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- Title
- Thomas FitzSimons Papers, 1784-1811 (inclusive)
- Description
- The Thomas FitzSimons Papers spans the period from 1784 to 1811, covering the years when he was closely involved in the bankruptcy proceedings of Robert Morris (1734-1806). The collection mainly holds documents relating to Morris's assets, particularly his land holdings, and their management., 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., Thomas FitzSimons, a merchant and a prominent member of Philadelphia's Irish-Catholic community, was born in Ireland in 1741, and immigrated to the United States with his family in the 1750s. FitzSimons entered politics after the American Revolution, representing Pennsylvania in the Continental Congresses of 1782 and 1783, and as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. After serving three terms in the Pennsylvania legislature, he was elected to the United States Congress in 1789 and remained there through 1795.
- Creator
- FitzSimons, Thomas, 1741-1811
- Date
- 1793
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 020, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64544#page/1/mode/1up
- 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
- Title
- Charles Bird Papers, 1800-1837 (inclusive)
- Description
- The Charles Bird Papers holds the business records of a successful hardware importer and merchant, and includes correspondence and records of financial transactions with merchants in England, cities along the American east coast, and Cuba., 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., Charles Bird was a hardware merchant in Philadelphia from 1802 to 1833, importing merchandise from England, and selling it to customers in the United States and the Caribbean. He was also involved in partnerships with his sons Henry, John, and Joseph, as well as with James Clemson and the brothers George, Robert, and Thomas Earp. Bird made extensive investments in real estate, and was active in community affairs and charitable organizations in Philadelphia.
- Creator
- Bird, Charles, d. 1849
- Date
- 1800
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 010, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64433#page/1/mode/1up
- Title
- William Trent Papers, 1763-1789 (inclusive)
- Description
- The William Trent Papers describe some of Trent's land holdings and business dealings in Pennsylvania, upstate New York, Maryland, and the Ohio Valley, with several investors including John Swift, Joseph Morris, George Campbell, George Croghan, Joseph Simon, David Franks, and Thomas Smallman, among others. Among the documents is an undated “List of Books, Papers, &c being the contents of a Black Trunk, belonging to the estate of William Trent deceased” describing fifteen items and bundles of papers (none of which are contained in the McAllister Collection). Another undated document is Trent's copy of a list of twenty-eight parcels sold to Campbell, Mitchell, and Davis, which includes six tracts along Jennings Run in Maryland., 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., William Trent (1715-1787), soldier, Indian trader, and land speculator, was a prominent figure in the development of Western Pennsylvania during the second half of the eighteenth century.
- Creator
- Trent, William, 1715-1787?
- Date
- 1763
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 016, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64400#page/1/mode/1up
- Title
- McAllister Miscellaneous Manuscripts, 1683-1872 (inclusive)
- Description
- A collection of miscellaneous and individual papers including letters, deeds, indentures, invoices, depositions, wills, certificates, passports, summons, and other government, legal and financial documents, most of which bear no relation to each other. Among the documents is a memoir by Scottish immigrant Quintin Campbell, three songs by Scottish hymnist James Montgomery, a letter from Dr. J.K. Mitchell, papers relating to A.H. Dohrmann and William Kneass, and a letter from Louis-Antoine Caraccioli to Tobias Smollett.., Several hundred clipped signatures were filed throughout the pre-2005 McAllister Manuscript Collection; they were extracted and assembled into their own alphabetically arranged McAllister Autograph Collection (McA MSS 022)., 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 A. McAllister was an antiquarian collector living in Philadelphia.
- Creator
- McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
- Date
- 1783
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | MSS McA MSS 025, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A64658#page/1/mode/1up