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Henry Drinker papers
Henry Drinker was a Philadelphia merchant and Quaker. Drinker was the partner of Abel James in the firm of James and Drinker, which traded extensively with London, England, Dublin, Ireland, and other American cities. The partnership appears to have dissolved in 1786 although both partners remained...
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| Collection: | Henry Drinker Papers |
| Collection Number: | 0176 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
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| Physical Description: |
37.0 Linear feet 37 linear feet, 81 boxes, 65 volumes |
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| Summary: |
Henry Drinker was a Philadelphia merchant and Quaker. Drinker was the partner of Abel James in the firm of James and Drinker, which traded extensively with London, England, Dublin, Ireland, and other American cities. The partnership appears to have dissolved in 1786 although both partners remained involved in the operation of the Atsion Iron Works and the Union Saw Mill in New Jersey, and speculated jointly and separately in lands in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
The collection contains voluminous documentation of the efforts of Drinker and his executors to develop and keep track of Drinker's interests in lands in Beaver, Bradford, Cambria, Clearfield, Cumberland, Jefferson, Luzerne, Lycoming, Northampton, Northumberland, McKean and Tioga counties.
Included are James & Drinker letterbooks, 1756-1786; a volume of the firm's "foreign letters," 1772-1784; Henry Drinker's own letterbooks, 1762-1809; his journals, 1776-1809; his ledgers, 1786-1809; and the ledger of the Atsion Iron Works, 1786-1801. Included, too, are the more fragmentary records of the executors of Drinker's estate, Thomas Stewardson, Henry S. Drinker and William Drinker: William Drinker's journal of estate accounts, 1816-1841; Henry S. Drinker's estate letterbook, 1816-1828; Thomas Stewardson's letter books, 1821-1841; the cashbook of Stewardson's estate, 1844-1854; and a ledger of the estate of Henry Drinker, 1809-1824.
There are other miscellaneous records and accounts of the Drinker land-holdings including a volume of surveys, 1794-1804; ledgers for the "Beech Lands" in Luzerne and Northampton counties, 1788-1805, and for "Stockport," 1789-1807; a compendium of tax information for Pennsylvania counties and townships, probably begun for Henry Drinker in the 1780s; a narrative of the settlement of the estate of Samuel Wallis, 1798-1807; and accounts of the sales of Drinker estate lands, 1844-1869. Also included are bonds, deeds, mortgages, and surveys of Drinker lands. |