public "-//american philosophical society library//text(us::paav::b f85bra::james s. and frances m. bradford collection)//en" "bradford.xml"James S. and Frances M. Bradford Collection1749-1898Mss.B.F85.braMss.B.F85.braAmerican Philosophical Society
4/2003
Library & Museum105 South Fifth StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19106manuscripts@amphilsoc.orgURL: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-07-24 18:30:45 -0400.ENGAmerican Philosophical SocietyJames S. and Frances M. Bradford CollectionFranklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Bradford, Frances MaryBradford, James S.Mss.B.F85.bra/repositories/2/resources/13090.5 Linear feet1749-1898The James S. and Frances M. Bradford Collection contains a wealth of letters to and from Polly Stevenson Hewson, intimate friend of Benjamin Franklin. At the heart of the collection are approximately 40 letters from Mary Stevenson to Franklin with a smaller number in return. Friendly, increasingly intimate, these provide a glimpse of the domestic life of Franklin and his warm personal relations with the Stevensons and Hewsons. Among the noteworthy individual items is the manuscript "Craven Street Gazette" (Sept. 22-26, 1770), the mock newspaper Franklin produced while in London. The collection also contains a series of unrelated miscellaneous manuscripts that includes correspondence from William Bradford, Patrick Henry, and George Washington.LH-MV-C-9; LH-SB-Black Case-27 (No. 79); LH-SB-XOS Case 1-5 (No. 56)English .
Processing Information note
Recatalogued rsc, 2003.
Related Archival Materials note
Polly Hewson appears as a correspondent in several other collections at the APS, including: Benjamin Franklin Papers (B F85); Benjamin Franklin Miscellaneous Collections (B F85x); Bache Family Papers (B B121);Sarah Franklin Bache (B B1245);Hewson Family Papers (B H492).
Separated Materials note
The Bradford Family Collection included several items that have been transferred to the Curatorial Department or Department of Printed Materials. These include: Miniature chess set and board used by Mary Stevenson Hewson, Memorial ring "John Hawkesworth,LLD ob 17 Nov. 1773 art 58" formerly owned by Hewson, Pluche, Noel Antoine, "Spectacle de la nature...," 8th ed. (London, 1753-1757). Presentation copy from Franklin to Hewson, 500 P72s.8 v.1-7.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Gift of James S. and Frances M. Bradford, 1956 and 1960.
Preferred Citation note
Cite as: James S. and Frances M. Bradford Collection, American Philosophical Society.
Scope and Contents note
The James S. and Frances M. Bradford Collection contains a wealth of letters to and from Polly Stevenson Hewson, intimate friend of Benjamin Franklin. At the heart of the collection are approximately 40 letters from Mary Stevenson to Franklin with a smaller number in return. Friendly, increasingly intimate, these provide a glimpse of the domestic life of Franklin and his warm personal relations with the Stevensons and Hewsons. Among the noteworthy individual items are the manuscript "Craven Street Gazette" (Sept. 22-26, 1770), the mock newspaper Franklin produced while in London, Franklin's "Scheme for a new alphabet" (1768), and his parable on brotherly love (1774).
The Bradford Collection also includes a number of interesting letters between Hewson and Dr. John Hawkesworth, as well as a few miscellaneous letters from important Americans owned by the Bradford family, including two from George Washington and two from Patrick Henry. A self-educated miscellaneous writer, Hawkesworth was associated with Samuel Johnson (until a falling out in about 1756) and was a contributor to the "Gentleman's Magazine," the "Adventurer," which he edited with Johnson), and other publications, and edited a volume describing Captain Cook's voyage to the South Seas. He and his wife were close friends of Hewson and of Franklin.
The collection also contains a series of typescripts of letters written between Hewson and Franklin, several of which appear in the original in the collection.
Frances Margaret Bradford presented a third series of papers in 1960. In addition to further correspondence and estate material concerning Margaret Stevenson and Mary Hewson, this series also contains some miscellaneous, and unrelated, correspondence from William Bradford, Patrick Henry, and George Washington.
Arrangement note
Series I. is physically arranged in order of correspondent, but is presented here in chronological order.
Biographical/Historical note
During the 17 years he served as colonial agent for Pennsylvania in London, Benjamin Franklin developed a strong attachment to the family of his landlady at 36 Craven Street, Margaret Stevenson. Margaret's daughter, Mary (usually called Polly) became a particular intimate, so much so that Franklin connived to marry her off to his son, William. Although nothing came of these efforts, Franklin's intentions did little to impair the friendship with the Stevensons, and Franklin's domestic circle at Craven Street eventually grew to include his grandson William Temple Franklin and Sarah Franklin, daughter of an English cousin.
In 1770, Polly married the distinguished surgeon and anatomist William Hewson in what was to be a tragically short pairing. Hewson died in 1774 after contracting septicaemia from a cut he received while dissecting a cadaver in his basement, leaving Polly to care for their daughter and two sons to raise, one of whom was Franklin's godson. Recognizing the difficulty of her situation, Franklin stepped in to assist his old friend, further strengthening their bond. After Franklin left England on the even of the Revolution, he and Polly continued in regular correspondence, and after the Revolution ended, Polly arranged to renew their friendship face to face, visiting Franklin at Passy in 1785. In the following year, she followed him when he returned to Philadelphia, and was at Franklin's beside when he died in 1790. In his will, Franklin recognized Polly with a silver tankard he had "marked for her use during her life," acknowledging her daughter Eliza as well, and leaving books to her sons William and Thomas.
Related Materials
Other Benjamin Franklin Collections
View CollectionView CollectionView Collection
Early American History Note
The Bradford Collection contains a signficant portion of Franklin correspondence. It includes a miscellany of Franklin writings that includes things like vocabularies and a mock newspaper he composed in 1774. The bulk of the collection contains correspondence Franklin had with the Stevenson and Hewson families, especially with Polly Stevenson Hewson.
Family CorrespondenceSocial Life and CustomMarriage and Family LifeInternational AffairsCraven Street GazetteGreat Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th centuryAmerican RevolutionColonial PoliticsGeneral CorrespondenceLafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de, 1757-1834Hawkesworth, JohnHenry, Patrick, 1736-1799Washington, George (1732-1799)Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795Bradford, William, 1719-1791Cadwalader, John, 1742-1786Franklin - Stevenson - Hewson PapersB F85.bra/repositories/2/archival_objects/2443561749-179481 itemsOpinion and conjectures.../repositories/2/archival_objects/244359Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-179017496to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244360Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951760 January 1410to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244361Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951760 June 611to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244362Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951760 June 2312to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244363Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951760 [September]13to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244364Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951760 September 1614to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244365Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 January 1315
Mary Stevenson Hewson to Benjamin Franklin, 1761 January 13
to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244366Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 April 2716to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244367Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 May 1917to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244368Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 July 818to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244369Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 July 3019to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244370Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 September 1020to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244371Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 November 921to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244372Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 December 1660
Hewson, Mary Stevenson to Dr. John Hawkesworth, 1761 December 16
to Dear Cousin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244373Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951761 December 1767to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244374Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951762 March 1022to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244375Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951762 June 1123to Polly Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244376Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901762 June 211to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244377Hawkesworth, Mrs.1762 July 2568to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244378Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951762 August 524to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244379Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951763 March 1125to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244380Hawkesworth, Mrs.1763 August 2869to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244381Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951763 August 3026to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244382Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951763 November 2527to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244383Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951764 May 2428to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244384Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951765 January 1729to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244385Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951765 February 830to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244386Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951765 July 2831to Polly Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244387Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1765?] December 313Proposals.../repositories/2/archival_objects/244388Sun Fire-Office, Cornhill1766 January 1679to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244389Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951766 March 932to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244390Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951766 September 2633
Mary Stevenson Hewson to Benjamin Franklin, 1768 September 26
to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244391Stevenson, Margaret1766 November 2251to Polly Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244392Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901767 June 152to Deborah Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244393Stevenson, Margaret1767 September 1855to Polly Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244394Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901768 July 204
to Polly Stevenson Hewson: 1768 July 20
[Scheme for a new alphabet...] Remarks/repositories/2/archival_objects/244395Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1768]7
[Scheme for a new alphabet...] Remarks
to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244396Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951769 December34to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244397Hawkesworth, John1770 February 2872Marriage settlement of Mary Stevenson and William Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/2443981770 July 956Craven Street Gazette/repositories/2/archival_objects/244399Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901770 Sept. 22-268
Craven Street Gazette, September 22, 1770.
to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244400Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951771 October 3135to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244401Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951771 November 236to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244402Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951772 July 637to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244403Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951772 October 2238Parable on brotherly love/repositories/2/archival_objects/244404Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1774]9to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244405Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951779 January 1139to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244406Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951779 May 3040to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244407Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951781 December 2341to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244408Briscoe, A.1782 March 2776to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244409Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795ca. 178241ato Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244410Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951783 September 2842to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244411Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951784 April 243to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244412Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951785 April 2644
Scope and Contents note
(also letter from J.Williams to BF)
to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244413Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951785 May 845to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244414Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951786 October 1746to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244415Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951789 August 1447Will/repositories/2/archival_objects/244416Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951794 June 757Notes on Matthew 13:30/repositories/2/archival_objects/244417Fortin, Johnn.d.77to Polly Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244418Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790n.d.5to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244419Hawkesworth, Johnn.d.73to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244420Hawkesworth, Johnn.d.74Miscellaneous notes - 5 pieces. Explanation of Proverbs 27, 14./repositories/2/archival_objects/244421Hawkesworth, Johnn.d.75to Mrs. Lynn/repositories/2/archival_objects/244422Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d. (Friday night)59Miscellaneous notes - 3 pieces/repositories/2/archival_objects/244423Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.78to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244424Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d. (Friday night)48to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244425Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.49to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244426Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.50to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244427Hawkesworth, Mrs.n.d.70to Mary Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244428Hawkesworth, Mrs.n.d.71to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244429Stevenson, Margaretn.d. (August 4 Tuesday evening)52to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244430Stevenson, Margaretn.d. (August 5 Thursday)53to Benjamin Franklin/repositories/2/archival_objects/244431Stevenson, Margaretn.d.54to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244432Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.61to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244433Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.62to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244434Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.63to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244435Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.64to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244436Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.65to Dr. John Hawkesworth/repositories/2/archival_objects/244437Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d.66to Mrs. Margaret Stevenson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244438Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-1795n.d. (Sunday evening)58Transcripts of Hewson-Franklin CorrespondenceB F85.bra1/repositories/2/archival_objects/2443571758-189838 itemsto Charles [S.] Bradford/repositories/2/archival_objects/244439Ford, Paul L.1898 March 301to Charles [S.] Bradford/repositories/2/archival_objects/244440Ford, Paul L.1898 July 152Introduction . .George Gulliver/repositories/2/archival_objects/244441Hewson, William, 1739-1774n.d.3Correspondence/repositories/2/archival_objects/2444424to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244453Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901758 Aug. 20to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244454Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901760 Feb. 14to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244455Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901761 July 7to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244456Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901762 May 10to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244457Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901762 May 24to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244458Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901762 June 21to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244459Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901763 June 27to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244460Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901764 May 4to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244461Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1764 Dec.]to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244462Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901765 Jan. 9to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244463Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1765? Dec. 31to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244464Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901767 March 26to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244465Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1767?] May 16to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244466Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901767 May 16to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244467Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901768 Oct. 20to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244468Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901770 July 18to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244469Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901772 July 8to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244470Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901780 Jan. 10to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244471Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901780 Dec. 7to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244472Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901782 May 13to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244473Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790[1782?]to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244474Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901783 Jan. 8to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244475Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901783 July 12to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244476Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901784 Jan. 1to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244477Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901784 April 29to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244478Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790June 15to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244479Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Wednesday morningto Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244480Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Wednesday P.Mto Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244481Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Friday morningto Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244482Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790Friday 2 P.Mto Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244483Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790n.d.Marriage settlement/repositories/2/archival_objects/244484Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951770to Brown, Collinson, etc/repositories/2/archival_objects/244485Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901780 Jan. 10to Woodmason/repositories/2/archival_objects/244486Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-17901780 Jan. 10to Mr. Viny/repositories/2/archival_objects/244487Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951784 May 10Miscellaneous ManuscriptsB F85.bra2/repositories/2/archival_objects/2443581777-189610 itemsto [Philemon] Dickinson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244443Washington, George (1732-1799)1777 August 271to Thomas [Bradford]/repositories/2/archival_objects/244444Bradford, William1779 May 42Letter of administration of Margaret Stevenson's estate to Mary Stevenson Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244445Lowth, Robert, 1710-17871783 January 163to [John] Cadwallader [sic]/repositories/2/archival_objects/244446Washington, George (1732-1799)1784 December 114to [Mrs. Sarah Franklin Ba]che/repositories/2/archival_objects/244447Hewson, Mary Stevenson, 1739-17951785 April 135Declaration of trust of estate of Mary Hewson/repositories/2/archival_objects/244448Blunt, James1796 November 26La Fayette - a song/repositories/2/archival_objects/244449Bradford, William, 1719-17911824 September 67to Charles S. Bradford/repositories/2/archival_objects/244450Hart, Charles Henry1896 September 218to [John] Cadwalader/repositories/2/archival_objects/244451Henry, Patrick, 1736-1799n.d.9to [John] Cadwalader/repositories/2/archival_objects/244452Henry, Patrick, 1736-1799n.d. (Thursday morning)10