Resources in Early American History
Colonial Politics in topic [X]
Government Affairs in topic [X]
Official Government Documents and Records in genre [X]
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1Author:  George -- I, -- King of Great BritaAdd
 Title:  Charter, 1724, for Newcastle, Delaware     
 Dates:  1724 
 Abstract:  This small volume is a manuscript copy of the royal charter for New Castle, Delaware issued in 1724 that belonged to Sir William Keith, then the provincial governor of Pennsylvania.

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 Call #:  Mss.975.1.G79 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records 
2Author:  Pennsylvania.Provincial Council.Add
 Title:  Pennsylvania. Provincial Council. Minutes, 1693-1717     
 Dates:  1693-1717 
 Abstract:  These three volumes contain the minutes of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council from 1693 to 1717. The manuscripts are often difficult to read. They have been printed elsewhere in both the Pennsylvania Archives and Hazard's Register.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.P378 
 Extent:  3 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Delaware Indians | Haudenosaunee | Iroquois Indians | Wampum 
3Author:  unknownAdd
 Title:  Documents, 1728-1816, relating to the province of Pennsylvania and to the American Revolution     
 Dates:  1728-1819 
 Abstract:  This volume contains documents that relate to the government of Pennsylvania. Although the volume is described in MOLE as pertaining to the American Revolution in Pennsylvania, the volume begins with a proclamation from 1728 and contains a range of proclamations from the Seven Years' War, before ending with a series of proclamations from the 1770s and 1780s. Although there are some lists and petitionsand orders in the volume, almost all of the documents are official government proclamations, often from the governor. The revolutionary era documents are a bit more diverse. In addition to official government documents, such as militia instructions, the volume contains manuscript copies of letters and essays intended for print, as well as private correspondence and messages from other colonies.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.D65 
 Extent:  1 volume,_50_p. 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records 
4Author:  Logan, James, 1674-1751Add
 Title:  James Logan letters, 1736-1744     
 Dates:  1736-1744 
 Abstract:  This slender volume contains the letters of James Logan to the proprietors during his tenure as President of the Council, a period from 1746-1744. After Patrick Gordon died in 1736, Logan assumed the powers of the lieutenant governor as the President of the Council. The governorship was assumed in 1738 by George Thomas, but Logan continued as President of the Council. These letters touch upon a range of matters then concerning the government of Pennsylvania, including its border dispute with Maryland and tensions with Indian groups in western areas.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.L82 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
5Author:  Logan, James, 1674-1751Add
 Title:  Selections from the correspondence of the Honourable James Logan, 1699-1750     
 Dates:  1699-1750 
 Abstract:  These four volumes of letters are edited transcriptions of letters now at the HSP. The letters were edited by Deborah Norris Logan, who authored books on colonial Pennsylvania history in the nineteenth century. Although many of the letters are nearly complete, Norris occasionally summarizes content rather than transcribe it. There are some letters that are not from or to Logan, but were likely in his possession. Among those are letters from Conrad Weiser, Richard Peters, and Thomas Lee of Virginia. Although the letters are from 1674-1751, most are from the first quarter of the eighteenth century.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.L82 
 Extent:  4 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
6Author:  unknownAdd
 Title:  Pennsylvania. General Assembly. The Great Law, 1682     
 Dates:  1682 
 Abstract:  This collection contains a copy of the Great Law signed between William Penn and colonists when he arrived in the colony in 1682. The original is in the State Archives of Pennsylvania. Influenced by Quaker principles, the Great Law listed the crimes and punishments that the new colony would enforce and aimed to regulate morality and behavior.

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 Call #:  Mss.345.12.P38L 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Law | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records 
7Author:  Rogers, Robert, 1731-1795Add
 Title:  Estimate of the Fur and Peltry Trade in the District of Michilimackinac     
 Dates:  1767 
 Abstract:  This rich document provides insight into a facet of post-Seven Years War British imperial thought and planning as officials tried to consolidate their holdings. Robert Roger's manuscript essay includes a detailed plan for how the British Empire should handle its expansion, estimates the fiscal needs of western posts, and proposes a form of government for these new areas that would maintain peace for Indians, British troops, and settlers.

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 Call #:  Mss.970.1.R63 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | International Trade. | Native America | Trade 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Anishinaabe | Fur trade -- Great Lakes | Ottawa Indians 
8Author:  Great Britain. Board of TradeAdd
 Title:  Papers on the West Indies, 1707-1709     
 Dates:  1707-1709 
 Abstract:  This Collection is a series of letters written during Queen Anne's War/The War of Spanish Succession between 1707 and 1709 involving military, political, and trade issues in the British Caribbean. Documents include a petition from merchants in Barbados to the Crown, orders from imperial ministers in Whitehall to governors, and reports from governors in the Caribbean. The documents often relate to events surrounding the war then engulfing Europe. One of the documents, for instance, is a finding of the Board of Trade that rejects a petition that would allow merchants to ship flour from North American colonies to Portugal, a member of the "Grand Alliance," finding that such trade would hurt the "Sugar Islands" too much.

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 Call #:  Mss.972.9.G81 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | International Affairs | Military History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
9Author:  Hughes, John. -1772Add
 Title:  Letter to the Commisioners of the stamp office from the Pennsylvania Collector     
 Dates:  1765 
 Abstract:  This document is cross-listed with the Pennsylvania Non-Importation Collection (Mss.973.2.M31). The finding aid for that collection contains additional details on this item. In summary, part of the collection contains a series of letters that John Hughes, the appointed collector of the stamp tax in 1765, wrote detailing his experience.The letters provide an account of Philadelphia's reaction to the Stamp Act from the persepctive of Hughes.

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 Call #:  Mss.973.31.H87 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Philadelphia History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
10Author:  Logan, James, 1674-1751Add
 Title:  The claims of the proprietors of Maryland and Pensilvania stated, [ca. 1714-1715]     
 Dates:  Circa 1714-1715 
 Abstract:  James Logan was a leading official in the proprietary interests, and this collection contains his letters that touch on all matter relating to the interests of the colony and especially the proprietor. This specific volume has letters and other documents detailing the legal case as it related to the Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary dispute. Although many of the volumes in the Logan collection are transcriptions, this document appears to be an original.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.L82c 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Native America | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Boundary disputes. 
11Author:  Dixon, JeremiahAdd
 Title:  Minutes and papers of the Mason and Dixon survey, 1760-1768     
 Dates:  1760-1768 
 Abstract:  The Mason and Dixon Survey Collection consists of two volumes relating to their work drawing a border between Pennsylvania and Maryland and a box of correspondence. This entry describes the two volumes. One contains the Penn family's costs, which goes into specific details about items purchased and used for the venture. The second volume is a manuscript copy of the commissioners' minutes from 1760-1768. The commissioners were representatives of both Baltimore and Penn, and gave directions to Mason and Dixon. The minutes contain negotiations between the commissioners, which provide insight into surveying methods and the various disagreements between the two sides about boundaries, particularly as they relate to the Delmarva Peninsula. There are a few mentions of Indians and diplomacy, especially around 1767 when Mason and Dixon were extending the line into the Ohio Country.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.P383 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  Maps and Surveys | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Surveys. 
12Author:  Fisher, Joshua Francis, 1807-1873Add
 Title:  Catalogue of political tracts relating to the history of the colony of Pennsylvania from 1681 to 1770, 1838     
 Dates:  1838 
 Abstract:  This volume contains a series of manuscript essays compiled by Joshua Francis Fisher and presented to the APS in the early 19th Century. It is part of the APS collection of documents relationg to colonial Pennsylvania politics and governance. The first part of the volume has a bibliography made in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century that lists all of the printed pamphlets and other similar documents printed about Pennsylvania from 1681 to 1770. The remaining documents appear to involve the political career and rivalries of William Keith and Andrew Hamilton. The first is an essay "The Life and Character of a strange 'He Monster," that is purportedly written by William Keith about Andrew Hamilton. The second and third pamphlets "A Modest Apology" and "A Petition … against the Quakers" were written during Hamilton's life and involve political controversies he was involved in surrounding defensive measures. The final document is an obituary for Andrew Hamilton.

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 Call #:  Mss.016.9748.C28 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Society of Friends. 
13Author:  unknownAdd
 Title:  Papers of American Loyalists, 1782-1798     
 Dates:  1782-1798 
 Abstract:  The Loyalist Collection contains ten documents that pertain to the interests and affairs of American Loyalists after the American Revolution. The items convey the grievances of Loyalists, particularly merchants. The documents of relate to how the states treated Loyalists and their property after the Revolution. Most of the documents are either official government documents or formal reports. Reports by the Committee of American Merchants, a Loyalists group that formed in Britain after the war, are included as are records relating to the disposition of Penn family interests in Pennsylvania. Also of note is a multi-page, loose-leaf list of loyalists and their claims on the British treasury for services rendered during the war.

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 Call #:  Mss.973.314.L95 
 Extent:  10 item(s) 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Land and Speculation 
 Genre:  Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  American loyalists. | Commerce. 
14Author:  Dixon, JeremiahAdd
 Title:  Correspondence and accounts of the Mason and Dixon survey, 1758-1769     
 Dates:  1758-1769 
 Abstract:  The Mason and Dixon Survey Collection at the APS consists of 1.) two volumes relating to their work drawing a border between Pennsylvania and Maryland and 2.) a box of correspondence. The portion of the collection being described here consists of the correspondence. This part of the collection is a box of photostats, mostly from 1761 and 1769, that include field reports and other correspondence.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.M381 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | Science and technology | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  General Correspondence | Maps and Surveys | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Meteorology. | Surveys. | Transits. 
15Author:  Rittenhouse, David, 1732-1796Add
 Title:  David Rittenhouse Papers     
 Dates:  1774-1932 
 Abstract:  The David Rittenhouse Collection contains a variety of Rittenhouse-related documents from the Revolutionary era. Receipts, correspondence, and records of official government business compose much of it. A full inventory of the collection and its content is available on MOLE.

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 Call #:  Mss.SMs.Coll.11 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence | Official Government Documents and Records 
16Author:  VariousAdd
 Title:  Pennsylvania Stamp Act and Non-Importation Resolutions Collection     
 Dates:  1765-1775 
 Abstract:  This collection contains a range of documents on the imperial crisis in Philadelphia. Specifically, the documents focus on the Stamp Act and the Non-importation agreements of 1773. For the Stamp Act, there are many letters from John Hughes, the Stamp Tax collector. The letters detail his tribulations. There is also a large, oversize letter from John Hughes to the Commissioners of the Stamp Office in London defending his actions and outlining his experiences during the Stamp Act controversy (first page missing). The documents surrounding the 1773 boycott of tea in Philadelphia include detailed reports from commissioners appointed by residents to negotiate with the East India company officials and the testimony of the firm of James and Drinker who were designated distributors of the tea.

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 Call #:  Mss.973.2.M31 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History 
 Genre:  Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | Printed Material 
 Subjects:  Non-importation agreements, 1768-1769 | Sons of Liberty | Stamp Act, 1765 | Tea tax (American colonies) 
17Author:  Gauld, George.Add
 Title:  A general description of the sea-coasts, harbours, lakes, rivers, etc. of the province of West Florida, 1769     
 Dates:  1769 
 Abstract:  George Gauld served as a surveyor in the British Army. Stationed in Florida after the Seven Years' War, this collection contains his general observations of the recently acquired territory. Its MOLE entry is very detailed. There are two other general features that should be mentioned. First, Gauld's essay contains smatterings of references to Native Americans and occasionally local Native American names for geographic features. The second is that this document captures part of the imperial consolidation Great Britain began in the wake of the Seven Years' War.

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 Call #:  Mss.917.59.G23 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Exploration. | Government Affairs | Science and technology | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  Maps and Surveys | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Hydrographic surveying -- Florida. | Rivers -- Florida. 
18Author:  Penn, Thomas, 1702-1775Add
 Title:  Thomas Penn correspondence, 1747-1771, with James Hamilton     
 Dates:  1747-1771 
 Abstract:  This Thomas and Richard Penn Collection contains a range of correspondence from the proprietors of Pennsylvania, Thomas and Richard Penn (especially Thomas, the chief proprietor), to their agents in Pennsylvania, especially James Hamilton, who served as governor in the 1750s. The Collection begins in the 1740s, spans the Seven Years' War, and ends in the midst of the imperial crisis. Because of the time period covered, the letters touch on many important matters regarding the militarization of Pennsylvania, political battles within the colony, and the crisis brought about by imperial consolidation in the 1760s.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.P36c 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Land and Speculation | Military History | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
19Author:  Pennsylvania.Provincial Council.Add
 Title:  Pennsylvania. Provincial Council. Records, 1748-1758, 1819     
 Dates:  1748-1819 
 Abstract:  This bound volume contains manuscript copies of official records held in the State Archives in Harrisburg. The documents range from 1749-1756 and touch on Native America, imperial, and military affairs. Most of the volume includes correspondence directed to or from the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania and the governor. The volume was printed.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.Sa7 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Diplomatic History | Government Affairs | Military History | Native America | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence 
 Subjects:  Seven Years' War, 1756-1763. 
20Author:  Burd, James, 1726-1793Add
 Title:  Burd-Shippen Papers     
 Dates:  1708-1792 
 Abstract:  This collection is one of the largest early American collections the APS holds. Its breadth of sources provides insight into colonial Pennsylvania history, especially that of Lancaster County. Although largely material composed of material from James Burd, there are also significant documents relating to the Shippen family. Documents touch on matters financial, political, and social. While the collection is of wide ranging material, its strength lies in three main parts: the Seven Years' War and Pontiac's Rebellion in Pennsylvania, Burd's business records, and life in Lancaster County from 1754-1776.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B892 
 Extent:  6.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Land and Speculation | Military History | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War | Surveying and Maps | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diaries | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Court calendars -- Pennsylvania. | Fort Augusta (Pa.) | Fort Duquesne | Fort Granville (Pa.) | Fort Hunter | Fort Pitt (Pa.) | Fort William Henry (N.Y.) | Fortification -- Pennsylvania. | Iroquois Indians | Lancaster County (Pa.) -- History | Meteorology -- Pennsylvania -- Observations | Military supplies. | Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 | Pennsylvania -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Commerce | Shippenburg Library Company | United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | United States. Army. Supplies and stores 
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