| Creator |
Weber, Godfrey, d. 1862. |
| Contributor |
Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868, correspondent. |
|
McAllister, John A. 1822-1896, former owner. |
| Title |
Godfrey Weber Papers. 1802-1844 (inclusive). |
| Physical Description |
1 box .21 linear feet. |
| Description |
Series I, Correspondence (1842-1843) holds letters that relate to Weber's business interests. There are three letters from
Pennsylvania representative Joseph Reed Ingersoll (1786-1868), one of which replied to Weber's letter regarding silk duties.
One letter is unsigned and unattributed; written in December 1842, it is addressed to President John Tyler and recommends
the appointment of Henry Mahler of New York to the position of United States Consul in Zurich. It is filed with the Weber
material based on a letter from Ingersoll to Weber saying that he had forwarded Weber's recommendation to the secretary of
state along with an endorsement of Weber's character as a reference. Mahler was appointed to the post as the country's first
consul to Zurich, and served from 1843-1844.
|
|
Series II, Documents (1802-1844) mostly pertains to the estate of a doctor and druggist, Peter Anthony Blénon (1759-1836),
for which Godfrey Weber was an executor. A native of Sens in the Burgundy region of France, Pierre Antoine Blénon became an
American citizen in 1798, and was a resident of Hamilton Village in West Philadelphia. He left a large part of his estate
to “Institutions of Charity and Benifence” in the city of Philadelphia. Included in the Weber papers is a set of refunding
bonds signed by each of the thirty-two organizations, which bear a collection of beautiful institutional seals. Other documents
in the series are a receipt book that records payments made from the Blénon estate between July 1836 and February 1844, two
of Weber's French passports and two of his French military conscription forms.
|
| Notes |
On deposit at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. For service, please contact
the Historical Society at 215-732-6200 or http://www.hsp.org.
|
| Biographical / historical note |
Godfrey Weber (1780 or 1-1862) was a merchant in Philadelphia. Born Christian Godfrey Weber in Strasbourg, France, he first
appeared in the Philadelphia directories in 1820 as Godfrey Weber, a merchant at 160 1/2 South Second St. In 1833 his description
and location changed to an importer of French goods at 68 South Third St. The compendium Memoirs and Auto-biography of some
of the Wealthy Citizens of Philadelphia (1846) describes Weber & Co. as “Importers of French and other goods. Adopted citizens.”
with a net worth of $50,000. At the end of his life, Weber was listed in the Philadelphia directories as a dry goods merchant
living at 635 Pine Street. The donor of the papers, John A. McAllister, was an antiquarian collector living in Philadelphia.
Family history and census documents suggest that Weber was related to McAllister's wife Annette Steinbrenner (d. 1926); the
McAllisters are buried with the Weber and Steinbrenner families in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia.
|
| Subject |
Blénon, Peter Anthony, 1759-ca. 1836 -- Estate. |
|
Preston Retreat . |
|
Charities -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia. |
| Genre |
Letters. |
|
Passports. |
|
Bonds (legal records). |
|
Military records. |
| Provenance |
McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, former owner. |
| Location |
Library Company of Philadelphia| MSS | McA MSS 028 |
| Accession number |
(McAllister) |
