Historical Society of Pennsylvania Papers, PC.244
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania Papers
- Call Number
- PC.244
- Creator
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Date
- 1760-1888
- Extent
- 0.400 cubic feet
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Collection Overview
Photocopies of letters, resolutions, commissions, and other papers relating to North Carolina in the society's archives in Philadelphia. Revolutionary War papers are chiefly letters from John Armstrong, Waightstill Avery, Thomas Burke, Robert Burton, William L. Davidson, Robert Howe, Samuel Johnston, Allen Jones, Stephen Moore, John Sevier, and William Sharpe. Subjects include conduct of the war, prisoners at Charleston, Cherokees, and Continental Congress. A number of these letters (1777-1780, 1785-1786) are addressed to Gov. Richard Caswell, as are letters from Benjamin Hawkins and Congressman James White about the Cherokee treaty of 1785. Other letters are from William Blount to John Sevier (1797); Gov. Williams Hawkins about Chickasaws (1801); William R. Davie on slave conspiracy (1802); Rev. Francis Cummins in Georgia (1809), Rev. John Witherspoon in Hillsborough about freemasons and teaching of slaves (1818); John Stanly about prize goods (1814); William Gaston about Congress (1815); Joseph Caldwell seeking president for UNC (1815); Judge Henry Potter seeking Presbyterian pastor for Fayetteville (1824); Dr. John Beckwith to Elisha Mitchell about collecting minerals (1826); and Bishop John S. Ravenscroft (1829), James Bynum (1832), R. M. Saunders (1838), Rev. Drury Lacy, David L. Swain, Gov. Tod R. Caldwell, and D. H. Hill (1888). There are also personal and business letters relating to other prominent North Carolinians; a few land papers; an orderly book of the North Carolina Line (Feb. 7-June 26, 1777); affidavit (1781) by John Sitgreaves concerning appointment of General William Smallwood to replace Caswell as militia commander; Johnston Co. justice of the peace commissions (1808); sketch map of lower Cape Fear region (n.d.); and printed information about North Carolina, especially Rutherford Co., for prospective settlers (ca. 1795).