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Richard Peters papers
Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), in addition to serving in various capacities with Christ Church, also held two important colonial offices: secretary of the Land Office and secretary and clerk of the Provincial Council. In these roles, Peters helped manage the growing government of the colony of...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Collection: | Richard Peters Papers |
| Collection Number: | 0498 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
| Item Description: |
Processing Information: The papers in Box 1 of this collection were formerly part of the Society autograph collection (#22). |
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| Physical Description: |
7.0 Linear feet ; 2 boxes, 49 volumes |
| Access: |
The collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), in addition to serving in various capacities with Christ Church, also held two important colonial offices: secretary of the Land Office and secretary and clerk of the Provincial Council. In these roles, Peters helped manage the growing government of the colony of Pennsylvania through the access he had to members of the Penn family. He also worked closely with notable statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin and James Logan. Peters was appointed a Council member in 1749; he also served as a state commissioner to the 1754 Albany Congress.
This collection is comprised of letters and documents from Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), with a few folders of papers from Peters's nephew, Judge Richard Peters (1743/4-1828), and his son, attorney Richard Peters (1780-1848). The papers primarily relate to Peters's public work rather than his private life (the same is true of the papers from the other two Richard Peters.) and they especially highlight early Pennsylvania social, legal, political, and economic issues. This collection is comprised of letters and documents from Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), with a few folders of papers from Peters's nephew, Judge Richard Peters (1743/4-1828), and his grand-nephew, attorney Richard Peters Jr. (1780-1848). The Richard Peters papers are housed in forty-nine volumes and two boxes and primarily relate to Peters's public work rather than his private life. The same is true of the papers from the other two Richard Peters. As a whole, this collection is of special interest because most of it relates directly to the colonial history of Pennsylvania, and because of Peters's official connection with the proprietary government. At some point, the majority of Peters's papers were bound into volumes (Volumes 1-13), and full photocopies of those volumes were made (Volumes 14-39). In these volumes researchers will find numerous documents pertaining to Peters's political and religious work, including accounts of negotiations and treaties with Pennsylvania Indians tribes and some notes of General Timothy Pickering on the battle at Brandywine. Among the additional volumes in the collection are minutes of council, 1756-1757 (Volume 46); letters of Thomas Penn to Richard Peters, 1752-1772 (Volume 40); Henry Brooke's commonplace book, 1725 (Volume 49); Richard Peters's drafts of Pennsylvania lands, 1795-1813 (Volume 47); and letters of the Rev. Richard Peters to the proprietors of Pennsylvania, 1755-1757 (Volumes 41-42). There are also three of Peters's own diaries from 1750, 1758, and 1762 (Volumes 43-45), in which he discussed daily events and discussions, many of which are political in nature. Richard Peters's original Episcopal minister's license from 1725 is also in the collection (Box 2). |