, and the convention not only entered upon the task of forming the constitution, but superseded the old government by assuming the legislative power of the commonwealth and establishing a Council of Safety with extensive powers to rule in the interim.

The elected delegates debated, drafted, and on Sept. 28, 1776, passed and proclaimed the Bill of Rights and Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania signed by "Benj. Franklin, Prest." The Constitution of 1776 provided that the power of amending the constitution would rest with a Council of Censors as it found necessary. The Constitution of 1776 was considered one of the most democratic state governmental structures of the times, even though it was not submitted to the electorate for ratification or adoption.

[edit] External links

[edit] Wharton family

[edit] Thomas Wharton Jr.

[edit] John Wharton

--His brother, John, was a member of the Continental navy board in 1778-'80, and built two ships, the "Experiment" and the " Washington," for the Pennsylvania navy.

[edit] Joseph Wharton (1707-1776)

[edit] Samuel Wharton

[edit] Joseph Wharton (II)

--Another son of Joseph, Joseph, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 21 March, 1733; died there, 25 December, 1816, went to England about 1775, and while there wrote a number of letters on the attitude of Great Britain to the colonies. Some of these were published in the "Pennsylvania Journal," others in British journals, and attracted so much attention that when their authorship was discovered Wharton was forced to leave the country, and fled to France During his residence abroad he was much with Benjamin West, and it is said that the suggestion that West's painting "Christ Healing the Sick" should be given to the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia was made by him. He corresponded with West regarding the removal of the picture to the hospital, which was accomplished in 1817.

[edit] External links

[edit] Franklin Wharton

[edit] Philip Fishbourne Wharton

[edit] Thomas Isaac Wharton

--The first Joseph's grandson, Thomas Isaac, lawyer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 17 May, 1791; died there, 7 April, 1856, was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1807, studied law in the office of his uncle, William Rawle, was admitted to the bar, and acquired reputation in his profession and as a reporter of the Pennsylvania supreme court, he served as captain of infantry in the War of 1812. He was a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania in 1837-'56, and a member of various philosophical and historical societies. With Joel Jones and William Rawle, he revised the civil code of Pennsylvania in 1830. He edited, with copious notes, the 3d edition of Alexander J. Dallas's " Reports of Cases in the Courts of the United States and Pennsylvania before and since the Revolution" (4 vols., Philadelphia, 1830), and was associated with Thomas Sargeant and others in editing the "Law Library" (1833), and with Henry Wheaten in editing the 5th American edition of William Selwyn's " Abridgment of the Law of Nisi Prius" (1839). He was the author of " Digest of Cases in the Circuit Court of the United States, Third District, and in the Courts of Pennsylvania" (Philadelphia., 1822 ; 6th ed., including "A. Harris's Reports," 2 vols., 1853): " Digested Index to the Reported Decisions of the Several Courts of Law in the Western and Southern States" (1824); "Reports of Cases in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania" (6 vols., 1836-'41); "Letter on the Right and Power of the City of Philadelphia to Subscribe for Stock in the Pennsylvania Railroad Company" (1846); and various addresses and memoirs, including one on William Rawle, LL.D. (1840). He also contributed to Dennie's "Portfolio," and was an editor of the "Analectic Magazine."

[edit] Francis Wharton

Thomas Isaac's son, Francis, lawyer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 7 March, 1820, was graduated at Yale in 1839, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1843, practised in Philadelphia for fifteen years, and was assistant attorney-general in 1845. From 1856 till 1863 he was professor of logic and rhetoric in Kenyon college, Ohio, but he was ordained in the Protestant Episcopal church in 1863, and became rector of St. Paul's church in Brookline, Massachusetts He was also professor of ecclesiastical and international law in the Cambridge divinity-school, and in Boston. In 1885 he was appointed solicitor for the department of state, and examiner of international claims, which office he still holds, and in 1888 he was appointed, under a resolution of congress, editor of the Revolutionary diplomatic correspondence of the United States. The degree of D. D. was conferred on him by Kenyon college in 1883, and that of LL. D. by Kenyon in 1865 and by the University of Edinburgh in 1883. He is a member of various institutions of international and municipal law. With Charles E. Lex he edited the "Episcopal Recorder " in Philadelphia, and he has contributed to periodicals. He has edited several volumes of law reports, and is the author of "A Treatise on the Criminal Law of the United States" (Philadelphia, 1846 ; 6th ed., 3 vols., 1868) . " The State Trials of the United States during the Administrations of Washington and Adams" (1849)" "Precedents of Indictments and Pleas adapted to the Use both of the Courts of the United States and those of the Several States " (1849; 2d ed., 1857)-" A Treatise on the Law of Homicide in the United States" (1855)" " A Treatise on Medical Jurisprudence," with Dr. Moreton Stille (1855; 2d ed., with additions by Alfred Stille, 1860); "Treatise on Theism and Modern Skeptical Theories" (1859)-"The Silence of Scripture, a Series of Lectures" (1867)" " A Treatise on the Conflict of Laws" (Philadelphia, 1872)" "The Law of Agency and Agents" (1876)" and a "Digest of International Law" (1886).

[edit] Henry Wharton

--Another son of Thomas, Henry, lawyer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2 June, 1827; died there, 11 November, 1880, was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1846, studied law under his father, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. In 1856 he became solicitor to the Philadelphia saving fund, and he was one of the three lawyers, including Eli K. Price and Edward Olmstead, whose opinions upon real estate were considered equivalent to a judgment of the supreme court, He was legal adviser of the Philadelphia bank and other corporations. With Asa J. Fish he edited the "American Law-Register," from 1852 till 1863, and wrote a "Practical and Elementary Treatise on the Law of Vicinage" (Philadelphia, 1868).

[edit] Joseph Wharton

[edit] Thomas Isaac Wharton

Henry's son, Thomas Isaac, author, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1 August, 1859, was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1879, studied law, was admitted to the "bar, and is the author of "'A Latter-Day Saint" (New York, 1884), and "Hannibal of New York" (1886).

[edit] Anne Hollingsworth Wharton

[edit] External links

http://virtualology.com/apthomaswharton/

[edit] Morris family

[edit] Anthony Morris (I)

[edit] Anthony Morris (II)

[edit] Samuel Morris (Philadelphia, I)

[edit] Other links

[edit] Sarah Morris (preacher)

His daughter, Sarah, Quaker preacher, born in Philadelphia in 1704; died there, 24 October, 1775, became a minister of her denomination. She labored among the Friends in New Jersey, Maryland, and Long Island, visited Rhode Island in 1764, and traveled through Great Britain in 1772-'3.

[edit] Samuel Morris (Philadelphia, II)

[edit] Cadwalader Morris

[edit] Samuel Cadwalader Morris

-Another son of the first Samuel, Samuel Cadwalader, patriot, born in Philadelphia, 29 May, 1743 ; died there in February, 1820, was a merchant, took an active part in perfecting the military organization of the state, and served as an officer during the Revolution. When bills of credit were issued by Pennsylvania in 1775, he was among those that were directed by the assembly to sign them. He was a member of the council of safety in 1776, and of the board of war at its organization. He assisted in equipping the state navy, and was appointed by congress to have the care of the prisoners of war within the limits of the state. He was in command of a company of militia at Princeton and Trenton. In a letter dated 24 December, 1776, addressed to the council of safety, he says: " Be not afraid, ye Tories shall not triumph over us yet. We will yet have our Day, and make them Tremble."

[edit] John Morris

Another son of the first Samuel, John, lawyer, born in Philadelphia about 1739 ; died there, 9 March, 1785, was graduated in 1759 at the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania), studied law, was admitted to the bar, and became eminent in his profession. In 1776 he was commissioned a justice of the court of common pleas, and in the same year, having ardently espoused the cause of the colonies, he was appointed quartermaster of the Pennsylvania troops, with the rank and pay of a lieutenant-colonel. The year following an emergency arose that compelled him to discharge the duties of attorney-general. Andrew Allen, who had held the office since 1766, and who, in the early part of the Revolutionary struggle, had taken sides with the colonies, terrified at the success of the British in New York, and at their approach to Philadelphia, became a Tory, and went over to the enemy. Important state cases, many of them growing out of the war, were then coming on for trial in the several counties. In this crisis Morris was appealed to by the supreme executive council to accept the attorney-generalship, which he did, although he had no taste for the work of his profession in connection with criminal law. His services at this time were valuable, and added to the esteem in which he was held by the authorities. In 1777 he became master of the rolls and recorder for the city and county of Philadelphia, which offices he held until his death. He was a member of the American philosophical society.

[edit] Anthony James Morris

The second Anthony's grandson, Anthony James, soldier, son of James Morris, born in Philadelphia in 1739; died there, 20 May, 1831, aided in organizing the first Pennsylvania battalion, and was appointed its major by congress, 25 November, 1775. He soon afterward accompanied his command to Canada, where he rendered important service. On 25 October, 1776, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 2d Pennsylvania regiment of the Continental line, and on 12 March, 1777, was made colonel of the 9th regiment.

[edit] Anthony Morris (IV)

--Captain Samuel's son, Anthony, merchant, born in Philadelphia in 1766; died in Washington, D. C., 6 November, 1860, was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1783, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1787. He subsequently became a merchant, and was extensively engaged in the East India trade. In 1793 he was speaker of the Pennsylvania senate, and because as such he signed the bill providing for troops to suppress the Whiskey rebellion, he was disowned by the Quaker meeting, of which he was a member. During the administration of President Madison he was sent by the latter on a special mission to Spain, where he remained nearly two years. In 1800-'6 he was a director of the Bank of North America, and from 1806 till 1817 a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

[edit] Samuel Wells Morris

[edit] Caspar Morris

Caspar Morris -Another grandson of Captain Samuel Morris, Caspar, physician, son of Israel W., born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2 May, 1805; died there, 16 March, 1884, was graduated at the University of' Pennsylvania in 1826, and after serving as resident physician to the Pennsylvania hospital and making a voyage to India as ship's surgeon, began practice in Philadelphia, where he continued to reside until his retirement from professional pursuits in 1871. He took high rank as a practitioner, and was lecturer successively on the theory and practice of medicine in the Philadelphia summer-school of medicine, on children's diseases at the Blockley almshouse hospital, and on the practice of medicine in the Philadelphia medical institute. He was a founder and manager, and from 1860 till 1890 vice-president of the Institution for the blind and a manager of the Protestant Episcopal hospital. He published "A Life of William Wilberforce" (Philadelphia, 1841) : "Memoir of Miss Margaret Mercer" (1848) ; "Letter to Bishop Alonzo Potter on Hospital Needs" (1851) ; " Lectures on Scarlet Fever" (1858); "Essay on Hospital Construction and Management" (Baltimore, 1875); "Rilliet and Barthel on Diseases of Children" and "Heart Voices and Home Songs," for private distribution.--Captain Samuel's great-grandson, Phineas Pemberton, lawyer, son of James Pemberton. born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 2 May, 181'7, was graduated at Georgetown college, D. C., in 1836, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1840. In 1862 he was given the chair of practice, pleading, and evidence at law and in equity, in the law department of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1884 he became professor emeritus. In 1840 he was president of the Law academy of Philadelphia, and in 1863-'4 was a vice-provost of that institution. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1884. Professor Morris is the author of "A Treatise on the Law of Replevin" (Philadelphia, 1849) and "Mining Rights in Pennsylvania" (1860), and edited John W. Smith's "Landlord and Tenant" (1856).

[edit] Benjamin Wistar Morris

--Samuel Wells's son, Benjamin Wistar, P. E. bishop, born in Wellsborough, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, 30 May, 1819, was graduated at the General theological seminary in 1846, made deacon the same year, and ordained priest, 27 April, 1847. He was rector of St. Matthew's, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, for four years, and of St. David's, Manayunk, Philadelphia, for six years, when he became assistant at St. Luke's, Germantown, Pennsylvania, remaining there until his elevation to the episcopate. He was consecrated missionary bishop of Oregon and Washington territory, 3 December, 1868. In 1880 his jurisdiction was divided, Washington territory being set apart as a separate see, while Bishop Morris remained in charge of the diocese of Oregon. He received the degree of S. T. D. from Columbia in 1868, and also from the University of Pennsylvania the same year.

[edit] James Cheston Morris

Caspar's son, James Cheston, physician, born in Philadelphia, 28 May, 1831, was graduated at the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1854, and began to practise in Philadelphia, making a specialty of uterine and nervous diseases. He was physician to the Foster home for children from 1856 till 1860, from 1855 till 1859 to the Moyamensing house of industry, and from 1857 till 1872 to the Episcopal hospital. From October, 1862, till August, 1863, he served as contract surgeon in the army. From 1855 till 1863, inclusive, he examined, in connection with lectures on practice, materia medica, chemistry, and the institutes of medicine, in the University of Pennsylvania, and also lectured there on microscopic anatomy. He has received several patents for various inventions. His most important literary work has been his translation from the German of Professor C. G. Lehmann's "Manual of Chemical Physiology" (Philadelphia, 1856). He has also contributed largely to professional journals, and is the author of "The Milk-Supply of Large Cities" (Philadelphia, 1884)" "The Water-Supply of Philadelphia" ; "Annals of Hygiene"; and "Report of Philadelphia Water Department" (1886).

[edit] U. Penn biographies

Look here.

Henry Hill (1732-1798)

  • Trustee 1789-1791
  • Treasurer of the Board of Trustees 1789-1791

Henry Hill was a trustee of the College and Academy of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) from 1789 to 1791, serving during that time as treasurer of this board.

Isaac Jones (died 1773)

  • Trustee 1771-1773
  • Treasurer of the Board of Trustees 1771-1773

From 1752 to 1757 Isaac Jones paid tuition at the Academy for Robert Strettell Jones, Class of 1765. The Honorable Issac Jones was married to Francis Strettell.

Isaac Jones was elected a trustee of the Academy and College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) in 1771, serving as the treasurer of this board until his death in 1773. Little else is known of Isaac Jones.

[edit] External links

[edit] John Lawrence (physician)

John Lawrence (1747-1830) was a physician in colonial, revolutionary, and federal America.

  • M.B. 1768
  • Trustee 1765-1791
  • Treasurer of the Board of Trustees 1770-1771

Lawrence was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, the son of John Lawrence, a prosperous surveyor, and Mary Hartshorne. He received his A.B. in 1764 from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), before coming to Philadelphia for his medical education. Until the Revolution, he practiced medicine in New Jersey's Middlesex county. He attended the ??? (now the University of Pennsylvania), where he was a member of the first class of medical school graduates.

During the American Revolution both John Lawrences, father and son, were staunch Loyalists. In July 1776 Dr. Lawrence was arrested by order of George Washington and sent to Elizabethtown, New Jersey before being released on parole a year later. After his examination by the Council of Safety in 1777, he moved to New York, where he practiced medicine for the loyalists and commanded a group of volunteers to defend the city from the Americans.

After the war, he retired to Upper Freehold, New Jersey, a wealthy man. Lawrence died, unmarried, in Trenton, 1830.

John Lawrence was named as a trustee of the College and Academy of Philadelphia in 1765, serving as its treasurer in 1770 and 1771. Not surprisingly given his Loyalist views, Lawrence was not named as trustee of the University of the State of Pennsylvania when it was chartered by the new state of Pennsylvania in 1779. When the College of Philadelphia and the University of the State of Pennsylvania were merged in 1791 as the University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence did not continue as a trustee.

[edit] External links

http://www.clements.umich.edu/Webguides/M/Mifflin.html

[edit] Edward Rawle

Edward Rawle (1797-1880) was a founder of the Philomathean Society, an attorney and judge in New Orleans, a founder of the New Orleans Public School System and the first President of its School Board, and a founder, leader and member of many civic organizations in New Orleans.

  • A.B. 1815, A.M. 1818
  • A founder of the Philomathean Society
  • Attorney and judge in New Orleans
  • A founder of the New Orleans Public School System and the first President of its School Board
  • A founder, leader and member of many civic organizations in New Orleans

Edward Rawle was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1797 to William Rawle and Sarah Coates Burge. His father William Rawle was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, U.S. District Attorney for Pennsylvania, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar, first President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Secretary of the Library Company of Philadelphia. He was also a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania from 1796 to 1835.

In 1812, while their father was a trustee, Edward Rawle and his brother Henry entered the University of Pennsylvania. On October 2, 1813, they were both among the thirteen founding members of the Philomathean Society, Penn's first student organization.

Upon graduation Edward Rawle became a lawyer and moved to New Orleans, where he became an Associate Judge to the City Court of New Orleans in 1825. From 1839 until 1846, Rawle was an attorney for the Second Municipality of New Orleans. He went on to become one of the founders of the New Orleans Public School System as well as the first President of the School Board in the same municipality. He also was one of the founders and a life member of the Second Municipality Public School Lyceum and Literary Society of New Orleans. In addition, Rawle was a Fellow of the New Orleans Academy of Science and president of the Keystone Association of New Orleans. He died in New Orleans on November 4, 1880.

[edit] External links

Biography at the University of Pennsylvania

[edit] Henry Rawle

Henry Rawle (1799-1816)

Henry Rawle was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on July 10, 1799 to William Rawle and Sarah Coates Burge. His father was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, U.S. District Attorney for Pennsylvania, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar, first President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Secretary of the Library Company of Philadelphia. He was also a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania from 1796 to 1835.

In 1812, while their father was a trustee, Henry Rawle and his brother Edward entered the University of Pennsylvania. On October 2, 1813, they were both among the thirteen founding members of the Philomathean Society, Penn's first student organization.

Unfortunately Henry Rawle's life was cut short; he died on June 2, 1816, just a year after his college graduation.

[edit] Extrnal links

[edit] Edward Tilghman

William's cousin, Edward, lawyer, born in Wye, Maryland, 11 December, 1750; died 1 November, 1815, was educated in Philadelphia and studied in the Middle Temple, London, in 1772-'4. He was for many years a successful practitioner at the Philadelphia bar, and on the death of Chief-Justice Edward Shippen the office was tendered to him. He declined it, but recommended for the office his kinsman, William.

[edit] External links

http://famous-americans.net/jamestilghman/

[edit] Tench Tilghman II

Tench Tilghman, soldier, great-grandson of Richard Tilghman, brother of James Tilghman, born in Plimhimmon, Talbot County, Maryland, 25 March, 1810: died in Baltimore, Maryland, 22 December, 1874, was graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1832, and was assigned to the 4th artillery, but resigned, 30 November, 1833, and was a farmer at Oxford, Maryland, till his death. He was brigadier-general of Maryland militia in 1837-'60 and major-general in 1860-'1, state commissioner of public works in 1841-'51, and superintendent of the military department of the Maryland military academy, Oxford, in 1847-'57. In 1849-'50 he was United States consul at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He projected the Maryland and Delaware railroad, was unwearied in his efforts to build it, and served as its president in 1855-'61. In 1858-'60 he was president or the National agricultural society. General Tilghman was for many years at the head of the Maryland Society of the Cincinnati, and at his death he was also treasurer-general of the order in the United States. From 1857 till 1860 he was collector of customs for the port of Oxford, Maryland.

[edit] External links

http://famous-americans.net/jamestilghman/

[edit] Richard Lloyd Tilghman

His kinsman, Richard Lloyd Tilghman, naval officer, great-grandson of James's brother. William, born in Kent county, Maryland, 20 April, 1810; died in 1867, entered the United States navy as a midshipman, 27 October, 1830, promoted to lieutenant, 8 September, 1841, and during the Mexican war served with Commander Robert P. Stockton in the Pacific in the "Congress" and " Cyane," and participating in the conquest of California, the capture of Mazathm, Guaymas, and La Paz, and in the operations incident to these victories. He commanded the brig "Perry" on the Brazil station from 1857 till 1860, during the Paraguayan war. He returned home during the excitement before the civil war, on 23 April, 1861, resigned from the navy, and died soon after the close of the war.

[edit] External links

http://famous-americans.net/jamestilghman/

[edit] Shippen family

http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/burd1.htm

[edit] Gea Johnson

Gea Johnson (b. September 18, 1967) is a former athlete and currently a television reporter.

She won the Dial Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding male and female scholar athlete, in 1985.

Johnson attended Arizona State University, 1986-1991, where she graduated summa cum laude in Organizational Communication, for which she maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Academic Achievements:

  • NCAA Top Six Award-Nation's Most Outstanding Collegiate Scholar Athlete, 1991
  • PAC 10 Conference Medal-Most Outstanding Female Scholar Athlete, 1991
  • ASU Sun Angel Foundation - Student Athlete of the Year, 1991
  • Outstanding Graduate - College of Public Programs, 1991
  • Outstanding Graduate - Department of Communication, 1991
  • 5-time GTE Academic All American, 1987-1991
  • GTE Academic All-American of the Year, 1990
  • Bi-Lingual French and English speaker

Johnson's passion and commitment to education is equal to her raw determination to excel in sports. She was a top scholar athlete at Arizona State University, earning as many academic awards as she did athletic honors.

She left ASU as a winner of the prestigious NCAA Top Six Award for the nation's most outstanding collegiate scholar athlete.

She has appeared in Flex Magazine.

Johnson currently reports for Channel 12 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

She still holds the ASU record for total points in the heptathlon.

[edit] External links

[edit] Philadelphia mayors

[edit] Alexander Henry (mayor)

Not to be confused with Alexander Henry (August 1739 – April 4, 1824), fur trader and entrepreneur, or Alexander Henry (the younger) d. 22 May 1814, his nephew, who was also a fur-trader.
For the Scottish gunsmith, see Alexander Henry (gunsmith)

Alexander Henry (April 14, 1823 – December 6, 1883) was a mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Born in Philadelphia on April 14, 1823, Henry was the son of John Henry and the grandson of Alexander Henry. He was graduated at Princeton in 1840, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1844. In 1856-57 he served in the councils, and in 1858 was elected to the mayoralty of Philadelphia on the ticket of the People's Party, composed of Whigs and Republicans, defeating incumbent Richard Vaux, Democrat. In successive elections as a Republican, he defeated John Robbins, Jr. and Daniel Fox, both Democrats, serving in the office of Mayor until 1866, when he declined renomination.

He managed the affairs of Philadelphia during the Civil War with great ability. On the arrival of President Abraham Lincoln in Philadelphia, February 21, 1861, on his way to Washington to be inaugurated, Mayor Henry gave him welcome, and tendered him the hospitality of the city. On April 16, he issued a proclamation declaring that treason against the state or against the United States would not be suffered within the city. First as a member, and afterward as president, of the state board of centennial supervisors, Henry labored with great efficiency for the success of the Centennial Exposition of 1876. In addition to many other important offices, he was for many years a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the park commission, and an inspector of the Eastern State Penitentiary, which post he had held at the time of his demise for twenty-eight years.

He died in Philadelphia, December 6, 1883.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Richard Vaux		 Mayor of Philadelphia
1858-1866		 Succeeded by
Morton McMichael

[edit] Edwin Forrest Durang

[edit] Ferdinand Durang

[edit] Francis Ferdinand Durang, Sr.

Francis Ferdinand Durang, Sr. (August 11, 1884 – July 4, 1966[1]) was an American architect.

Durang was born in Philadelphia, the son of one the the city's most successful architects of Catholic projects, Edwin Forrest Durang. F. Ferdinand Durang was educated at Notre Dame Academy in Philadelphia, followed by Collegiate Military Academy and Drexel Institute, with supplementary courses at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. On November 5, 1909 he became a formal partner in his father's prolific office, and the name of the firm was changed to Edwin F. Durang & Son. After his father's death in 1911, he continued the work of the office under his own name. The Durangs maintained a presence in New York City at least by 1909, and in 1922 to 1923 F. F. Durang had an office at 507 Fifth Avenue. In 1931 he officially moved to New York City, establishing an office at 238 East 47th Street; but by the 1940s he had relocated to Summit, NJ, where he published the Architects' Exchange, a quarterly periodical for the profession. He retired from active practice in 1956, but continued as a consulting architect at least through 1961.

Most of Durang's work continued to concentrate on the Catholic projects at which his father had excelled, and for most buildings the younger Durang also continued to use the traditional revival styles at which his father was so adept. In fact, after Durang moved to New York, he issued a brochure in which a long list of buildings advertised the experience of the firm. The cover illustration of the Chapel of the Queen of the Miraculous Medal for the Vincentian Fathers in Princeton, New Jersey, is F. F. Durang's design, but its style is the generic Gothic that could have been created any time after the turn of the century.

Durang achieved emeritus status in the AIA in 1957.

[edit] Works

[edit] External links

[edit] Francis Ferdinand Durang, Jr.

Born: 10/9/1913 Biography from the American Architects and Buildings database Born in Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, the son of Francis Ferdinand Durang, Sr.

Chiefly known as a member of his father's office, the younger Durang became self-employed in 1959 when his father retired from active practice. In the 1960s he was working in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

Father of playwright Christopher Durang.

  • Brief note at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings

[edit] Charles Durang

[edit] John Durang

[edit] Hill-Keith-Physick House

The Hill-Keith-Physick House
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
BillFlis/sandbox (Pennsylvania)
BillFlis/sandbox
Location: 321 South 4th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Coordinates: 39°56′38.64″N 75°8′55.17″W / 39.9440667, -75.1486583Coordinates: 39°56′38.64″N 75°8′55.17″W / 39.9440667, -75.1486583
Built/Founded: 1786
Architectural style(s): Federal
Added to NRHP: May 27, 1971
NRHP Reference#: 71000726[5]
Governing body: Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks

The Hill-Keith-Physick House is a historic house in the Society Hill section of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wine importer Henry Hill built this imposing four story brick house in 1786. In 1815 Dr. Philip Syng Physick took up residence here, where he lived until his death in 1837.

Physick, one of the world's foremost physicians at the time, became known as the "Father of American Surgery." He was among the courageous doctors who remained in the city to care for the ill during Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic. The beautiful house, elegantly appointed with period furnishings, is enhanced by a large 19th-century garden.

A special School Group Tour for 4th through 6th grades includes hands-on activities, Colonial games, and decorative arts.

Hours: Thursday - Saturday 12pm - 5pm. Sunday 1 - 5pm. Last tour begins at 4pm.

Built in 1786 by Madeira wine importer Henry Hill, the Physick House, formerly the Hill-Physick-Keith House, was named after Dr. Philip Syng Physick, the “Father of American Surgery.” Dr. Physick took up residence in the house in 1815 after separating from his wife, Elizabeth Emlen Physick, and lived there until his death in 1837. One of the foremost surgeons of the time, Dr. Physick was among the few courageous doctors who remained in the city to care for the sick during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Among his many patients were John Adams’ daughter, Dolly Madison, Dr. Benjamin Rush, and Chief Justice John Marshall. President Andrew Jackson consulted Dr. Physick about lung hemorrhages and was told to stop smoking.

Many of Physick’s medical accomplishments were years ahead of his time. He pioneered use of the stomach pump, used autopsy as a regular means of observation and discovery, excelled in cataract surgery, and was responsible for the design of a number of surgical instruments and operative techniques. Dr. Physick was affiliated with America’s first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, and was one of the most sought after medical lecturers of the 19th century. His lectures prepared a generation of surgeons for service throughout America. It is because of his status as a teacher that he was dubbed the “Father of American Surgery.” In addition to beautiful period rooms, the second floor of the Physick residence houses a medical museum depicting the amazing career of Dr. Physick as well as a collection of medical instruments from that era.

The square, four-story brick Physick House is the only free standing Federal townhouse remaining in Society Hill. With its huge doorway fan light – the largest in any Pennsylvania residence in 1786 – plus grand proportions and straight, classical lines, Physick House is an exceptional example of the Federal style. Its collection has outstanding examples of French-influenced Neoclassic furnishings. Its unusually large city garden contains plants popular in the 19th century and features a winding path, grotto and classical statuary.

Philadelphia since its founding has been a town that has liked to tipple. And a favorite spirit of drinkers in the 18th century proved to be Madeira, a fortified grape juice and brandy beverage. Importer Henry Hill made enough money as a Madeira merchant to build this elegant free-standing mansion in what was becoming one of the more fashionable neighborhoods of a post-Revolutionary city better known for rowhouses. Thirst for Madeira made Hill so wealthy that in addition to building this abode, he could also maintain a country estate called Carlton which overlooked the Schuylkill River, complete with a private racetrack. Though that manse is now covered by a reservoir, the Hill-Physick-Keith house endured — just barely though. Some years after Hill died of Yellow Fever, doctor Philip Syng Physick who built his reputation fighting that dread disease (by prescribing bleeding no less) moved in. Through medical innovation and invention, Dr. Physick, with a name that may as well have been sent from central casting, went on to be known as the "Father of American Surgery." Yet his legacy was not enough to maintain a mansion that became like a piece of tarnished silver in a neighborhood of mismatched cutlery. After a century-long habitation by several generations of a pedigreed Philadelphia family, the house ultimately was abandoned — prey for vandals heisting shreds of history with every theft. In the end though, it was America's thirst for TV, that eventually helped to save this magnificent mansion. In the late 1960's, Walter Annenberg (publisher of TV Guide) restored the stately Physick House and then donated the house to the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.

This area of Society Hill was a changing neighborhood in the 1760s. Part of Hill's mansion was built on the site of the razed City Alms House, an institution which contained an infirmary for the needy ill, special apartments for the insane, and provided those healthy, but poor, the opportunity to work. Middle class speculators bought up the sub-divided alms-house land. By 1786, the year Hill built his house, a neighborhood of builders, artisans and some merchants was giving way to gentlemen (rich men of leisure), wealthy merchants, and clergy members. One block to the north, merchant William Bingham, wealthy as a Pharaoh, built a palatial manor. Bingham's gardens were populated with exotic citrus trees that backed onto Fourth Street. A little farther up the block lived the well-to-do Edward Shippen, whose daughter Peggy would unwittingly besmirch the good family name after marrying Benedict Arnold in 1779.

The popularity of Madeira, the key to Hill's wealth, was in part due to another ingenious ruse by the colonists in outfoxing the British. Liquor that passed through European ports was taxed by the British. The Madeira Islands, though belonging to Portugal, were considered a part of Africa, hence the wine went untaxed. The vino traveled well on the sea and aged during the long ocean voyage so by the time it reached the colonies it was ready for drinking. The successful Hill, in addition to being a tremendously successful merchant also made money in transportation, owned working farms, bred horses, and like many self-made men of the times became a politician.

Hill built an impressive home. One need only look at the intricate fanlight, imported from England, which crowns the double doors to know that the owner was a man of social standing. Inside, the 32 rooms included a ballroom, several large bedrooms, and mirrored fireplaces made with Valley Forge marble. Unfortunately, Hill did not have long to enjoy his home. In 1798, he succumbed to Yellow Fever, which was again terrorizing the Capital City.

The house remained in the family for some years until it was ultimately bought by a spinster, Abigail Physick in 1815. She then deeded it to her famous brother, the doctor Philip Syng Physick, who at the time was undergoing a messy and public divorce.

But before getting to the juicy details, a little background is in order. The Physicks were a well-to-do Philadelphia family. His mother's father, the renowned silversmith Philip Syng, designed the inkstand from which both the Declaration and Constitution were written, and which is still displayed at Independence Hall. Doctor Physick's father, Edmund, had the fraternal-sounding job of "Keeper of the Great Seal" for the Penn family. His duties included management of the Penn estates and interests in the colonies during the Revolutionary War. In fact, at one point during the hostilities Edmund Physick negotiated a treaty between the British General Howe and George Washington that halted fighting on one of Penn's properties outside of Philadelphia. Indirectly, this led to Washington spending a very cold and historic winter in Valley Forge.

Philip attended prep school and went on to receive a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He then studied under Dr. Kuhn at the Medical College of Philadelphia and received an M.A. It was here that cadavers, which were to be a recurring motif in Physick's life, first came to the fore. Physick had to boil a cadaver for anatomy class. The experience left him so shaky that he begged out of the medical profession. His father, perhaps believing in the providence of his Christian name, made his boy stay in school. After studying with Dr. Kuhn, off went young Physick to the Hunter School in London, the mecca for aspiring surgeons. Accompanied by his father to meet the famed Hunter Brothers, the senior Physick asked one of the siblings what books Philip would need during his matriculation. John Hunter brusquely took the solicitous father into a dissecting room filled with cadavers and said: "These are the books your son will learn from under my direction; the others are fit for very little."

  • Physick's grandfather, the renowned silversmith Philip Syng, designed the inkstand from which both the Declaration and Constitution were written, and which is still displayed at Independence Hall.
  • Built on the site of the Old City Alms House.
  • John Nixon, who gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, lived on the site, in a modest home, before Hill built this mansion.
  • Henry Hill was the executor of Benjamin Franklin's will.

[edit] External links


[edit] Samuel Hodgdon

http://www.qmfound.com/Samuel_Hodgdon.htm


[edit] Concord School, Philadelphia

The Concord School House is a historic one-room schoolhouse in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is operated today as a museum.

Built in 1775 by Jacob Knor, Concord was the first English-language school in Germantown (then an exurb of Philadelphia), built on the corner of the Upper Burying Ground at Washington Lane and Germantown Avenue. It opened to students in October 1775, and served as a school room until 1892.

The school was supported by subscription and neighbors contributed to the fund, allowing any family that could afford the fee to enroll its children (around $2 per quarter, plus .25 for spelling books), including families of African descent who rented the school house in the 1850s.

At a meeting on March 24, 1775, the residents of the upper part Germantown decided that the Union School (later known as Germantown Academy) was too far for their children to travel, and they needed a schoolhouse of their own. The site beside the Upper Burying Ground was chosen, construction began, and in October 1775, the Concord School was completed. In 1818 a second floor was added as a town meetingroom.

The origin of the school's name is uncertain. It was perhaps named after the ship Concord which brought the first Dutch and German immigrants to America. An alternate theory is that its foundations were built at the time of the first shot of the American Revolution fired in Concord, Massachusetts.

In the school's early years, education was considered a privilege, and unruly students were not admitted. The first schoolmaster was John Grimes. In 1797 tuition was $1.50 for a quarter (three months). By 1815 it was $2.00 per quarter.

The Concord School is a classic example of the one-room schoolhouse. Its appearance today is very close to that when it was still active. Night classes were sometimes held and students brought candles to study by. There was no bathroom, only the necessary in the back. The room was heated by the fireplace, later replaced by a potbelly stove. Students were given few luxuries. Yet the school provided many children with an excellent education. Today the interior still contains original desks, books, even a stool and dunce cap.

6309 Germantown Avenue, above Washington Lane

[edit] Further reading

  • Marion, John Francis. Bicentennial City: Walking Tours of Historic Philadelphia. Princeton: The Pyne Press, 1974.
  • Jenkins, Charles F. The Guide Book to Historic Germantown. Germantown Historical Society, 1973.
  • Tinkcom, Harry A and Margaret B. and Grant Miles Simon, Historic Germantown: From the Founding to the Early Part of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1955., p. 97
  • Teitelman, Edward, and Richard W. Longstreth. Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1974., p. 218
  • Webster, Richard J., Philadelphia Preserved. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1976., p. 263

[edit] External links

[edit] Hannah Clothier Hull

In the last issue of the Clothier Chronicles I mentioned discovery of Clothier Field which was a City Park in Delaware County, Pennsylvania near the Swarthmore College Campus. I have now discovered that the park is named in honor of Hannah Hallowell Clothier Hull, born 21 July 1872, died 1958. Hannah is a descendant of the branch of Clothiers commonly referred to as the Strawbridge-Clothier line. This branch of Clothiers descends from one Henry and Abigail (Ridgeway) Clothier. Henry was of Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England and immigrated to America about 1714. Henry and Abigail were married at Burlington, New Jersey on 5 November 1717. This branch of Clothiers, to date show no connection to our immigrant ancestor Jeremiah. It is possible that a connection may be made in England though, since Henry also came from the County of Somersetshire, where Jeremiah came from. Henry and most of his descendants were called Friends or Quakers. Hannah was the daughter of Isaac Hallowell and Mary Clapp (Jackson) Clothier and she was married on 27 December 1898 to William Isaac Hull. Her father Isaac was one of the founders and partners of Strawbridge & Clothier, a clothing store chain based in Pennsylvania. Hannah was an absolute pacifist and suffrage leader; she devoted nearly 50 years to these causes. She corresponded with a host of pacifists, feminists, and political figures, and her papers are a valuable resource to the scholars of the peace and women's movements. Hannah served in The Women's Peace Party from 1917 to 1920. She attended the International Conference or Women at The Hague in 1922. The papers of Hannah Clothier Hull include correspondence (1892-1956), speeches, articles, and notes (1925-1958), biographical materials, and pamphlets on women's suffrage, clippings and photographs. All of this material is part of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection.

[edit] Colonial Germantown Historic District

Colonial Germantown Historic District
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Built/Founded: 1683
Architect: Multiple
Architectural style(s): Colonial, Georgian, Federal
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966[6]
NRHP Reference#: 66000678[7]
Governing body: Local

The Colonial Germantown Historic District, which includes the 6500 to 7600 blocks of Germantown Avenue (between Windrim and Upsal Streets), has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It comprises 60 buildings, including:

[edit] Other National Historic Landmarks

[edit] Other historic sites

The Concord School (1775), 6308 Germantown Avenue
The Concord School (1775), 6308 Germantown Avenue

1982 National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form Addendum to Colonial Germantown Historic District Both sides of Germantown Avenue from Windrim Avenue to Sharpnack Street

Form prepared by Carl E. Doebley and Mark Lloyd Clio Group for City of Philadelphia 3961 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

December 10, 1982

Item number 7. Description of the present and original (if known) physical appearance:

"The Germantown Historic district extends for twenty-one blocks along Germantown Avenue in the northwestern quadrant of Philadelphia. It encompasses nearly five hundred small-scaled commercial and residential buildings. Almost half date from the late nineteenth century; with over seventy percent designed after the Civil War. Of the earlier construction, slightly over ten percent of the district pre-dates the 1800s; approximately fifteen percent of the buildings were erected between 1800 and 1865. While largely consistent in scale and material, the stylistic range of the district fully parallels the changing fashions of American Architecture from the Colonial through the modern period.

"Most well known among the district's buildings are the rich and varied collection of Colonial and Federal houses. Within the district boundaries there are over fifty important early American sites, which document a full range of the social, political and architectural history of early Germantown. Most impressive are the palatial and largely restored mansions such as Cliveden (Photo 114), Loudon (Photo 5), Vernon (Photo 65), Wyck (Photo 80), and Upsala (Photo 111). They reflect the most advanced architectural design of the period, and offer contrast to the setting, scale and lack of embellishment of the modest tenant houses of the era, such as Wistar's Tenant House (Photo 40) near Bringhurst Street or the John Rittenhouse houses (Photo 73) at Rittenhouse Street. The middle ground is occupied by a group of houses that approach their larger counterparts in design and decoration, but which are tied to the Avenue in setting and scale. Included are the Ottinger and Mehl houses (Photo 19), the Baynton, Conyngham-Hacker, Howell, Theobald-Endt and Bechtal houses (Photos 33, 34, 35), and the Bellmeyer house (Photo 118) to list a few. All of the houses of the era share in the master builder tradition of early America. They are constructed almost exclusively of Wissahickon schist rubblework, sometimes stuccoed, with hand-molded woodwork. They rise to a height of two and one- half stories with a gable roof, punctuated by dormers.

"Of the surviving buildings in the district, few date from the period between 1800 and 1850. Those that exist follow the architectural traditions of the eighteenth century. The first radical break with that tradition did not occur until the 1850s, with the adaptation of romantic revival styles to local construction technique. Two institutional projects highlight the transformation. At the lower reaches of Germantown Avenue, the Hood Cemetery Gate, designed in 1849, by architect William Johnston announced the new age with the rich, plastic forms of the Baroque Revival. While to the north, on the 5300 block, builder-designers Jacob and George Binder adjusted the tenets of Federal church design to conform with those of the emerging Italianate style. Residential architecture changed even more dramatically in the district. Georgian styling was replaced by the Gothic Cottage, so successfully championed by the pattern book writers and professional architects of the period. At both 6381 Germantown Avenue (Photo 108) and 6464 Germantown Avenue (Photo 113) the metamorphosis is obvious. The gable has been compounded, the modillions replaced by scrollwork brackets and the flat arch window heads have given way to the pointed arch.

"Still, it was not until after the Civil War that Germantown Avenue underwent its most dramatic change. Nearly half of the surviving buildings date between 1864 and 1900, and by the turn of the century Victorian styling dominated the street. Most common were the builder styles, thinned versions of high style design, that were used throughout Philadelphia in the period. Among the most popular was the Italianate. Typical houses or shops were two or three stories with flat roofs, bracketed cornices, and simply finished lintels. (See photos 9 and 43.) Vying with the Italianate, from the 1860s to the 1880s, was the Second Empire style, although it usually was little more than an Italianate building with a mansard roof (Photos 6 and 25). The two dominated until the 1880s, when a shift in architectural fashion found them supplanted with the Colonial Revival. Often only vaguely related to their stylistic namesake, Colonial Revival buildings of the period usually were adorned with heavily molded cornices, flat arches with keystones, paneled window bays and either a 'Colonial' storefront or a classically detailed (Federal) porch. (See photos 16, 104, and 106.) Stylistic subthemes at this time in the district include High Victorian Gothic and the Queen Anne Revival.

"Aside from the builder rows, the period also saw the construction of several Victorian buildings of note. Almost exclusively, they were designed for commercial or institutional clients. At the C.W. Schaeffer Public School of 1876 (Photos 13 and 14), the Italianate received a more three-dimensional treatment than was usual in the area. The rubblework and deep window jambs added a massive quality, while the use of iron lintels allowed added window openings for a relatively light and airy interior. At the Masonic Temple (Photo 53) on the east side of the 5400 block, a full blown Gothic Revival building was erected, with an appropriate gabled frontispiece and a generous number of pointed arch openings. J.C. Sidney's design for the National Bank of Germantown (Photo 55) with its numerous additions presented successive interpretations of the Renaissance by several architects. While on Market Square, the T. Roney Williamson-attributed Presbyterian Church, executed in a strong Richardson Romanesque, elbowed its way onto its small-scaled block.

"Increasingly over the 19th century, Germantown Avenue developed as a commercial center for the Germantown-Mt. Airy neighborhood. In the twentieth century, that development crystalized in a four block area centered on the intersection with Chelten Avenue where older buildings were either demolished or largely renovated to make way for the new retail tenants. H. Holmes' design of 1926 for S.S. Kresge (Photo 59) in the 5300 block is typical of the latest version of Georgian Revival to appear in the district. Regency-like in its lightness, the design recalls its 18th century antecedents in a symbolic rather than a literal manner. The alternative to Georgian was Moderne, and the Gothic- influenced Art Deco style of Woolworth's (Photo 62) marks the extreme of the style in the district. A somewhat later and more reserved version can be seen in Thalheimer and Weitz's slick design for Triplex Shoes (Photo 56) near Armat Street.

"Two civic deigns near the Chelten Avenue intersection are of sufficient quality to warrant particular attention. For a Germantown Branch of the Free Library to be erected across form Vernon in Vernon Park, Frank Miles Day and Brother designed a low, long Georgian building that graciously deferred to the Federal style mansion. John P.B. Sinkler in his design of the Germantown Town Hall also paid tribute to early Philadelphia buildings with an ambitious design for the hall based on William Strickland's Philadelphia (Merchant's) Exchange at Third and Walnut Streets.

"The final burst of construction in the district occurred after World War II. Using traditional American design, less apt to offend patrons than the austere modernism of Europe, Herbert Beidler executed a Georgian Revival facade for the C. A. Rowell Department Store (Photo 63), on the site of the old Germantown Trust Company. A keystone in the 1950s development of the area, Beidler's design reflected continued interest along the Avenue in the early years of American Architectural design."

Item number 8. Significance:

"The original National Register nomination form for the Colonial Germantown Historic District, prepared in 1972, argued solely for the significance of the Colonial and Federal buildings along the avenue. This addendum, while acknowledging the richness of the early American building, argues that the collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings in the district also are significant. Many are architecturally important, and all are integral elements in Philadelphia's largest and once most successful commercial district outside the center of the city. Stretching over two miles in length, the district is an amalgam of eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century buildings that represents the development of commerce in Germantown from its founding days, through its incorporation into the City of Philadelphia in 1854, to World War II.

"The 18th Century: "Germantown was founded in 1683, the first German settlement in the New World. Its first residents were linen weavers and merchants. The German settlers who followed through most of the 18th century brought skills in many craft industries. Germantown developed into a sophisticated 'urban village' which boasted weaving, tanning, shoemaking, coopering, wagonmaking, and even specialized trades such as papermaking and printing. The residents conducted their manufacturing and marketing in the traditional 'cottage industry' method and their houses and shops stretched out for nearly two miles along Germantown Avenue.

"Germantown's population grew steadily during the 18th century, but did not exceed 2,500 until the final decade. The great majority of the land remained undeveloped; commerce, industry and residence alike were carried out in building directly upon Germantown Avenue. The intersection of the few 'cross streets' with Germantown Avenue seemed to attract some build-up, but nothing remotely approaching the concentration of later periods. Three examples of this tendency may be documented at the following locations in 1767: at Germantown Avenue and Wister Street were gathered two tanneries, a stock weaving shop, a harness making shop, a skinning ship, a butcher's shop, a blacksmith shop and an inn; at Germantown Avenue and Queen Lane were gathered a printing press, a carriage making factory, a saddler's shop, a powder making shop, a weaving shop, a general store, and an inn; at Germantown Avenue and Washington Lane were gathered a tannery, a cabinetmakers shop, several shoemaking shops, a cooper, and two inns.

"Germantown in the 18th century was well summarized by a Swedish traveler and diarist, Peter Kalm, in 1748: '...this town has only one street, but is nearly two English miles long. It is for the greatest part inhabited by Germans, who from time to time come from their country to North America and settle here, because they enjoy such privileges as they are not possessed of anywhere else. Most of the inhabitants are tradesmen and make almost everything in such quantity and perfection that in a short time this province will want very little from England, its mother country.' "The Mid-19th Century "Beginning in the 1830s the railroad and the steam engine fundamentally altered the use and appearance of the historic district along Germantown Avenue. The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad Company built a line from Philadelphia to Germantown which ran through the east side of the community to a terminus at Germantown Avenue and Price Street and opened in 1832. The railroad provided ready access to Philadelphia's large market and an umbilical cord for raw materials flowing into new Germantown factories. The traditional 'cottage industry' along Germantown Avenue began to give way to modern factory buildings built along the rail line. These rapidly expanding industries supplied many new jobs which accelerated the growth of the local population.

"The railroad also made it convenient for businessmen to work in Philadelphia and live in Germantown. New streets, running perpendicular to Germantown Avenue, were opened to accommodate the new residents -- both mill workers and upper middle class businessmen. The new streets connected rail stations on the east side of Germantown with the Avenue itself and served to funnel residents from the trains and factories to Germantown Avenue and to their homes. Germantown Avenue, then became the focus of the shops and stores which supplied the goods and services demanded by the new population. Germantown simultaneously a textile manufacturing center. The changes in Germantown were well summarized by the Philadelphia diarist Sydney George Fisher on 7 August 1857:

'Was much impressed in my drive today with the beauty of the country, the universal aspect of wealth and comfort and the difference that a few years have made in the neighborhood of Germantown, always a respectable, substantial village, but now adorned with elegance and supplied with all the conveniences of a city -- shops, gas, waterworks, with none of the annoyances of town, but quiet, country scenery, gardens, and trees everywhere. The railroad and the taste for villa life have done it all, and so manifold are its advantages that the wonder to me is how any can bear to stay in town.'

"By the 1850s Germantown Avenue had entered into the transformation which would take nearly eighty years to complete. The important commercial investment in new buildings clustered on Germantown Avenue between Rittenhouse Street and School House Lane. The Germantown 'Main Street" itself lost its residential attractiveness and the old residences and the buildings used for the crafts and trades of 'cottage industry' were re-used or replaced with specialized commercial and business structures. Prominent examples of these buildings include the 'Parker's Hall and Combinations Stores' at 5801 Germantown Avenue (demolished), built c. 1851; the 'Langstroth Building' at 5603/5 Germantown Avenue (Photo 62), c. 1854; the 'Germantown Mutual Fire Insurance Company Building' at 5601 Germantown Avenue (demolished), c. 1853; and the 'Bull's Head Market House' at 5344/8 Germantown Avenue (Photo 45), c. 1859/60. Each of these buildings represented new commerce and business in Germantown; each brought a building form, an architecture, and a specialization of use not previously seen.

"In 1859 a horse-car line was laid on Germantown Avenue from Philadelphia to a terminus just above Phil-Ellena Street. In tandem with the railroad, this form of transportation supplied a fresh surge of population growth in Germantown in the post-bellum period. It also made the entire length of Germantown Avenue accessible to the public at large and more, made the Avenue the most desirable location for all commerce and business. Commercial land use spread along the entire distance of the horse-car line and it intensified and diversified. Large scale investment continued to cluster between Rittenhouse Street and School House Lane. The local banks led the way in building substantial business 'houses' along the Avenue. The National Bank of Germantown moved from its quarters in a converted colonial-era mansion to a new bank building in 1868 at 5500 Germantown Avenue (Photo 55); the Savings Fund Society of Germantown moved to a new bank building at 5708 Germantown Avenue in 1870 (Photo 64). 'Stokes Block': a row of commercial buildings, erected on the site of the Stoke's family Greek Revival mansion at 5600/2/4/6 Germantown (Photo 60), c. 1875, further focused the large-scale investment in this area.

"High density and mixed use buildings also began to appear: thirteen commercial/residential row buildings built at 4932 - 4956 Germantown Avenue (Photo 23), c. 1870; the three commercial/residential row buildings at 5100/2/4 Germantown Avenue (Photo 31), c. 1875; the five commercial/residential buildings at 5310/2/4/6/8 Germantown Avenue (Photo 43), c. 1877; the six commercial/residential buildings at 6100/2/4/6/8/10 (Photo 83), c. 1870. Storefront shops proliferated along Germantown Avenue and less affluent Germantowners lived in the apartments above the stores.

"The Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries "In 1887 came the first notice that the commercial district was about to form a hub at the intersection of Germantown and Chelten Avenues. In that year an observant local reporter wrote a front page story entitled 'Chelten Avenue as a Business Street.' He saw stores and offices spreading away from the Germantown 'Main Street,' along a formerly residential street. He saw the commercial district beginning to focus specifically on the crossroad of Germantown and Chelten Avenues. He was not alone in his vision.

"In each of the three decades between 1880 and 1910 still another new transportation system was introduced in Germantown. The three taken together -- a new railroad line, several new electrified trolley lines and the automobile -- produced by 1930 a 'city' within a city, the largest commercial district in the metropolitan area outside downtown Philadelphia.

"In 1884 the Pennsylvania Railroad opened a railroad through the west side of Germantown from Philadelphia to a terminus at Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill. Like its predecessor on Germantown's east side, the railroad created a surge of new housing and sustained the town's rapid growth of population. In 1892 a horse-car line was opened on Chelten Avenue from Pulaski Avenue to Chew Street. By 1906 this trunk line had been electrified and trolleys had branched into East Falls and the Falls of the Schuylkill neighborhoods on the west and Logan, West Oak Lane, and suburban Glenside on the east and north. Residents from all over Philadelphia's northwest section were funneled into the heart of Germantown's commercial district by the confluence of trolley lines at Germantown and Chelten. Then in 1904 the first local automobile club was formed and by 1920 there were 'No Left Turn' signs at the intersection of Germantown and Chelten. The automobile expanded the market area of the Germantown commercial district into even more distant communities such as Jenkintown and Whitemarsh. The Germantown commercial district exploded with growth between 1890 and 1915 and by the latter date had become a major, urban center.

"By 1930 commercial buildings dominated every block of Germantown Avenue from Wayne Junction to Johnson Street, but as in earlier periods the focus of investment was to be found at or near the intersection of Germantown and Chelten. A new banking institution, the Germantown Trust company, signaled the upward spiral in 1889 by purchasing the southeast corner of Germantown and Chelten and constructing a major bank building which, over the next forty years, was several times expanded, culminating in the eight story tower built at the rear of its property in 1929/30. In the first years of the 20th century the local newspapers often ran stories detailing the dramatic rise of real estate values along the entire length of Germantown Avenue from Haines Street to Coulter Street and declaring the blocks of the Avenue nearest Chelten to be the most desirable and most expensive. An old family firm (established c. 1810), 'Robert Cherry's Sons,' built a three-story addition in 1904 and expanded into three unified storefronts in 1911 at 5541/3/5/7 Germantown Avenue (Photo 59). F.W. Woolworth's located its 185th 5 and 10 cent store at 5611/13 Germantown Avenue in 1907 and by 1930 had expanded into the present 5609/11/13 Germantown Avenue (Photo 62). S.S. Kresge and Company established a major store at 5549/51/53 Germantown Avenue (Photo 59) in 1926 and in the same year the Langstroth Building at 5700/2/4/6 Germantown Avenue (Photo 64) was completely rebuilt and re-opened as 'Vernon Hall' in fine Art Deco style. Several other major buildings -- the Germantown Theatre (3,000 seats), c. 1913, at 5530 Germantown Avenue; the United Gas Improvement Company Building, c. 1911, at the southwest corner of Germantown Avenue and Maplewood Avenue; the Chelten Trust Company bank building, c. 1907, at 5614 Germantown Avenue -- have since been demolished. The first two blocks of West Chelten Avenue -- technically outside the bounds of the historic commercial district -- were the site of still other major buildings -- the Orpheum Theatre (2,000) seats), c. 1917, at 26/8/30/2/4 West Chelten; the Philadelphia Electric Company Building, c. 1925, at 41 West Chelten; the Allen's Department Store, c. 1927, at 100 West Chelten and the skyscraping Bankers' Trust (Barker) Building, c. 1929/30, at 14/6/8/20 West Chelten. Germantown's commercial district was so large and so complete that for more than fifty years it was called a 'city' within a city, losing ground beginning only in the 1960s with the advent of the contemporary suburban shopping malls."


[edit] Frankford Friends Meeting House

Frankford (Preparative) Friends Meeting House is a historic Quaker meeting house, in Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its oldest parts having been built in 1775-1776, it is significant as the oldest surviving meeting house in Philadelphia.

It is located at the corner of Unity and Waln Streets. It is now used also as a community center.[8]

[edit] The Friends meeting

The Quaker meeting here was known from its origin in 1683 as "Tacony" (after a nearby creek), then as "Oxford" (after the township in which it lay), then as "Frankford", then as "Unity" (to distinguish it from another Frankford meeting nearby). It is affiliated with the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://eng.archinform.net/arch/29049.htm
  2. ^ Old Main at Historic Campus Architecture Project]
  3. ^ College Misericordia at Historic Campus Architecture Project]
  4. ^ Mercy Hall at Historic Campus Architecture Project]
  5. ^ Listing at the National Park Service
  6. ^ Listing at the National Park Service
  7. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  8. ^ Article from Workshop of the World, by Barbara M. Auwarter and Joyce Halley, (Oliver Evans Press, 1990)

[edit] External links


Building/structure dates: 1775 initial construction

Building/structure dates: 1811 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1947 subsequent work

Building/structure dates: 1962 subsequent work

Significance: The original portion of the Frankford Preparative Friends Meeting House was erected in 1775-76, making it the oldest Friends meeting house in Philadelphia. Although the construction of meeting houses within the city dates back to its founding in 1680s, most were replaced by the nineteenth century and some more than once. Frankford Meeting House was erected as a single-cell, three-bay-by-two-bay structure, to which a smaller two-bay-wide section was added to better accommodate the growing meeting. The addition also enabled the structure to adapt to a programmatic change that occurred during the late eighteenth century. Evidence indicates that a partition located to the east of the central doorway once divided the 1775-76 structure into two apartments. The smaller size of the eastern (women's) apartment reflected the English program whereby Friends met in a single room for worship, and then in separate apartments for gender-specific business meetings. By the late eighteenth century, American Friends began meeting on separate sides of a partition for worship and business, lowering the partition for the latter meetings. The new arrangement required two equally sized apartments, and led to the development of the two-cell, doubled structure that became a standard for Friends meeting house design for nearly a century. Frankford's 1811-12 addition made the meeting house conform to the newer program by creating same-sized rooms. Thus, Frankford reflects a critical point in the evolution of meeting house design. It is one of the few surviving examples of an one-cell form altered to better accommodate separate space for women's meetings. Frankford Meeting House is also of interest for its unusual mix of building materials. A refined treatment of Flemish-bond brick with glazed headers was used in constructing the facades facing the street. The use of locally quarried rubble stone gives a more vernacular appearance to the two remaining facades, including the south front. The utilization of both brick and stone was probably a function of economy. The materials from the previous meeting house were reused, thus minimizing the need for additional (more costly) brick. Such building practices were indicative of Quaker thrift. Salvaged materials often found new life in another structure or where otherwise put to use.

The charming Quaker Meeting House (c. 1768) survives east of Waln Street, surrounded by simple graves and a stone platform which likely helped early Friends descend from their carriages.


[edit] Nicholas Waln

Nicholas Waln (Richard1); (b. circa 1650, Burholme, Yorkshire, England; m. Jane Turner 1673; d. 4 Feb 1721/22 at Philadelphia Co., PA.

He resided at Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA. He immigrated on 22 Oct 1682 to Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Assembly between 1682 and 1695 at Bucks Co., PA. He was a member of the Assembly between 1696 and 1717 at Philadelphia Co., PA. He left a will 11mo 30 1721/22 at Philadelphia Co., PA; proved 19 Mar 1721/22.

Jane Turner died after 1721.

Known children of Nicholas Waln and Jane Turner were as follows: 4. i. Jane Waln, b. 16 5 mo. 1675 at Yorkshire, England; m. Samuel Allen Jr. ii. Margaret Waln; b. 3 Oct 1677 at Yorkshire, England.

5. iii. Richard Waln, b. 6 Apr 1678 at Burholme, Yorkshire, England; m. Ann Heath.

               iv. Margaret Waln; b. 10 Jan 1681/82 at Yorkshire,
                   England.
                v. Hannah Waln; b. 21 Sep 1684 at Bucks Co., PA; m.
                   Thomas Hodges; 1st husband; m. Benjamin Simcock
                   Nov 1712; 2nd husband.
               vi. Mary Waln; b. 7 Apr 1687 at Bucks Co., PA; m. John
                   Simcock 1706; d. 19 Jul 1721 at age 34.
              vii. Ellen Waln; b. 1mo 27 1690 at Bucks Co., PA; d. 4
                   Jan 1707/8.
             viii. Sarah Waln; m. Jacob Simcock; b. 9 Jun 1692 at
                   Bucks Co., PA; m. Jonathan Palmer 27 Feb 1721/22.
               ix. John Waln; b. 10 Aug 1694 at Bucks Co., PA; m.
                   Jane Mifflin 30 Aug 1717; d. 1720.
                x. Elizabeth Waln; b. 27 Mar 1697 at Philadelphia,
                   PA.
               xi. Nicholas Waln; b. 24 Mar 1698/99 at Philadelphia,
                   PA; d. 11 Feb 1721/22 at Philadelphia, PA, at age
                   22.
                   He left a will 12mo 6 1721/22 at Philadelphia Co.,
                   PA; proved 19 Mar 1721/22.
              xii. William Waln; b. 15 Mar 1700/1 at Philadelphia,
                   PA; m. Ann Hall.

7. Nicholas Waln (Richard3, Nicholas2, Richard1); b. 19 Mar 1710; m. Mary Shoemaker, daughter of George Shoemaker and Rebecca Dilworth, at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, PA; d. Aug 1744 at age 34.

    He resided at Northern Liberties, Philadelphia Co., PA. He left a

will on 16 Aug 1744 at Philadelphia Co., PA; proved 31 Aug 1744.

    Mary Shoemaker resided at Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA.

She left a will 11mo 19 1745 at Philadelphia Co., PA; proved 23 Jun 1756.

    Known children of Nicholas Waln and Mary Shoemaker include:
                i. Richard Waln; b. 1737; m. Elizabeth Armitt,
                   daughter of Joseph Armitt and Elizabeth Lisle, 4
                   Dec 1760.
                   He resided at Philadelphia, PA. He resided in 1774
                   at 'Walnford', Monmouth Co., NJ.

Nicholas Waln, a prominent colonial lawyer and later a Quaker minister, was the first owner of the home at 254 2nd st. The property, shown set back from the road in the Taylor watercolor, was built sometime before 1785. According to the Jane Campbell collectionThe Waln family owned the home until 1812 when a Dr. Ely briefly resided in the home prior to the purchase of the home by Dr. Samuel McClellan. In 1862 future Union General George McClellan was born in the home. In the mid 1800's the home was used by the Southeast School. Between 1861 and 1871 the girls section of the school occupied the home. Rev. Ezra Stiles is believed to be the head of the school. The property was used for manufacturing purposes in the 1910's. In 1959 the Redevelopment Agency of Philadelphia acquired the property though condemnation.

Nicholas Waln was undoubtedly one of the most eccentric characters in colonial Philadelphia. Stories from the Perkins and Campbell collections augment a narrative from the Eberlen and Lippincott 1912 publication "The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and its Neighborhoods" creating an insight into Waln's character. Waln's family home was Fairhill in what is now Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. Waln began his career as a lawyer, but as the following antidote illustrates he soon became disillusioned with the profession. When traveling home from trying a case in Bucks County, Waln stopped by his friend's country home and is reported to have said, "I did the best that I could for my client, gained the case for him, and thereby defrauded an honest man out of his just due. " After this he never practiced law again and instead became a Quaker minister.

It is Nicholas Waln who is responsible for the narrow street frontage the property has in the 1861 Taylor watercolor. Originally the house had a garden to the front and side. Waln sells the south east portion of the lot and house is built on that corner of the original property, leaving an open space of 20-25 feet back to the Waln house. Later a small office was built by Waln's neighbor to the south. leaving only several feet for an entrance. Not only his Waln loose his street frontage to this neighbor, but he also frequently accused his neighbor of stealing wood from his woodpile. Waln died iin1813 at the age of 71 and the home passed into the hands of his wife. Waln's widow, the former Sarah Richardson, aside from being one of the few female property owners in Philadelphia in the early 19th century, also managed to create a cookbook that still remains in the collection of the Pennsylvania Historical Society. The site continued to have a vibrant life until the 20th century when Society Hill as a whole became an area of urban blight as structures were abandoned or allowed to fall into disrepair. In the 1950's and 1960's the City of Philadelphia undertook a massive urban renewal plan that eventually transformed Society Hill into the elit residential neighborhood that it is today. The site where 254 S. Second St. once stood became part of a block with a residential tower designed by modernist architect I.M.Pei.

Nicholas Waln (1742-1813), Quaker minister, was the son of Nicholas and Mary Shoemaker Waln. He married Sarah Richardson in 1771. Their children included Joseph R. Waln (1773-1783), Jacob Shoemaker Waln (1784-1847), William and Nicholas Waln. Waln was educated as a lawyer but as a young man gave up his lucrative practice as the result of a profound religious experience in 1772. He began to travel in the ministry in 1774 and made two religious visits to Great Britain in 1783 and 1795.

Nicholas Waln (1742-1813) was admitted to the bar in 1762 and quickly (before reaching the age of 21) had one of the largest trial caseloads of any Philadelphia lawyer. He left Philadelphia in 1763 to study at the Inns of Court in London, returned in 1764 and achieved immediate success and prosperity. He left the practice of law to become an extraordinarily eloquent and famous Quaker preacher. He mentored many successful Philadelphia lawyers.[2]

In 1683, the first Neshaminy Monthly Meeting was held at Nicholas Waln's on November 1st and then at the homes of John Otter and Robert Hall until 1688. The first meeting house was built on land given by Nicholas Waln (Philadelphia merchant) who lived on what is now the Brownsville Road on the left, going down to the Creek; the former William Mitchell farm a mile west of Langhorne. Unfortunately, we do not know the exact location, but we do know that it was on the opposite side of the road from the Waln home, and this side of the creek.

In 1690, a committee was appointed to select a burying place and to have it fenced in. In 1692, the township having been laid out, the name was changed to Middletown Monthly Meeting. Bristol, Buckingham, Newtown and Wrightstown meetings began as preparative meetings under Middletown. In 1693, a schoolmaster was hired and children were taught at the Meeting House, becoming the first school in the area. Italic text Bold text