| | 3 | Author: | Smyth, Frederick, 1732-1815 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Frederick Smyth papers, 1756-1816
| | | | Dates: | 1756-1816 | | | | Abstract: | Frederick Smyth was the Chief Justice of New Jersey before the American Revolution (appointed in 1764). Before that, he lived in England, Barbados, and Martinique. This collection of Smyth papers contains a range of official documents that relate to political and legal matters in New Jersey. The legal documents include petitions, reports to the grand jury, and official pronouncements and commissions. There are also several pieces of private correspondence. Some of the earliest documents contain information on Smyth's career before arriving in New Jersey. There is also a deposition relating to the firing on HMS St. John in Newport, Rhode Island in 1764 and a series of other documents relating to legal and political affairs in Rhode Island during the imperial crisis. Of particular note are two long speeches Smyth delivered before a grand jury in 1775 and 1776 in which he defends the Crown, a response to these speeches from the grand jury defending American rights, and a long letter from Edward Affleck in 1783 describing the British departure from New York City. Smyth stayed in Philadelphia after the war, although he never relinquished his British citizenship, and there are a few documents chronicling his post-war experience.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.Sm95 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Law | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Judges -- New Jersey. | Legal instruments -- New Jersey. | |
| 4 | Author: | Penn, Thomas, 1702-1775 | Requires cookie* | | | 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 | |
| 6 | Author: | Dawes, Elizabeth F.,collector. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Dawes Collection of Documents on American History
| | | | Dates: | 1681-1921 | | | | Abstract: | This is a collection of miscellaneous documents from early America. The earliest documents come from the early 18th century and the latest from the Civil War era. The collection contains a few documents from the revolutionary period, most of which are official governments documents or deal with business transactions. There is one long letter from Robert McPherson, a member of the Pennsylvania Flying Camp, that describes his experience. Perhaps reflecting her ancestral home, the collection contains a small but notable collection of materials from South Carolina, including a very early letter from Francis Le Jau and letters from the Marquis de Lafayette about an expected trip to South Carolina. There are a significant number of documents from Pennsylvania, especially legal documents, from the early republic. The letters from Clement Biddle, a former revolutionary war soldier, also provide insight on early national Indian relations Finally, there are also some significant autographs collected, including a Massachusetts legal form with the signature of John Adams, a letter from James Madison to the Mississippi Territory around the time of the Louisiana Purchase, and letters from Civil War era figures like John Calhoun (a rich letter in which Calhoun discusses his views on tariffs and nullification), James Buchanan, and William Seward.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.973.D32 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Early National Politics | Native America | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | | | | Subjects: | Publishers and publishing. | |
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