Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, General Assembly Records, 1783-1859 (bulk 1790-1838).
Title
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, General Assembly Records, 1783-1859 (bulk 1790-1838)
Description
A small collection of records of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania holds late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century correspondence, reports, petitions, and maps filed with the Assembly by government officials, politicians, corporations, and citizens. Among the documents are letters sent to the Senate by Governor Thomas Mifflin (1744-1800), and the Seneca Indian Chief Cornplanter (1732?-1836) who appeared before the legislators in 1790., 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.
Date
1783
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 017, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64748#page/1/mode/1up
Barker Family Papers, 1785-1832 (inclusive).
Title
Barker Family Papers, 1785-1832 (inclusive)
Description
The Barker Family Papers contains letters and documents related to the personal and professional lives of a father and son who were prominent Philadelphia public servants., 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., John Barker (1746-1818), was distinguished by a life in public service. He served in the Revolutionary War and remained active in the military through 1808, retiring as Major General of the First Brigade, First Division. He was twice sheriff of Philadelphia, serving from 1794-1797 and 1803-1807, and twice elected as mayor (1808-1810 and 1812-1813). He was, by trade, a tailor., James Nelson Barker (1784-1858) was respected for his accomplishments in the military, literature, and public service. The son of General John Barker, he rose to the rank of major in the War of 1812 and became adjutant general of the local militia, was a Philadelphia alderman and a one-term mayor (1820-1821), and collector of customs for the port of Philadelphia (1829-1838). For the last two decades of his life, Barker was comptroller at the Department of the Treasury in Washington, an appointment he received from Martin Van Buren. In addition, he was a published playwright whose work centered on themes from American history.
Date
1785
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 023, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64345#page/1/mode/1up
John Smith Papers, 1802-1819.
Title
John Smith Papers, 1802-1819
Description
The collection contains correspondence and documents covering the government and military careers of John Smith; they primarily related to his career as the United States marshal for the district of Pennsylvania during the War of 1812., John Smith was appointed United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Thomas Jefferson on March 28, 1801, replacing John Hall. He was reappointed by James Monroe on November 27, 1818, for a four-year term, but in January 1819 he was removed from office and replaced by Samuel D. Ingram. Smith was listed in the Philadelphia city directories as “late marshal” from 1819 to 1822, and was not listed thereafter. He married Elizabeth Turner on October 15, 1795, at St Michael and Zion Lutheran Church, Philadelphia. No date of death is known. Smith also had a long military career, serving almost continuously from 1776 until 1814, when the 1st Regiment of the Pennsylvania Cavalry, which he commanded, was disbanded., United States Marshals were public servants appointed by the President; their primary function was to provide local support for the operation of federal courts. The post involved a wide range of duties including procuring witnesses, serving subpoenas and warrants, and paying the fees and expenses of court clerks, judges, federal attorneys, and jurors. Marshals advertised seized property and oversaw its sale. In addition, until 1870, marshals conducted the federal census, and collected a variety of statistical information on behalf of the federal government., In time of war, such as the War of 1812, the marshal's duties expanded to include keeping track of enemy aliens living in the U.S., issuing passports for their domestic travel, and guarding and providing for British prisoners of war.
Creator
Smith, John, marshal
Date
1793
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 026