Manuscript Group 375, Shippen Family Papers 1750-1775
MG 375
Shippen Family
Papers, 1750-1775
(22 items)
FINDING AID
New Jersey Historical Society
Manuscript Collection
Processed by: Erika Gorder September, 1997
INTRODUCTION
The Shippen Family Papers span the years 1750 to 1775. The papers were processed as part of a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant project (1997-1998) to process, describe and catalogue
Archives
Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
’s health care and social welfare-related manuscript collections.
The transcripts are copies of manuscripts owned and located at other repositories or in private hands. The New Jersey Historical Society does not hold copyright or ownership of the Shippen Family Papers.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Joseph Shippen, Jr. (1732-1810) graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) in 1753, when the institution was located in Newark, N.J. He later became an officer in the Pennsylvania militia, Secretary to the Governor of Pennsylvania (Richard Penn) and a judge at the county court in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1789-1810). Edward Shippen, Sr. (1703-81) was a Philadelphia merchant before becoming Prothonotary of Lancaster (1753-78) and magistrate. William Shippen, Sr.
(1712-1801) was a physician and member of the Continental Congress. Around 1750 he built the “Old Shippen Manor” at Oxford Furnace (Warren County, N.J.) on land purchased from Jonathan Robeson. James Burd (1726-93), a Justice of Lancaster County (1764-70), married Sarah Shippen in 1748.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS NOTE
The papers consist of two letters (1750, 1753) by Joseph Shippen Jr., one written in French; one letter (1770) by his uncle William Shippen; a land-title brief (1723-1766) for property purchased between 1749 and 1766 by William Shippen from Jonathan Robeson; and typewritten transcripts of eighteen letters (1750-1775) by Joseph Shippen, Jr., his uncle William Shippen, his father Edward Shippen, Sr., and his brother-in-law James Burd.
Topics include: family matters, household items/food/clothing, Perth Amboy (N.J.), David Ogden, College of New Jersey, Oxford Furnace (N.J.), Pennsylvania politics (1750-1775), Lord North, First Continental Congress, Six Nation Indians, American brewing techniques, Riot Act and Lazarus Stewart, Roman Catholics and marriage licenses, Baltimore (M.D.) plantations, and the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War).
PROVENANCE AND RELATED COLLECTIONS
Gift of Louis Bamberger, 1920
Prominent in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the Shippen and Burd families are well-documented in Philadelphia-area archives and manuscript repositories. Shippen family-related papers, including Joseph Shippen, Jr., are in: the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the American Philosophical Society Library, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission–Division of Archives and Manuscripts.
ITEM-LEVEL DESCRIPTION
Folder 1: Joseph Shippen, Jr. to Edward Shippen—May 25, 1750
[1 item, in French] Newark to Philadelphia. Includes topics and people: President of College; tour of Perth Amboy with “Philip Kearney” [sic] by permission of Monsieur Sherwood; Samuel Lawrence of New York; and David Ogden.
Folder 2: Joseph Shippen, Jr. to Edward Shippen—January 22, 1753
[1 item] Newark to Philadelphia. Letter sent “by favor of the Rev. Mr. Burr”; family topics and general greetings.
Folder 3: “A Brief of the Title to W. Shippen.”—ca. 1766
[1 item] Traces ownership of land bought by William Shippen from Jonathan Robeson in Oxford Furnace, N.J.
Folder 4: William Shippen to Ebenezer Cowell—November 1, 1770
[1 item] Regarding council meeting, proprietors and papers relating to a “survey.”
Folder 5: Transcripts of Letters: Edward Shippen, Sr. to Joseph Shippen, Jr.
–Jan 1750; Nov. 1774; May 1775.
[3 items] Mention of legality of father and mother’s marriage; Earl of Dartmouth, Lord North, and the Continental Congress; Six Nation Indian representatives sent from Lancaster, P.A. to Philadelphia regarding treaty.
Folder 6: Transcripts of Letters: Joseph Shippen Jr. to Edward Shippen Sr.
–March 1770-December 1771.
[7 items] Topics: Land/rents; household goods; food, cider, and alcohol including discussion of English and American beer and ale; china (manufactured in colonies); Indians from Lancaster; enforcing the riot act against “Connecticut Intruders” (Northhampton County) and Lazarus Stewart; Roman Catholics and marriage licenses.
Folder 7 Transcripts of Letters: James Burd to Edward Shippen—
April-October 1773.
[3 items] Middletown(?); family matters; Shippensburg; Baltimore oysters and plantations.
Folder 8 Transcripts of Letters: Joseph Shippen to Edward Shippen 1753,
1758; Joseph Shippen to Colonel Burd, 1758.
[3 items] Joseph Shippen from Philadelphia to Colonel Burd at Augusta regarding French and Indian War; Captain Jameson’s Expedition (1758);
Admiral Boscawan and fleet arrival at Halifax, and Major Halket.
Folder 9 Transcripts of Letters: William Shippen to Ebenezer Cowell Nov.
1770 and Title Brief, ca. 1766.
[2 items] Mss. in folders 3 and 4.
375. SHIPPEN FAMILY
Papers, 1750-75. 19 items.
Letters and typescript copies of letters written by Joseph Shippen, Jr. (1732-1810); as well as by his father, Edward Shippen
(1703-81); his uncle, Dr. William Shippen (1712-1801); and his brother-in-law, James Burd (1726-93). Also included is a land-title
brief for property purchased by Dr. Shippen from Jonathan Robeson between 1749 and 1766. Joseph Shippen, Jr. was
graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1753. He later became an officer in the Pennsylvania
Militia, secretary to the governor of that state, and a judge at the county court in Lancaster, Pa., 1789-1810. Edward Shippen was a
Philadelphia merchant before becoming Prothonotary of Lancaster, 1753-78, and a magistrate. William Shippen, Sr. was a
physician and a member of the Continental Congress. Around 1750 he built the Old Shippen Manor at Oxford Furnace, N.J.
on land purchased from Jonathan Robeson. James Burd married Sarah Shippen in 1748. He was a justice of Lancaster County,
1764-70, and a member of the Committee of Safety of Lancaster.
Gift of Louis Bamberger, 1920.
