finding aid 289 Hollingsworth backup · system, Hollingsworth, like other wealthy men of his day,...

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Collection 289

Hollingsworth Family

Papers

1715-1849 (bulk 1770-1825) 375 boxes, 573 vols., 215 lin. feet

Contact: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: (215) 732-6200 FAX: (215) 732-2680 http://www.hsp.org

Processed by: Katherine Gallup, Leslie Hunt, Eve Mayer Processing Completed: September 2003

Sponsor: Processing made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Restrictions: None Related Collections at

HSP: Henderson-Wertmüller Papers, Collection 277

Hollingsworth Family Papers Collection 289

1 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Hollingsworth Family Papers, 1715-1882 (bulk 1770-1825) 375 boxes, 573 vols., 215 lin. feet

Collection 289

Abstract Levi Hollingsworth, the youngest son of Zebulon Hollingsworth and Anne Maulden, was born in 1739 in Head of Elk, Maryland, just as the local milling economy was rising to prominence. The Hollingsworths, a Quaker family who arrived in Philadelphia just two months after William Penn, had established themselves as a wealthy family of landholders in Maryland and Delaware by the time of Levi’s birth. From a young age, Levi Hollingsworth used his considerable business sense and his connections in the Delaware Valley to make his name as a merchant. Beginning as a Chesapeake Bay shallopman at the age of eighteen, Hollingsworth went on to build one of the most successful mercantile firms in Philadelphia, specializing in the transaction of grains, whiskey, and flour. He became one of the wealthiest and most powerful merchants in Philadelphia following the American Revolution. In a life that seemed to mirror the economic trajectory of the region, Levi Hollingsworth’s death in 1824 coincided with the decline of Philadelphia as the center of the flour industry. Although Hollingsworth’s firm continued to operate under the direction of his son, Paschall, it went into steady decline until its dissolution in the 1830s. The Hollingsworth family’s papers contain extensive business records kept by Levi Hollingsworth regarding his business ventures, including bills and receipts, orders, ledgers, invoices, checks, drafts, and freight lists. Most of this material relates to the shipment, purchase, and sale of grains, flour, and other commodities. The correspondence is also largely related to business, although it does contain some personal information concerning Levi and the extended Hollingsworth family. Records of Levi Hollingsworth’s land speculation partnership with Dorsey Pentecost are also included, as are records from the mercantile firm Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co., in which Levi’s brother Stephen was a partner. Other papers include the financial records of area businessmen Samuel S. Veacock, George Peirce, and John Henderson, who are not directly related to the Hollingsworth family or firm.

Background note Although the Hollingsworth name is best known in conjunction with the lucrative mercantile business based in Philadelphia, the family’s history in the mid-Atlantic region is as old as the Pennsylvania colony itself. In 1682, the same year that William Penn



reached the colony that was to be his “holy experiment,” planter Valentine Hollingsworth set sail for America with his family and an indentured servant. The family settled on an estate of close to one thousand acres in what is now Wilmington, Delaware. A devoted Quaker, Valentine Hollingsworth became a leading citizen of William Penn’s Quaker colony, serving as a member of the First Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania and the Provincial Council. Hollingsworth also established a monthly meeting in his community, typically held in the Hollingsworth home. Henry Hollingsworth, the eldest son of Valentine and his first wife, Ann Ree, was the first member of the family to settle in the village of Head of Elk (later Elkton), Cecil County, Maryland, which would remain the site of the family estate throughout their rise to commercial prominence. Like his father, Henry served in a number of civic positions, acting as one of the surveyors upon whose work the plans for Philadelphia were based as well as serving terms as the Sheriff of Chester County (1700-1708) and as the New Castle County representative to the Assembly of Pennsylvania (1695). Henry eventually broke from his Quaker roots and joined the Protestant Episcopal (or Anglican) Church. He reviled the killing of animals and was a vegetarian for much of his life. Zebulon Hollingsworth, born in 1696, was the youngest son of Henry Hollingsworth and Elizabeth Atkinson. He was raised in Head of Elk, where he would reside all his life. Zebulon followed his father and grandfather into a life of public service. It was Zebulon Hollingsworth who, with his son Levi, first began the production of flour under the family name, founding a business that Levi would parlay into a thriving commercial force. Zebulon married twice and had thirteen children before his death in 1763. Levi Hollingsworth was the youngest of five sons born to Zebulon and his first wife, Ann Maulden. Born on November 29, 1739, Levi grew up surrounded by siblings on the Head of Elk estate. Showing a knack for business and leadership at an early age, Levi established himself in the flour business by the age of eighteen, running a shallop service around the northern Chesapeake during the Seven Years’ War. After the war, Levi continued his shallop venture, transporting flour from Elkton and Christiana Bridge to the growing markets of Philadelphia. Around 1758, Levi Hollingsworth ended his business relationship with his father, striking out on his own in Philadelphia through a partnership with George Adams, who controlled the Adams & Company shallop business. The firm became known as Adams & Hollingsworth in 1759. In the 1760s, Hollingsworth dissolved his partnership with Adams and began working with Zebulson Rudulph in what eventually became the Hollingsworth & Rudulph firm. In 1772, Levi started his own flour brokering firm, which evolved into Levi Hollingsworth & Son in 1794, when Paschall Hollingsworth became a partner. Once established in Philadelphia, Levi Hollingsworth became involved in nearly every area of the mercantile business. Already well-connected in the Delaware Valley through his wealthy family, Levi cemented his standing in Philadelphia commerce through his 1768 marriage to Hannah Paschall, daughter of merchant Stephen Paschall. Two of Levi’s brothers, Jesse and Henry, married into milling families. Jesse, along with his brother Thomas, established a mercantile outfit in Baltimore, working closely with Levi to transport goods between the two cities. Henry, along with Zebulon Jr. and Samuel



Hollingsworth, remained in Head of Elk, operating a mill and a store in conjunction with their merchant brothers. Levi Hollingsworth used his connections in the region to build a name as a merchant and a land speculator. In the absence of an organized banking system, Hollingsworth, like other wealthy men of his day, also issued private loans as an additional source of income. Although much of Levi Hollingsworth’s success may be attributed to his business savvy and connections, he was also fortunate to have been born during a time of rapid commercial growth. Head of Elk, situated at the junction of the Big Elk and Little Elk tributaries of the Elk River, became a key spot for freight traffic throughout the region. This was a particularly important locale for the thriving grain trade beginning in the mid-eighteenth century, and the Hollingsworths were able to cash in on the “rage for grain.” Particularly important to the regional economy during this period was the rise of the specialized flour merchant, who acted as a middleman between millers and the provision merchants who handled overseas shipping. Levi Hollingsworth, whose connections allowed him to get in on the ground floor of this growing enterprise, became the most successful of these specialists. Furthermore, the advantageous geographic placement of the Hollingsworth estate allowed Levi and his brothers to tap the growing markets of Philadelphia and Baltimore at a time when those cities were most in need of food and goods. The Elk River also became a strategic military point during the Revolutionary War. Levi Hollingsworth was a resolute patriot throughout the Revolution, serving under George Washington as the first quartermaster of the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia and participating in the battles of Princeton and Trenton. Congress also called upon Hollingsworth to aid in the transportation of food for the Continental Army through cooperation with the Continental Commissariat. In 1779, Hollingsworth was attacked and briefly held by a mob of angry citizens demanding access to the stores of grain he kept for the troops. After the war, Levi Hollingsworth continued to expand his business ventures from his home base in Philadelphia, the capital of the new nation. Among the key commodities that passed through Philadelphia in this period was tobacco, which Levi and others transported between Maryland and Philadelphia harbor. The post-Revolutionary period was also a particularly active time for land sales in America, and Levi, like many businessmen with sufficient capital, bought up large tracts of land in hopes of selling plots to foreign investors. It was in this pursuit that Hollingsworth and a group of several other wealthy businessmen invested in the Virginia land purchases of Dorsey Pentecost, a local speculator who ultimately proved an unstable and incompetent business partner. Stephen Hollingsworth, Levi’s brother and a member of the Richmond mercantile firm of Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co., advised Levi about land purchases in Virginia. Levi Hollingsworth and Hannah Paschall also continued to expand their family after the Revolution, parenting eight children in all: Stephen Paschall, Lydia, Paschall, Margaret, Mary, Sarah, Henry, and Stephen. Their eldest daughter, Lydia Hollingsworth, was drowned in 1788 at the age of eighteen when the ice beneath the sleigh carrying her



across Darby Creek (in Delaware County, Pa.) gave way. Two other children, Stephen and Sarah, died in infancy. Paschall Hollingsworth continued his involvement in the commodities business after the death of his father in 1824, but without great success. In the mid-1820s he was also involved in a short-lived partnership with Philadelphia merchant John H. Fenner. By the 1830s Paschall’s business was foundering and the firm eventually dissolved. Some of Paschall’s cousins continued to operate successful commercial firms in Maryland, however, as Baltimore began to eclipse Philadelphia as the hub of the American flour industry.

Scope & content Levi Hollingsworth is the central figure of this collection, which is composed primarily of materials related to his various business endeavors. The extensive financial records provide much insight into the systems of commerce of which the Hollingsworths were a part. Receipts, orders, invoices, and other business records indicate the geographic scope of Hollingsworth business, as well as Levi Hollingsworth’s versatility as a business man; while maintaining his mercantile business, for example, Levi also made forays into the real estate market by purchasing large tracts of land in Virginia and western Pennsylvania. Order and sales records for his mercantile business indicate the variety of goods handled by the firm, including grains, meats, sugar, whiskey, and iron. Shipping and receiving records and market reports also show the changing rates of commodities, duties, shipping expenses, and insurance over the period covered. Through the records in this collection, it is possible to piece together the day-to-day business activities of the Hollingsworth firm during the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. This is particularly interesting information because of the key role played by merchant milling in the regional and transatlantic economies during this period, when European wars spurred American flour production and shipping. In fact, Levi Hollingsworth’s success parallels the rise of the Brandywine milling complex and the rise of Philadelphia as a commercial center more closely, perhaps, than that of any other figure. The Hollingsworth business records, though remarkably complete, do have some notable gaps. A number of the subseries begin in the 1780s, for example, leaving the pre-Revolutionary and wartime activities of the Hollingsworths in question. Another significant gap is the dearth of outgoing correspondence included in the collection; although it is likely that the Hollingsworths kept drafts of all outgoing correspondence, only six letterbooks survive. The collection also includes some business records not directly tied to Levi Hollingsworth. The records of Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co. chronicle the activities of a Richmond, Virginia, firm of which Levi’s brother Stephen was a partner. Like his brother, Stephen Hollingsworth was also involved in the mercantile trade and land speculation. A number of volumes pertain to the firm of Hollingsworth & Fenner, started by Paschall Hollingsworth and another merchant, John H. Fenner, soon after



Levi’s death. Also included in the collection are some records from the speculation firm of Hollingsworth & Pentecost. The legal records, some which are related to land disputes, are not always traceable to Levi Hollingsworth & Son or Hollingsworth & Pentecost, although the latter partnership did result in a series of legal contests. The financial records of John Henderson, George Peirce, and Samuel Veacock have an even more tenuous connection to the Hollingsworth family. The financial records of Veacock, a Philadelphia shipper and sea captain, came to the family when Paschall Hollingsworth was named a trustee of Veacock’s estate. This subseries includes records of the accounts that Paschall settled in this capacity. No specific connection of this kind is indicated between either John Henderson or George Peirce and the Hollingsworth family. The papers pertaining to Henderson, a Philadelphia carpenter and carriage painter, include financial, legal, and land records. Also included is a list of Henderson’s assets at the time of his death, suggesting that the Hollingsworths may have taken over his estate at this time, possibly as a result of outstanding debts. Even less information is available on Peirce, a local merchant whose ledger appears in this collection. The name of Levi Hollingsworth does appear in this ledger, suggesting that Peirce, too, may have been in debt to the Hollingsworths, thus precipitating the transfer of his records to their care. Despite the financial and commercial focus of the collection, the Hollingsworth records are peppered with personal and family information. The collected correspondence, though pertaining largely to Levi Hollingsworth’s business affairs, does contain brief personal asides and gives some insight into the relationships between the Hollingsworths of Pennsylvania and Maryland, many of whom maintained business ties to Levi’s Philadelphia firm. There are also a number of letters of condolence sent to Levi Hollingsworth following the death of his daughter, Lydia. Evidence of Levi Hollingsworth’s personal purchases, such as receipts for shoes for the Hollingsworth children and domestic servants, may also be found scattered throughout the financial records. Also evident in this collection are Levi Hollingsworth’s civic and political activities in Philadelphia, including his participation in a citizen committee appointed to investigate the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. A number of dues receipts and membership certificates indicate Levi’s involvement with various civic and religious institutions. Although the extent of the political activities of the Hollingsworths is not clear from the limited materials available, outgoing correspondence shows Levi’s commitment to Federalist principles and causes during the dispute over Constitutional ratification. The correspondence contains references to various public health crises, such as the several yellow fever outbreaks and an outbreak of cholera, as well as to economic crises such as embargoes placed on American shipping and controversies over the regulation of goods exported from American ports.

Overview of arrangement Series I Correspondence



a. Incoming, 1761-1852, n.d. 172 boxes b. Outgoing, 1780-1830 6 vols. + 5 folders Series II Financial a. Ledgers, 1762-1839 51 vols. b. Flour ledgers, 1765-1824 21 vols. c. Daybooks and journals, 1765-1836 32 vols. d. Flour journals, 1774-1820 19 vols. e. Orders, 1765-1829, n.d. 9 boxes f. Sales 45 vols., 1 box + 2 folders g. Invoices, 1764-1849 5 vols. + 65 boxes h. Shipping 34 vols. i. Delivery books, 1790-1825 12 vols. j. Cashbooks, 1772-1837 27 vols. k. Bank books, 1783-1839, n.d. 43 vols. l. Collecting books, 1770-1814 13 vols. m. Weight books, 1770-1814 8 vols. n. Bundle books, 1778-1782 6 vols. o. Bills and receipts, 1758-1828, n.d. 19 vols. + 40 boxes p. Checks, drafts, bills of exchange, and

promissory notes, 1769-1829, n.d. 1 vol. + 69 boxes

q. Blotters, 1785-1839 176 vols. r. Memorandum books and memoranda,

1762-1782 9 vols. + 1 folder

s. Market reports, 1770-1839 3 boxes t. Submissions for circulars, 1816-1825, n.d. 1 vol. + 4 boxes u. Miscellaneous, 1744-1834, n.d. 3 boxes Series IV Legal, 1715-1847, n.d. 1 box Series IV Land, 1753-1840, n.d. 1 vol. 1 box Series V Other businesses, 1747-1849 a. Hollingsworth & Pentecost, 1785-1786 2 vols. b. Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co., 1784-1788 9 vols. + 1 folder c. Zebulon Hollingsworth & Son, 1787-1797 1 vol. d. Adams & Co., 1747-1758 3 vols. e. John Henderson, 1779-1800 11 vols. + 4 folders f. Samuel S. Veacock, 1809-1813 4 vols. g. Miscellaneous, 1760-1849 4 vols. Series VI Miscellaneous 4 vols. + 7 folders

Series descriptions Series 1. Correspondence, 1761-1852, n.d. (Boxes 1-172, Vols. 1-6)

a. Incoming, 1761-1852, n.d. Incoming correspondence includes over 50,000 letters addressed mostly to Hollingsworth and Rudulph (1761 to 1771), Levi Hollingsworth (1771 to 1793), Levi Hollingsworth and Son (1794 to 1824), and Paschall Hollingsworth (1824 to1832), with the majority relating most specifically to Levi Hollingsworth. The bulk of the



correspondence pertains to everyday business, mostly concerning the flour trade, but also encompassing merchandise such as tobacco, corn, liquor, and salt. Levi operated a commission business and coordinated transatlantic trade for a group of clients that included millers, merchants, shopkeepers, grocers, ships’ captains, and agriculturalists. Together, the letters from all of these clients paint a clear picture of how different sectors of the grain industry relied heavily upon one another, with their efforts culminating in the sales made for them by Levi Hollingsworth. However, the value of these letters goes beyond simply relating information about the day-to-day mechanics of the Philadelphia flour trade. The correspondence covers a period of time that encompasses the rise and fall of the Philadelphia flour markets and gives insight into how the flour industry was affected by local and foreign politics, disease, and the development of competition from other U.S. ports. The variety of correspondents and their locations provides wonderful insight into the complex arrangement of the flour trade, the importance of the Philadelphia port to the flour market, and how this position changed over time. Correspondence from 1761 to 1771 relates to the partnership between Levi Hollingsworth and Zebulon Rudulph. Hollingsworth and Rudulph were commission merchants who shipped a variety of goods to American and European ports from Philadelphia. Transportation fees, rather than the profit from the goods themselves, provided the base of income for this business. The number of correspondents during this time period is rather small with the majority relating consistently to five or six merchants active in the Philadelphia-Chesapeake trade, including Zebulon’s brother Tobias Rudulph, Samuel Patterson, James Patterson, George Adams, and Jon A. Booth. By April 1771, most of the correspondence is addressed solely to Levi Hollingsworth although there is no clear indication of the break in the partnership between Hollingsworth and Rudulph. After ten years of working with partners, Levi began his own business in 1772. He concentrated on flour brokering for merchant millers at a time when the flour trade was becoming one of the most profitable industries in Philadelphia. Due to dramatic increases in Europe’s population during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, in combination with a series of bad crops, the colonies had become the key supplier for the European market. Correspondence from this period shows the growth of this role between 1772 and 1800. Several letters discuss the construction of new mills throughout the Philadelphia and Baltimore regions, as well as new inventions to make the harvesting and milling processes quicker and more profitable. A letter from miller John Arndt dated May 22, 1789, describes the invention of a new thresher by a farmer, Mr. John Boyl, which would allow farmers to harvest a much larger quantity of grain. He wrote, “Mr. Boyl Informs me that with two horses to work and two hands to attend the machine he can thresh one thousand shears a day – I should think if the machine was examined by some of our great mechanicks it might be improved upon to great advantage and perfection.” Advancements in milling technology are mentioned throughout the correspondence and include mention of several suits relating to the stealing of patents. Other letters discuss the growth of labor demands in the flour trade. There are several inquiries on behalf of recent immigrants to find placements within the business, in addition to



an abundance of proposed contracts from millers and European merchants. At the height of his business, Levi received correspondence from London, Liverpool, Dublin, Amsterdam, Marseilles, Lisbon, Madeira, Havana, St. Thomas, and Jamaica, in addition to several U.S cities such as New York, Richmond, Head of Elk, and Baltimore. During this time, Philadelphia was generally considered the superior of all the flour trading ports because of the rigid quality standards that had been in place since 1733. These standards often became grounds for disagreement between the millers and merchants. Several of the letters express distaste for decisions made by the Philadelphia Flour Inspector relating to the quality, and ultimate scrapping of whole batches of flour at market. Many millers were resistant to submitting their grains for Philadelphia inspection, especially southern millers whose crops were often condemned for containing garlic. Because of this, Levi received most of his wheat supplies from northern millers. The correspondence from 1772 to 1815 includes a large quantity of steady contracts with several different millers and merchants. Most consistent throughout those dealings were his family members out of Head of Elk, also Maxwell Adams, William Cooch, Solomon Maxwell, Samuel Townsend, and David and Samuel Nivin. These merchants, mostly concentrated in the areas of New York, Delaware, and Maryland, contracted consistently with Levi and often provided him with updates on the foreign markets. Although European markets were the original factor for the boom of the Philadelphia flour trade, British and French political endeavors often halted the profitability of overseas trade. The progress of the market was brought to a temporary standstill for the first time during the American Revolution, when the British invaded Philadelphia in 1777. A drop in the amount of correspondence during these years provides an indication of the loss of trade during this time period. Letters from the summers of 1777 to 1779 discuss depleted trade and also labor scarcity related to issues brought up by the war. Several of the letters also mention the hardships caused by the loss of inventory to British troops. In a July 1777 letter, fellow merchant Samuel Griffin wrote, “I hope the wagons are now on the way, for if the Enemy should move this way, before they arrive, I shall most undoubtedly suffer much by them. There is no possibility of engaging Sums in this Country.” Another problem which stymied the Philadelphia market during the Revolution was the instability of American currency, which varied from state to state. Pennsylvania currency was regarded as the most unstable. Alex Porter wrote to Levi about the problem on August 2, 1780, stating, “Please to deliver unto Mr. Martin Gent what money you have upon my account-the money depreciates so fast that, unless something is done with it, I shall have nothing worth mentioning for my flour.” Because of the unstable currency, an attempt was made by Robert Morris to stabilize the banking system in the 1780s. Morris turned to merchants to support the bank in order to boost the publics’ confidence in the new banking system. Levi received several letters from different banks and other merchants asking him to support the centralization of a banking system and the creation of the Bank of the United States. These letters continued into the early 1800s.



Correspondence suggests that during the years following the Revolution, merchants not only enjoyed the benefits of post-war markets, but also supported the new government and were optimistic about the future. Flour prices reported during this period give evidence of some of the highest rates at the time. Several letters also mention the ratification of the Constitution by different states. Jacob Broom wrote to Levi on July 2, 1788, “I congratulate you on the adoption of the Federal Constitution by Virginia, an event of vast Importance to the United States, the present Generation and their posterity; for tho it will be but the 1/13th spoke in the Wheel of Government, it is an important one.” Levi received several letters of this nature, which indicate that he was an active participant in politics. The post-war correspondence also includes an emphasis on land speculation. Because of the sharp decline in flour sales during the Revolution, Levi attempted to diversify his income by getting involved in a land speculation system involving the purchase of large tracts of land, which he attempted to sell to wealthy European buyers. Levi’s partner in this endeavor was Dorsey Pentecost, who conducted the surveys on the lands which Levi purchased, including areas in western Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley. Levi received several letters from prospective buyers interested in these lands. The bulk of the letters about land speculation show that the scheme was not a success and also mention the large sums involved in paying taxes on these lands. Also, letters from this time period indicate several lawsuits that resulted from the sales of these lands. Following the American Revolution, many merchants expressed a desire to stay neutral during European conflicts because of the limits put on trade. On May 24, 1803, Henry Hollingsworth wrote to his brother, “As to the powers of Europe I care not one farthing for them, they will make war or peace just as they think it suits them.” However, trade was limited again between 1807 and 1814 when both Britain and France placed restrictions on trade with American merchants as strategic moves to limit each other’s food supplies during the Napoleonic Wars. Fears of the effects of the restrictions put on foreign trade culminated in the Embargo of 1807 and then the War of 1812. Thomas Hollingsworth wrote to his brother on June 21, 1812, “War against England being publicly declared, all anxiety on that subject is at rest, and the Community are now left to brood over the subject of its direful and threatening consequences . . . faces are overcast with gloom and astonishment and the universal question is, what are we to gain by this wonderful measure.” During the early nineteenth century correspondence began to arrive more steadily from the West Indies, indicating the redirection of trade to that area of the world, a trend that had been growing steadily since the 1780s, mostly out of Baltimore ports. However, the European market was still very important to Philadelphia, and was stimulated again for a short time toward the end of the Napoleonic wars. On February 15, 1812, Samuel Clendemin wrote, “Never could peace and a free commerce have a more happy effect upon our Country than at the present time, when it abounds with every species of produce, and when foreign commodities are almost totally consumed. The mutual advantages to America and England must be



incalculable.” This short growth spurt ended with the Britain’s introduction of the Corn Laws in 1815 and 1816, although this topic is only briefly discussed. Health issues, which stymied the Philadelphia markets in much the same way as foreign political endeavors, are an important aspect of the correspondence. Correspondence during the years 1793, 1794, and 1796 to 1798 are full of reports of the yellow fever epidemics and how the disease affected everyday life. Due to the severity of the disease in the Philadelphia area, the city was often quarantined during the highest rates of infection. In a letter dated September 16, 1793, Maxwell Adams wrote, “This goes on board with a load [of] flour-have 1,000 Bbls. More on hand and can’t keep the wagons back…and by all appearances we must stop – tis with much difficulty we can get the shallopmen to you Particularly since they hear Newport hands have refused as all factors have left the city.” In correlation with the quarantines, the amount of correspondence during these years drops significantly, indicating a sharp decline in business. Joseph Nock expressed this in his letter to Levi dated September 18, 1793, “Have little survived and fit for business – but the sickly state of your city hath stopped vessels going to town which puts me to a stand how to manage in Paying the Debt…we are but still manufacturing wheat for your market or some other place.” Other letters from this time express great sorrow for the severity of the epidemic with hopes that the port would open again quickly for trade. During quarantines, the correspondence indicates that Baltimore becomes the main port for trade. Some letters from 1832 also mention the onset of cholera. However, correspondence relating to the flour trade drops off completely in November of that year. The majority of the Hollingsworth correspondence relates to business but there are a few letters that pertain to personal matters relating to Levi’s family. Many of Levi’s brothers were also merchants, and a number of them involved in the grain trade, so business letters often provided opportunities to make personal inquiries as well. Many of these notes include inquiries about the health of Levi’s family, most specifically during the yellow fever epidemics. In 1788, Levi received several condolence letters following the death of his daughter, Lydia, who drowned when her sleigh fell through the ice at Darby Creek. Levi Hollingsworth died in 1824. From mid-1824 to 1832, correspondence is addressed to Paschall Hollingsworth, his son. Following Levi’s death, the Hollingsworths’ business went into steady decline. Philadelphia had already begun to lose its position as the center of the American flour industry, and other economic factors damaged Paschall’s tenuous hold on the family business. An early cause of the decline was a shipwreck off the coast of Gibraltar in April 1823. The loss of the ship Jane, which carried large quantities of Hollingsworth cargo, was a major financial loss. Letters about the wreck continue for several years. Other causes for the decline of business relate to the several years of restricted trade in combination with several years of bad crops. The high standards of the Philadelphia market had given it an advantage in trade with Europe in the beginning of the eighteenth century. However, correspondence from Baltimore and Head of Elk indicates the growing threat that the Maryland ports posed to the Philadelphia market as early as the 1770s.



Levi’s close connection with several of his brothers, who ran a similar flour trading business out of Head of Elk, relate the activity of the Baltimore market. Letters from Jesse, Stephen, Thomas, and Zebulon Hollingsworth, and later his nephew Levi, discussed increased trade with the West Indies during and after the War of 1812, redirecting their efforts from European markets. This put Baltimore at an advantage in 1815 when the European markets for exported grain dropped significantly. In addition, the flour trade had shifted steadily to the south, closer to Baltimore ports. Although Baltimore and Philadelphia had been competitive throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, by 1820, Baltimore had taken over as the prominent port for flour trade. Several letters of the late 1820s mention Paschall’s “embarrassments” for not being able to fulfill contracts because of a lack of funds. There are no letters between 1832 and 1847. The few letters from 1847 to 1852 at the end of the correspondence are addressed to Henry Hollingsworth and regard lands he inherited from his father. b. Outgoing, 1780-1830. Outgoing correspondence consists of six letterbooks of correspondence sent by the Hollingsworths to their clients and associates. There are, however, significant gaps in this correspondence, most specifically from 1776 to 1780 and from 1811 to 1823. There is very little outgoing correspondence following Levi’s death in 1824. Letters that are present give a clear indication of Levi Hollingsworth’s dealings in the flour trade, and more specifically in land speculation. These letters also give insight into Levi’s perceptions of politics and health issues. The outgoing correspondence mirrors the topics in the incoming correspondence to a significant degree. The majority of letters relate to everyday business activity, especially during peacetime. The earliest letterbook (1780-1782) includes several letters pertaining to the Revolutionary War and demonstrates Levi’s strong support for the American cause. In several letters he discussed the problems caused by the British presence at American ports and accordingly provided suggestions on what to do with merchant ships and goods to avoid capture by the “Enemy.” Because of Levi’s respected position as a businessman and a gentleman, he also used his influence to help release prisoners, as in the case of George Blunt, whose release from British captors was arranged by Levi so that Blunt could continue to serve as price master for the ship Warson. During the war, Levi contracted materials to the army, providing miscellaneous supplies such as guns and stockings. Levi also took an active interest in politics. On Aug. 29, 1791, he wrote to Kentucky merchant, Jacob Meyer, “As to the Constitutions you wish me to send. I have sent you that of Pennsylvania and that of the U.S. The British constitution is rather contained in a system of Law than any particular act of the King and people and therefore is not in my power to send you. And I Believe no other country in Europe pretends to any constitution, except what is dictated by an arbitrary sovereignty or an equally arbitrary aristocracy. You have many well informed Gentlemen in Kentucky



and having all the models of the thirteen states before you I have no doubt but you will form a good constitution.” Levi continued to write freely about European conflicts following the American Revolution. He wrote to several patrons about the problems that the Embargo of 1807 and ensuing conflicts between England and the U.S. posed to the flour trade. He wrote to Daniel Smith on August 30, 1809, “Our exports are confined to Portugal and Spain and her Islands their consumption is unequal to the supply this country will give and our political Relations with Great Britain are yet unsettled and uncertain that no conclusive opinion can be formed of future markets or events.” In all of the problems that persisted in halting the productivity of the Philadelphia markets throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Levi acted as a source of information for his customers. During the yellow fever epidemics that plagued Philadelphia in 1793, Levi explained the situation and conditions of the city to his associates. He wrote to Thomas Conte on Sept. 25, 1793, “Our city is visited with a dreadful Mortality introduced from Cape Francois in one of the Vessels with French passengers the Physicians differ in the mode of practice and cannot agree in the nature of the disease it is a Putrid Fever…Most of the Merchants Fled to the Country and no business doing I pray God in his mercy to stay the distemper.” During the hardships that Philadelphia experienced, Levi remained in the city to help stabilize the Philadelphia ports, even when his family members requested that he and his family retire to Head of Elk until the worst had passed. The majority of information in the two letterbooks spanning 1786 to 1798 relates to Levi’s dealings in land speculation. Although several letters from the incoming correspondence pertain to this topic as well, the letters from the outgoing correspondence give a much clearer account of this business. From 1787 to 1793 Levi was involved in a land speculation scheme with Dorsey Pentecost. Pentecost was responsible for surveying the lands for which Levi provided capital. Levi wrote several letters to his European contacts to join him in partnership by providing him with names of wealthy European buyers who wanted to escape from the political turmoil of the European continent. One of his most important contacts for this venture was Enoch Story in London. He wrote to Story on January 2, 1787, “Inclosed you have a Plan drawn up for the purpose of forming a Land company and selling or settling their lands in the Western Country which if properly executed can not fail of success. I wish you may communicate to such Persons in England or in any part of Europe as you think would likely become Proprietors in these Lands.” Other letters to Enoch Story attempt to calm his skepticism about the plan with requests for him to return the bonds and surveys so that he could send the proposal to other prospects. The rest of the letters that Levi sent relating to this business endeavor produced meager results. The scheme continued to go poorly until 1791, at which point Levi began to contact lawyers about the inconsistencies in the surveys and business dealings on Pentecost’s part. On April 7, 1791, Levi sent a letter to Alexander Addison, writing, “I have appointed David Radick, James Allison & David Bradford my agents in your county to sue for all rents Lett & sell lands and all other matters



that relate to my interest in the unhappy business with D. Pentecost.” In May of 1791 he also wrote to Dorsey himself, expressing his distaste for their business dealings saying, “…therefore must be excused from making such foolish engagements you have put me to much trouble and expense and I can not trust to uncertainties any longer, but you may be assured that I have no wish for your estate further than to make myself whole which by the by I do expect to have done if in the power of law and equity to do for me.” Accounts indicate that Dorsey Pentecost died or disappeared sometime in 1793, before the suits were settled. In Pentecost’s absence, the issue was relayed to Dorsey’s wife, Catherine, and the letters end shortly after that. Several of the letters during this period include lists of the lands Hollingsworth purchased, including the amount of acreage, current owners of the patents on the lands, and whether these lands were for sale. From March 1824 to the end of the correspondence, letters were written by Levi’s son, Paschall Hollingsworth, who had been in business with Levi since 1794. However, there are very few letters during these years; more than half of the last letterbook is empty. It is important to note that the last two letterbooks include indexes of the addressees.

Series 2. Financial, 1762-1849 (Boxes 173-368, vols. 7-531) a. Ledgers, 1762-1839. b. Flour ledgers, 1765-1824. c. Daybooks and journals, 1765-1836. d. Flour journals, 1774-1820. These subseries include fifty-one ledgers, twenty-one flour ledgers, twenty-nine journals, nineteen flour journals, and two daybooks, most of which record business conducted by Levi Hollingsworth and Levi Hollingsworth & Son. Some early records concern Levi Hollingsworth’s partnerships with George Adams and Zebulon Rudulph. Later records were kept by Levi’s son, Paschall, and reflect his attempts to carry on the family business after his father’s death. Some later volumes are records of Paschall’s partnership with John H. Fenner. Also included in subseries 2a are a number of post sheets and balance sheets that were compiled at the end of each fiscal year to balance the ledgers. As a group, these records represent approximately fifty years of Levi and Paschall Hollingsworth’s business activities and general merchandise enterprise. In addition to chronicling the Hollingsworths’ involvement in the flour and grain trade, these records also demonstrate their business as general merchants. Sales of rum, whiskey, salt, sugar, and various other sundry commodities are recorded. The Hollingsworths made a distinction between their regular mercantile operations and their business relating to the grain trade. Therefore, in addition to recording their mercantile dealings in ledgers and journals, they also maintained a set of books to record their transactions relating to flour and grain, which they called flour journals and flour ledgers. Flour journals and flour ledgers refer specifically to the purchase and sale of flour and grain, and they include columns for superfine flour, scrapped



flour, and rye. These records note suppliers’ and customers’ names and log shipments of flour sent and received by the Hollingsworths. Ledgers and journals recording the Hollingsworths’ general merchandise accounts indicate that in addition to their work as flour brokers, the Hollingsworths also did a healthy amount of other business. Although the majority of entries in the ledgers simply refer to sales and merchandise, without specifying the materials that were exchanged, journal entries are more detailed and list liquor, sugar, textiles, and a host of other goods. Both ledgers and journals include accounts for the Hollingsworths’ suppliers, as well as the coopers, shippers, porters, and delivery men who worked intermittently. Freight and ships’ disbursements are also included. The ledgers contain some accounts of a more personal nature, including “house expences,” which include such items as spoons, candles, wood, and horses. Among the accounts for the men who occasionally worked for the Hollingsworths is the 1784-1785 account of “Negroe Sam.” Because the Hollingsworths opted to use several different types of blotters (see Series 2q) instead of daybooks, only two daybooks are included in this collection. Journals, which represent the step between blotters and ledgers, are much more easily understood than the blotters and contain significantly more detail than the ledgers. e. Orders, 1765-1829, n.d. f. Sales, 1770-1830. Although flour was the major commodity brokered by the Hollingsworths, related products, such as unprocessed grains and whiskey, were also important to their business. Although the majority of the records in these subseries refer to the Hollingsworths’ flour brokerage, they also include information regarding the array of other merchandise handled by the Hollingsworths. Orders, which have various formats, were most often simple handwritten statements providing the name of the customer, the date, and quantity and type of goods requested. Orders received by the Hollingsworths were for not only for barrels of flour and grains, but also sugar, pork, beef, tar, flaxseed, herrings, and even pig and bar iron. Salt and tobacco were among other goods that were commonly ordered. Some documents filed with the orders are actually simply requests for deliveries; the Hollingsworths not only bought and sold their own merchandise, but also shipped goods that were already consigned to other merchants. While orders were filled out by the Hollingsworths’ customers, Levi and Paschall Hollingsworth kept a variety of records pertaining to their sales. Most of these records refer to the receipt and sales of grain and related commodities, including wheat, corn, flour, whiskey and rye. There are also a number of records concerning packaging flour and goods for sale, namely account books recording the Hollingsworths’ transactions with a number of local coopers. There are also two volumes concerning flour inspection, a volume listing current prices for flour, and a number of volumes pertaining to sales of whiskey.



g. Invoices, 1764-1849. This subseries contains invoices for goods shipped to and received by Levi Hollingsworth. Invoices include not only bills or statements sent by the company or individual who shipped the goods, but also bills of lading, freight manifests, statements of freight rates, and bills for porterage. Although many invoices pertain to flour sent to the Hollingsworths for export or local consumption, coffee, tobacco, and salt are among the other goods received. h. Shipping, 1765-1828. Much of the material in this subseries pertains to the movement of goods between Philadelphia and Head of Elk, Maryland. Freight ledgers and freight books contain lists of freight and rates for “up freight” and “down freight,” which refer to the transport of goods between those two ports using the Christiana and Delaware Rivers. Disbursement books contain records of expenditures for ships, including provisioning and repairing them. Also included in this subseries are porterage books, which list the expenses for loading and unloading ships; permit books; and wharfage books, which recorded the cost for docking the ships at the Philadelphia piers. There are also receipt books for the shallops Speedwell and Honest Endeavor. Most of these records date from the 1760s until about 1790. Among the more miscellaneous documents in this subseries are insurance papers, permits for the ports of Philadelphia and Baltimore, various certificates signed by shippers and consignees to verify that cargo was sent or received, documents pertaining to the seizure of ships or cargo, a handful of protests, and a number of documents pertaining to the wreck of the Jane near Gibraltar in 1823. The majority of the miscellaneous documents involve foreign ports, and the Hollingsworths’ role is often unclear. i. Delivery books, 1790-1825. The Hollingsworths’ delivery books pertain almost exclusively to shipments of flour. Usually no more than the date and the name of the recipient were recorded, although a number of entries have hash marks or other notations indicating quantity beside them. Because no addresses or cities are provided, it is difficult to know whether these were local deliveries made by the Hollingsworths, or whether the flour was being exported. Although the primary function of these volumes was to record the distribution of flour, there are occasional entries for shipments of flour received by the Hollingsworths. j. Cashbooks, 1773-1837. k. Bank books, 1783-1839, n.d. These subseries include cashbooks and bank books kept by Levi Hollingsworth, Paschall Hollingsworth, and Hollingsworth & Fenner. Cashbooks tracked the cash flowing in and out of the company, while bank books also served to track the Hollingsworths’ deposits and investments, as well as major withdrawals. In general, earlier bank books belonging to Levi Hollingsworth document his transactions with the Bank of North America, and later bank books kept by Paschall Hollingsworth record transactions with the Bank of Pennsylvania. There are also a number of



volumes containing transactions with Stephen Girard. Although most bank books are small volumes containing simple records of deposits and withdrawals, a number of Paschall Hollingsworth’s bank books are in ledger format. Occasional entries provide not only the amount of money deposited, but the source of the funds, usually the name of a company or individual. Bank books were kept rather erratically, but cashbooks were maintained fairly continuously for a period of nearly seventy years. l. Collecting books, 1770-1814. These small volumes typically contain a list of dates, names, and amounts owed to Levi Hollingsworth. Some volumes are arranged alphabetically by debtor’s name, while others were kept chronologically. A few volumes also include lists of loans made by Levi Hollingsworth. Amounts owed range from a few shillings to several hundred pounds, although most are for less than ten. m. Weight books, 1781-1792. Weight books recorded the shipping marks, weights, and sometimes the prices of commodities. Typically the names of the shippers, their marks, and the weights of individual barrels of goods were listed. Salt, tobacco, sugar, and coffee are among the most common products. The weights were recorded in pounds, quarters (28 pounds), and hundredweights (112 pounds). n. Bundle books, 1778-1782. Bundle books are small volumes that are roughly the size of a receipt book. “Cash on hand,” “hard money on hand,” and “change” are frequently noted, and dates are most often followed by lists of names and amounts. Merchandise and commodities are mentioned only occasionally; bundle books appear to track cash, not products. Amounts are sometimes written in both dollars and pounds, and are sometimes noted as “marked.” Bundles, which are never described, are rarely noted, although each volume is labeled as a “Bundle Book” on the first page. o. Bills and receipts, 1758-1829, n.d. The loose receipts in this subseries cover the period 1755 to 1829 and include records of business and, to a lesser extent, personal purchases. The receipts of these domestic or family expenses indicate the presence of black servants (men, women, and boys) in the Hollingsworth home for whom Levi Hollingsworth would periodically purchase shoes and clothing. This subseries also includes eleven receipt books, most of which were kept by Levi Hollingsworth during the 1770s and 1780s. These receipt books provide a record of Levi Hollingsworth’s expenses during that period, primarily business expenditures on goods, services, and duties. Each entry is accompanied by the signature or mark of the recipient or creditor, demonstrating the limited literacy rates of laborers and the participation of women in business transactions. In addition, pasted inside the front cover of the 1809-1810 volume are three receipts of a fifteen shilling dues payment to The Library Company of Philadelphia, one paid by Levi Hollingsworth and two paid by the estate of Stephen Paschall.



Six accounts payable/receivable books – covering most of the period from August, 1805 to December, 1817 – provide further insight into the financial dealings of the Hollingsworths. These books document the debts owed by and to Levi Hollingsworth, when each debt was due to be repaid, and the identity of the debtor/creditor in question. p. Checks, drafts, bills of exchange, and promissory notes, 1769-1832, n.d. Checks, drafts, bills of exchange, and promissory notes were all used to facilitate trade in the absence of strong financial institutions and stable, transferable currencies. Difficulty in obtaining and transporting specie also contributed to the widespread use of these alternative methods of payment. The Hollingsworths wrote checks from a number of accounts, using small, local banks such as the Bank of the Northern Liberties and the Schuylkill Bank as well as state and national banks, including the Bank of Pennsylvania and the Bank of North America. Merchants commonly used two types of drafts: sight drafts that were payable on demand, and time, term, or usance drafts, which were payable at a later date and/or under certain conditions. q. Blotters, 1785-1827. While most businesses kept detailed daybooks to record daily business transactions as they occurred, the Hollingsworths kept a series of blotters in which they made the initial record of each day’s business. Separate blotters denoted different types of transactions; most either kept track of cash flowing in and out of the firm or recorded receipts and shipments of flour. Although the Hollingsworths distinguished between cash, flour, outdoor, bill, and check blotters, all of them except the cash blotters focus on the movement of flour. Most give names of persons purchasing or sending the flour, as well as quantities and prices. Inspection fees are sometimes noted as well, and very occasionally other commodities, such as pork or whiskey, are mentioned. As in other volumes, many entries refer to supplying ships or captains with large quantities of various grades of flour. A few blotters were not designated as having a specific use, particularly those kept by Hollingsworth & Fenner. As transactions were copied into journals, the records in the blotters were marked “ent’d [entered].” r. Memorandum books and memoranda, 1764-1774. Levi Hollingsworth’s memorandum books vary in size and function. Most are very small notebooks with lists of names, amounts, or miscellaneous notes. Most of the books were signed by Levi Hollingsworth and were labeled by him as memorandum books. The volume covering the years 1773 to 1775 is formatted like a daybook and has a chronological list of purchases, sales, and Levi’s notes to himself. s. Market reports, 1770-1839. Market reports, printed news about a city or region’s current economy, were usually published on a weekly basis. Market reports in this subseries are from a variety of European cities, as well as locations in the West Indies and the United States. A significant number of reports are from Liverpool, England, during the 1810s and



1820s. Most other cities are represented by just a handful of scattered market reports, or sometimes only one, providing a very brief glimpse into that city’s trade. Market reports typically provided the going rate for raw materials and products, which allowed merchants and exporters to decide which materials could be sold at the best price. t. Submissions for circulars, 1816-1825, n.d. The circular letters included here appear to be drafts of letters that may have been submitted by the Hollingsworth to the persons responsible for printing market reports and circulars. The letters, which are handwritten, unsigned, and simply addressed “gentlemen,” describe the going rates for flour in Philadelphia. A number of the letters use examples of recent sales as evidence of the market’s condition. The dates, quantities, and amounts of the sales provided in the letters correspond to sales that were recorded in the Hollingsworths’ books. Many of these apparent submissions for circulars are addressed to Easton, Reading, and other points west of Philadelphia. u. Miscellaneous, 1744-1834, n.d. The bulk of these miscellaneous materials consists of undated figures and notations, as well as interest account and billing lists. Other materials include an undated explanation of regulations for contracting flour to the British government and permits to transport and sell alcohol.

Series 3. Legal, 1715-1847, n.d. (Boxes 369-370) Legal papers include a variety of documents relating to the Hollingsworths, as well as their business and personal associates. A significant number of documents have no evident relationship to the Hollingsworths. The bulk of the papers are bonds guaranteeing that money be paid at a certain date. Other documents include formal protests for notes and bills of exchange that were unpaid; affidavits and depositions for disputed lands and contracts; summonses, judgments, and other court-related documents; contracts for workers and partnerships; sales agreements; powers of attorney; bankruptcy notices; and a handful of documents pertaining to legislation or laws in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Among these are two undated petitions to abolish capital punishment in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This series also includes Levi Hollingsworth & Son’s license to sell wines and spirits, Stephen Hollingsworth’s 1781 pass to travel through New Jersey “unmolested,” and an apprentice’s indenture. Of particular interest is an 1804 petition to Henry Drinker, signed by a number of Presbyterians in Nicholson Township, in which they appeal to Drinker for some land so that they might keep themselves separate from the Baptists and Methodists, whose “irregular and wild conduct” and “illiterate ignorant” teachers they found to be offensive. Levi Hollingsworth’s involvement with the estate of Henry Neill is also chronicled in this series. The Neills were a family of millers who did business with Levi Hollingsworth. Upon the death of Henry Neill, Levi and Henry’s wife, Sarah, became co-administrators of his estate. A series of debates arose concerning Henry’s



Plum Street property and his brother Robert’s involvement in his estate. Consequently, there are a number of papers pertaining to Robert Neill and his wife Catherine. These papers cover more than a twenty-year period.

Series 4. Land, 1753-1840, n.d. (Boxes 371-373, vol. 532)

This series includes surveys, indentures, deeds, and other documents pertaining to land ownership and settlement. Many of the documents have no clear connection to the Hollingsworth family. Most of the documents pertain to lands in Philadelphia’s surrounding counties, particularly Northumberland. Included in the lists of land and landowners is a record of Kentucky lands that Robert Morris purchased from Levi Hollingsworth. A proposed layout for a plot of land in Kentucky (thirty-five miles from Lexington), dated 1787, is also included, as are more than three dozen patents for Virginia lands given to James Wilson, all of them signed by Governor Patrick Henry. This series also contains information pertaining to a land dispute in New Jersey. The document, which is the draft of an answer to a complaint made by John Cox, is addressed to William Franklin, the Governor of New Jersey (1763-1776). Miscellaneous papers include a brief of title, notes, a lease, and other documents pertaining to miscellaneous properties. A few pages, made into an ad-hoc notebook, seem to chronicle the journey of a land agent as he checked on the salability of some lands and tried to track down delinquent debtors. Additional information about Levi Hollingsworth’s land transactions and speculation activities can be found in Series 1b (Levi Hollingsworth’s letterbooks), and in Series 5a (the records of Hollingsworth & Pentecost).

Series 5. Other businesses, 1747-1849 (Box 374, vols. 533-566) a. Hollingsworth & Pentecost, 1785-1786. Records pertaining to Levi Hollingsworth’s partnership with Dorsey Pentecost include a daybook/invoice book, a ledger, and two cashbooks. Dorsey Pentecost allied himself with a number of Philadelphia businessmen who helped to finance his land speculation ventures, many of which were in Virginia. Although his business with Levi Hollingsworth was focused on land transactions and sales, the volumes in this subseries indicate that there may have been more to their business. The daybook/invoice book mostly consists of references to sales of textiles and dry goods. Levi Hollingsworth’s letterbooks (Series 1b) also include references to his land transactions and his partnership with Pentecost, and his incoming correspondence (Series 1a) contains numerous references to land speculation, as well. b. Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co., 1784-1788. Records for Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co. include a letterbook, ledger, daybook, invoice books, and a cashbook. The firm’s outgoing correspondence discusses orders, shipments, methods of payment, and trade conditions. Letters reference not only general merchandise, but also land purchases, sales, and surveying activities.



Correspondents include merchants and businessmen in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Letters written by Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co. to Levi Hollingsworth (also in the mid 1780s) can be found in Series 1a. The company’s financial records indicate that they dealt with various types of merchandise, including textiles, china, sugar, coffee, tea, skins, whiskey, and other sundries. Tobacco seems to have been their most popular commodity. The tobacco invoice book contains a good deal of information concerning type, quantity, price, inspection notes, and shipping marks. The store book/memorandum also contains entries for cash transactions. c. Zebulon Hollingsworth & Son, 1787-1797. Records of Zebulon Hollingsworth & Son include one cartage book, dated 1787 to 1797. Zebulon was the brother of Levi Hollingsworth, and conducted business in Head of Elk, Maryland. His business with Maryland millers was key to Levi’s successful flour and grain enterprise in Philadelphia. The cartage book records the transportation of many different kinds of goods, including tobacco, flour, and in one instance, two bags of feathers. Names and cost of cartage are provided, but addresses and destinations are not. d. Adams & Co., 1747-1758. Records for George Adams’s company Adams & Co, with which Levi Hollingsworth became involved in the late 1750s, include a 1747 daybook and a 1757 cashbook. Entries in both are sparse, but daybook entries include references to a number of shipments of “flower.” e. John Henderson, 1779-1800. John Henderson’s records include receipt books, daybooks, and ledgers, as well as account books. Also included are legal and land papers that pertain to Henderson and his associates; a list of Henderson’s assets at the time of his death is included as well. Henderson’s books were kept in an idiosyncratic manner, and many were used for several different purposes. Many entries are not in standard bookkeeping form, but are more like notes or jottings. Most volumes concern Henderson’s carpentry business, which seems to have been largely focused on painting and finishing carriages. Accounts often refer to his work with Alexander Quarier, a Philadelphia coachmaker, and Quarier’s partnership with George Hunter, who was originally an apothecary. Quarier moved to Richmond, Virginia, and was subsequently involved in a legal dispute with Hunter, in which John Henderson had minor involvement. Drafts of Henderson’s letters, which are undated, unsigned, and have no addressee, refer mainly to this disagreement. Apparently the dispute began when Quarier, who was married to Hunter’s mother, confessed that his marriage was invalid because he was already married to another woman. Also of note is a document, witnessed by Henderson, in which Alexander Quarier and Thomas Holton bound themselves to the Overseers of the Poor for the future



care of a child that Holton fathered out of wedlock. The mother, Agnes Riddle, was identified as a spinster, and the document states that the child was “like to become chargeable to the Inhabitants of the said City.” Entries in the receipt book make occasional reference to Mrs. Lydia Henderson and Miss Elizabeth Henderson. f. Samuel S. Veacock, 1809-1813. Paschall Hollingsworth was a trustee for Samuel Veacock’s estate. Most of the records in this subseries are from the period shortly before and after Veacock’s death in 1811. An account current and a book of ships’ disbursements made by Veacock and Alexander Lucet provide a glimpse of Veacock’s work as a shipper, merchant, and sea captain. Included are references to freight and specie received for shipment, disbursements paid, porterage fees, wages, repairs to ships, and insurance payments. After Veacock’s death, Paschall Hollingsworth maintained these books and settled Veacock’s accounts. This subseries also includes Paschall Hollingsworth’s journal and ledger for the estate of Samuel Veacock. These volumes include accounts with individuals, insurance companies, and banks. Entries refer to taxes and rents paid, as well as outstanding debts for shipping costs. g. Miscellaneous, 1760-1849 Among the items included in this subseries is a ledger, 1764 to 1765, kept by George Peirce. It refers to sales of pepper, sugar, rum, iron, and other sundries. One entry notes the sale of a bag of raisins. Many simply refer to “merchandise” or exchanges of cash. A number of entries also refer to consignments, merchandise that was shipped or received, or payments to ships’ captains. Peirce’s relationship to the Hollingsworths is unclear, but there is an account for “Levy Hollinsworth” in Peirce’s ledger. Also included are two docket books, one belonging to T. Mitchell & Son and one belonging to Benjamin Mitchell. Thomas and Benjamin Mitchell were conveyancers, and their docket books list names of their clients, dates, and brief descriptions of the work they did for each customer – usually drawing up deeds and leases. The Mitchells’ relationship with the Hollingsworth family is unclear. Although there are no entries in the dockets for any member of the Hollingsworth family, an 1847 receipt from Thomas Mitchell to Henry Hollingsworth (Series 4) indicates that they were acquainted. There are a number of loose receipts and accounts pertaining to the firm of Molineux & Lundy, whose relationship to the Hollingsworths is not stated. Lastly, a 1760 memorandum book belonging to Eliga Jarman lists some of his accounts, many of which include references to flour. Jarman’s relationship to the Hollingsworths is not apparent.

Series 6. Miscellaneous, 1772-1818, n.d. (Box 374, vols. 567-570)



This series includes a few personal items belonging to members of the Hollingsworth family, including a personal memorandum of Levi Hollingsworth, his wife Hannah’s arithmetic book, and his son Paschall’s trigonometry book. Also included are a few pages of a journal belonging to an unidentified traveler, two 1818 tickets for the Grand State Lottery held “For the Promotion of Internal Navigation,” and a pamphlet entitled “Proper Method of Drawing Up,” which was produced for the Troop of Light Dragoons. Other items of a military nature include a roll book for MacPherson’s Blues and a table depicting the calibers of different types of guns and ammunition. Poetry includes a copy of Charles Dibdin’s poem, “The Heaving of the Lead,” and a poem entitled “To Solitude.” There are several advertisements for Philadelphia properties and broadsides concerning Pennsylvania businesses and professional organizations. One of these, posted in 1772 by the soap-boilers of Philadelphia, alerts “inhabitants of the city of Philadelphia, and parts adjacent” to the unauthorized gathering of ash by Mr. John Rhea and his associates. This practice, the broadside proclaims, “will greatly injure the valuable branch of our commerce of Soap-boiling,” and be deleterious to the families of the soap-boilers. Two undated documents, possibly written to the College of Physicians in 1798, chart the importation and spread of yellow fever in Philadelphia. The longer of these is a letter posing “a few questions to the learned gentlemen of the faculty and others, who at the present awful crisis are assigning causes for the Epidemick [sic] or Infectious Fever.” The author questions the popular hypothesis that yellow fever was linked to the poor conditions of Philadelphia’s streets and waterways, leading the city to quarantine cargo ships following the 1793 outbreak. This letter may have been written by Levi Hollingsworth, as it expresses Hollingsworth’s publicly-held view that yellow fever was imported, and not native to Philadelphia.



Separation report Transferred to James Wallace Papers (Collection 685):

Wallace & Co. Cashbook, 1814-1819. Transferred to the Charles Swift Riché Hildeburn Papers (Collection 286)

Charles Swift Riché Receipt/Memorandum Book, 1816-1822 Morris Family Papers

The papers and volumes concerning the Morris family and their businesses appear to have been mistakenly included in the Hollingsworth Family Papers when they were calendared by Works Progress Administration staff in the 1930s. These materials were separated during 2003 processing. These papers not only concern the firm of Morris, Tasker & Morris, which was mistakenly thought to be a continuation of the Levi Hollingsworth & Son flour business, but also include records of the firm Morris & Miercken, as well as other volumes pertaining to Samuel Morris, Luke Morris, Anthony Morris, Stephen Morris, and Henry Morris. Although the materials could have conceivably been given with the Hollingsworth papers because of their family relationship, it seems more likely that they were included by mistake.

Related materials At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Henderson-Wertmuller Papers, Collection 277. At other institutions: Levi Hollingsworth Papers, Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bibliography Buel, Richard, Jr. In Irons: Britain’s Naval Supremacy and the American Revolutionary

Economy. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Diener, Mary Alice Ferry. The Honorable Dorsey Pentecost, Esq. Fresno, Calif.: Pioneer

Publishing Co., 1978. Doerflinger, Thomas M. A Vigorous Spirit of Enterprise: Merchants and Economic Development

in Revolutionary Philadelphia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1986. Hunter, Brooke. “Rage for Grain: Flour Milling in the Mid-Atlantic, 1750-1815.” Ph.D.

diss., University of Delaware, 2002. Pernick, Martin S. “Politics, Parties, and Pestilence: Epidemic Yellow Fever in

Philadelphia and the Rise of the First Party System,” in A Melancholy Scene: The Public Response to the 1793 Yellow Fever Epidemic, J. Worth Estes and Billy G. Smith, eds. Canton, Mass.: Science History Publications for the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Library Company of Philadelphia, 1997.



Jamar, Mary Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth Family and Collateral Lines of Cooch-Gilpin-Jamar-Mackall-Morris-Stewart; Early History and Cecil County, Maryland Lines. Philadelphia: Historical Publication Society, 1944.

Schweitzer, Mary M. Custom and Contract: Household, Government, and the Economy in Colonial

America. New York: Columbia University Press, 1987.

Subjects Cholera – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 19th century Commission merchants – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 18th century Commission merchants – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 19th century Corn Laws – Great Britain Devaluation of currency – Pennsylvania – 18th century Embargo, 1807-1809 Flour industry – Pennsylvania Flour industry – Maryland Flour mills – Maryland –18th century Flour mills – Maryland –19th century Flour industry – United States Food adulteration and inspection – 18th century Freight and freightage – 18th century Freight and freightage – 19th century Grain trade – Middle Atlantic States – 18th century Grain trade – Middle Atlantic States – 19th century Inland water transportation – Middle Atlantic States – 18th century Inland water transportation – Middle Atlantic States – 19th century Land speculation – Pennsylvania – 18th century Land speculation – Pennsylvania – 19th century Land speculation – Virginia – 18th century Maryland – Commerce – 18th century Maryland – Commerce – 19th century Merchants – Maryland – 18th century Merchants – Maryland – 19th century Merchants – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 18th century Merchants – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 19th century Middle Atlantic States – Commerce – 18th century Middle Atlantic States – Commerce – 19th century Pennsylvania – Commerce – 18th century Pennsylvania – Commerce – 19th century Pennsylvania – Politics and government, 1775-1783 Pennsylvania – Politics and government, 1775-1865 Philadelphia (Pa.) – Economic conditions – 18th century Philadelphia (Pa.) – Economic conditions – 19th century Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 Shipment of goods – Middle Atlantic States – 18th century Shipment of goods – Middle Atlantic States – 19th century



Shipping accidents – 19th century United States – History – Revolution, 1775-1783 – Economic aspects United States – History – War of 1812 – Economic aspects Wheat trade – 18th century Wheat trade – 19th century Whiskey – 18th century Whiskey – 19th century Yellow Fever – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – 18th century Adams, George Adams, Maxwell Drinker, Henry, 1734-1809 Fenner, John H. Henderson, John Hollingsworth, Henry, 1781-1854 Hollingsworth, Jesse, 1732-1810 Hollingsworth, Levi, 1739-1824 Hollingsworth, Levi, 1765-1822 Hollingsworth, Lydia, 1770-1788 Hollingsworth, Paschall, 1773-1852 Hollingsworth, Stephen, 1749-1822 Hollingsworth, Zebulon, b. 1735 Hunter, George Johnson, Lain I. Johnson, Thomas P. Maxwell, Solomon Paschall, Stephen, 1714-1800 Peirce, George Pentecost, Dorsey, ca. 1739-1802 Quarier, Alexander Rudulph, Tobias Rudulph, Zebulon Townsend, Solomon, 1746-1811 Veacock, Samuel S., d. 1811

Adams & Hollingsworth Bolten, Ogden & Co. Cooch & Hollingsworth George Adams & Co. Hollingsworth & Fenner Hollingsworth & Hewitt Hollingsworth, Johnson & Co. Hollingsworth & Pentecost Hollingsworth & Rudulph Hollingsworth & Worthington Levi Hollingsworth & Son Samuel Hollingsworth & Son



Quarier & Hunter Thomas Jacob & Co.



Administrative Information

Restrictions The collection is open for research.

Acquisition information Provenance unknown. The following volumes (formerly part of Collection 474) were given by Herbert Morris on Nov. 23, 1935:

Paschall Hollingsworth, Trigonometry book (1788) Paschall Hollingsworth, Blotter No. 6 (June 1830 – Mar. 1832) Paschall Hollingsworth, Blotter No. 7 (Mar. 27, 1832 – Sept. 5, 1833) Paschall Hollingsworth, Blotter No. 8 (Sept. 1833 – Sept. 1834) Paschall Hollingsworth, Blotter No. 9 (Sept. 12, 1834 – Oct. 13, 1835) Paschall Hollingsworth, Blotter No. 11 (May 15, 1837 – Aug. 3, 1839) Paschall Hollingsworth, Cashbook A (Sept. 1825 – Mar. 1826) Paschall Hollingsworth, Cashbook No. 2 (Mar. 1826 – Nov. 1826) Paschall Hollingsworth, Cashbook No. 6 (Aug. 20, 1829 – Feb. 26, 1831) Paschall Hollingsworth, Cashbook No. 9 (Aug. 1834 – Jan. 1837) Paschall Hollingsworth, Bank book (Dec. 1825 – Oct. 2, 1830) Paschall Hollingsworth, Receipt book (Sept. 10, 1825 – Apr. 10, 1827)

Alternative format None.

Preferred citation Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Hollingsworth Family Papers (Collection 289), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Processing note Processing made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This collection was originally processed in the 1930s by Works Progress Administration staff. The finding aid that they created was largely based on statistics (i.e. how many letters, invoices, etc. appeared in a given year). With the exception of some limited background information, there was no description or subject access to the papers. There were, however, item-level calendars of the volumes, the legal papers, and some of the miscellaneous materials. A number of the descriptions in the calendars were incorrect or inadequate. The arrangement was kept largely intact during the 2003 processing, although the volumes were sorted and renumbered.



Mold was pervasive throughout much of this collection. Moldy materials have been cleaned. Several boxes of papers, most of which were fragments, had been so severely damaged by mold that they were no longer salvageable and were discarded.



Box and folder listing Series 1. Correspondence a. Incoming

Folder title Date Box Folder

Incoming correspondence June 1761 – Dec. 1765 1 1

Incoming correspondence Jan. – Apr. 1766 1 2

Incoming correspondence May 1766 1 3

Incoming correspondence June -July 1766 1 4

Incoming correspondence Aug. – Sept. 1766 1 5

Incoming correspondence Oct. 1766 1 6

Incoming correspondence Nov. – Dec. 1766 1 7


Incoming correspondence May – Aug. 1767 1 9

Incoming correspondence Sept. – Oct. 1767 1 10


Incoming correspondence Jan. – Feb. 1768 1 12

Incoming correspondence Mar. – Apr. 1768 1 13


Incoming correspondence June 1768 2 1

Incoming correspondence July – Aug. 1768 2 2

Incoming correspondence Sept. 1768 2 3



Incoming correspondence Jan. – Mar. 1769 2 6

Incoming correspondence Apr. 1769 2 7



Incoming correspondence July 1769 2 10

Incoming correspondence Aug. 1769 2 11




Incoming correspondence Mar. 1770 3 2








Incoming correspondence Nov. 1770 3 10

Incoming correspondence Dec. 1770 3 11






Incoming correspondence July – Aug. 1771 4 3




Incoming correspondence Mar. – Apr. 1772 4 7









Incoming correspondence Jan. 1773 5 4

Incoming correspondence Feb. 1773 5 5

















Incoming correspondence Aug. – Dec. 1774 6 11

Incoming correspondence 1775 6 12


Incoming correspondence Mar. 1-15, 1776 6 14










Incoming correspondence Oct. 1-8, 1776 7 8




Incoming correspondence Jan. – Mar. 1777 8 1


Incoming correspondence May – June 1777 8 3

Incoming correspondence July – Dec. 1777 8 4

Incoming correspondence Jan. –June. 1778 8 5

Incoming correspondence July 1-15, 1778 8 6

Incoming correspondence July16-30, 1778 8 7

Incoming correspondence Aug. 1-15, 1778 8 8


Incoming correspondence Sept. 1-15, 1778 8 10




Incoming correspondence Nov. 1-15, 1778 8 14















Incoming correspondence Jan. 1780 9 13

Incoming correspondence Feb. 1780 9 14



Incoming correspondence Apr. 1-15, 1780 10 3


Incoming correspondence May 1-16, 1780 10 5


Incoming correspondence June 1-15, 1780 10 7














Incoming correspondence Dec. 1-15, 1780 11 8


Incoming correspondence Jan. 1-15, 1781 11 10


Incoming correspondence Feb. 1-12, 1781 12 1































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