EDWARD SHIPPEN THOMPSON COLLECTION
1684-1941 (bulk 1746-1904)
5 cu. ft.
Chiefly papers stem from succeeding generations of the Thompsons, a family which founded Thompsontown, on the lower reaches of the Juniata River, and for more than a century remained prominent in the commercial and social life of that community. Important portions of the papers, however, originated with the marriage which connected Burd, Patterson, and Shippen families. The more notable persons represented include:
- Colonel James Burd (b. 1725, d. 1793) of Tinian, Lancaster (now Dauphin)
County, road builder, officer during the French and Indian War and again during
the early days of the Revolution, husband of Sarah Shippen of Lancaster, father
of Edward Burd (b. 1750, d. 1835), father-in-law of Jasper Yeates (b. 1745,
d. 1817), and father-in-law of George Patterson (b. 1762, d. 1814).
- Featured is correspondence, 1747-1794, involving William Allen, Joseph
Brand, Edward Burd, George Croghan, James Dunlop, Curtis Grubb, John Harris
II, Lynford Lardner, Richard McClure, Hugh Mercer, Galbreath Patterson,
James Patterson, Edward Shippen, Joseph Shippen, Dr. William Shippen,
Matthew Smith, Jasper Yeates, and Sarah Burd Yeates. Papers also embrace
Fort Augusta and French and Indian War items, 1754-1768, including guard
reports, soldiers' oaths, battalion returns, etc.; Revolutionary War papers,
chiefly regarding the 4th Battalion of Lancaster County Militia, 1775,
1776; a purported transcript of a Colonel Burd journal, copy dated 1908;
business papers, 1748-1770; and genealogical data.
- Featured is correspondence, 1747-1794, involving William Allen, Joseph
Brand, Edward Burd, George Croghan, James Dunlop, Curtis Grubb, John Harris
II, Lynford Lardner, Richard McClure, Hugh Mercer, Galbreath Patterson,
James Patterson, Edward Shippen, Joseph Shippen, Dr. William Shippen,
Matthew Smith, Jasper Yeates, and Sarah Burd Yeates. Papers also embrace
Fort Augusta and French and Indian War items, 1754-1768, including guard
reports, soldiers' oaths, battalion returns, etc.; Revolutionary War papers,
chiefly regarding the 4th Battalion of Lancaster County Militia, 1775,
1776; a purported transcript of a Colonel Burd journal, copy dated 1908;
business papers, 1748-1770; and genealogical data.
- George Patterson (b. 1762, d. 1814), a son-in-law of Colonel Burd
and the father-in-law of William Thompson, Jr. (b. 1785, d. 1834). He was
a descendant of James Patterson, Lancaster County, and a member of the family
which founded Patterson's Fort (now Mexico, Pennsylvania), where he operated
a sawmill and fulling mill.
- Items include a copy of the will of James Patterson, 1735; correspondence
with Joseph Burd, 1794; miscellaneous military papers, 1781; and genealogical
information.
- Items include a copy of the will of James Patterson, 1735; correspondence
with Joseph Burd, 1794; miscellaneous military papers, 1781; and genealogical
information.
- William Thompson, Sr. (b. 1752, d. 1813), miller, merchant, and founder
of Thompsontown on the lower Juniata, some six miles below Patterson's Fort,
and James Thompson (b. 1782, d. 1847), son of William Thompson, Sr.
- Located here are personal and business letters, 1783-1826, including
a James Dunlop item, 1792, and various letters relating to the War of
1812; Cumberland County tax collector's records, 1780-1782, 1795-1796;
deeds, leases, and apprenticeship papers, 1796-1824; and bills and accounts,
1798-1813.
- Located here are personal and business letters, 1783-1826, including
a James Dunlop item, 1792, and various letters relating to the War of
1812; Cumberland County tax collector's records, 1780-1782, 1795-1796;
deeds, leases, and apprenticeship papers, 1796-1824; and bills and accounts,
1798-1813.
- William Thompson, Jr. (b. 1785, d. 1834), and his brother, Robert
Thompson (b. 1790, d. 1866). William Thompson, Jr., was the husband of Charlotte
Chambers Patterson, daughter of George Patterson.
- Papers contain correspondence addressed to the Thompsons as merchants,
millers, and distillers, 1814-1827; letters between Andrew and Robert
Mitchell and the Thompson brothers, 1808-1824; miscellaneous correspondence,
1812-1843; account books of sawmill and distillery, 1817-1822, 6 vols.;
an agreement and accounts for work on the Millerstown and Lewistown Turnpike,
1821; and bills and accounts of the Thompson brothers as merchants, millers,
and distillers, 1814-1838.
- Papers contain correspondence addressed to the Thompsons as merchants,
millers, and distillers, 1814-1827; letters between Andrew and Robert
Mitchell and the Thompson brothers, 1808-1824; miscellaneous correspondence,
1812-1843; account books of sawmill and distillery, 1817-1822, 6 vols.;
an agreement and accounts for work on the Millerstown and Lewistown Turnpike,
1821; and bills and accounts of the Thompson brothers as merchants, millers,
and distillers, 1814-1838.
- Theodore Samuel Thompson (b. 1829. d. 1904), William Shippen Thompson
(b. 1818, d. 1891), and Edward Patterson Thompson (b. 1817, d. 1911), sons
of William Thompson, Jr., and Charlotte Chambers Patterson.
- Included are letters from Charlotte C. Patterson Thompson to her sons,
from Marietta, Ohio, 1863, relating to Civil War matters; letters to Theodore
S. Thompson from Civil War soldiers, 1862-1863; letter from William B.
Foster, Jr., construction engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad, to William
S. and Edward P. Thompson, 1849; miscellaneous family and business correspondence,
1842-1904; and accounts of the Thompsons as merchants, 1847-1872.
- Included are letters from Charlotte C. Patterson Thompson to her sons,
from Marietta, Ohio, 1863, relating to Civil War matters; letters to Theodore
S. Thompson from Civil War soldiers, 1862-1863; letter from William B.
Foster, Jr., construction engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad, to William
S. and Edward P. Thompson, 1849; miscellaneous family and business correspondence,
1842-1904; and accounts of the Thompsons as merchants, 1847-1872.
- Edward Shippen Thompson (b. 1869) and Herbert Moodie Thompson (b.
1865, d. 1906), sons of Theodore S. Thompson.
- Included are family and business letters, 1879-1912; school exercises,
1800s; and genealogical data.
- Included are family and business letters, 1879-1912; school exercises,
1800s; and genealogical data.
- Collection contains photographs, .5 cu. ft., of numerous members of the
Burd, Patterson, Shippen, and Thompson families.
BURD AND SHIPPEN FAMILIES
- Burd Orphan Asylum, 1896-1935, undated. (1 folder) {#125m.1}
- Business and Legal Papers, 1746-1777, undated. (1 folder) {#125m.2}
- Correspondence, 1747-1860, undated. (11 folders) {#125m.3}
- Edward Shippen Burd Materials, 1825-1848. (2 folders) {#125m.4}
- Genealogical Correspondence and Notes, 1684-1942, undated. (5 folders) {#125m.5}
- Military Papers, 1748-1763, 1775-1780, undated. (4 folders) {#125m.6}
- Photographs and Graphics, undated. (4 folders) {#125m.7}
PATTERSON FAMILY
- Genealogical Correspondence and Notes, 1781-1940, undated. (3 folders) {#125m.8}
- General Correspondence, 1794-1854, undated. (1 folder) {#125m.9}
- Papers relating to the Patterson Monument, Mexico, Pennsylvania, 1921, udated.
(1 folder) {#125m.10}
THOMPSON FAMILY
- Accounts, Bills and Receipts, 1795-1867, undated. (77 folders) {#125m.11}
- Account Books, 1806-1864. (3 volumes) {#125m.12}
- Correspondence, 1793-1942, undated. (81 folders) {#125m.13}
- Legal Papers, 1791-1825, undated. (6 folders) {#125m.14}
- Miscellaneous Family Papers, 1780-1941, undated. (13 folders) {#125m.15}
- Miscellaneous Materials, 1767-1848, undated. (6 folders) {#125m.16}
- Newspapers, 1806-1882. (4 folders) {#125m.17}
- The container listings for this Manuscript Group are available for viewing and word-searching in PDF format:
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