Albertson family papers

The Albertson family papers consist of 1.2 linear feet of material related to this Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania family. The collection spans the dates 1774-1889, and the bulk of the material dates between 1800-1862. The collection includes a variety of correspondence, promissory notes, receipts, account books, ledgers, checks, composition books, reports, contracts, and notes.

The collection provides a detailed description of the lives of the Albertson family, especially emphasizing the family's finances. It also provides valuable historical information on the Friends Meeting House at Plymouth, local economy and businesses, and the Plymouth Railroad.

Material pertaining to Jacob Albertson consists of autograph documents detailing his financial affairs. Included are numerous bonds to a variety of individuals, receipts of payments, a document of purchase for land from Joseph Potts, a settlement of the Susan Albertson estate, an inventory of Jacob Albertson's goods, a tax notice, and a declaration of the dissolution of Albertson's partnership with his son, Josiah.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and documents pertaining to Josiah Albertson, Jacob's son. Personal letters are primarily from family members, including his mother Mary, his sister Hannah, and his brothers Jacob and Benjamin. Business correspondence (concerning the limestone business and the Plymouth Railroad) is to and from a variety of individuals in the Plymouth Meeting area. Also included in the Josiah Albertson series are numerous financial documents such as receipts, bills of sale, militia fines, bonds, promissory notes, lists of accounts, checks, accounts and legal documents concerning the Plymouth Railroad, articles of agreement, subpoenas, tax notices, and contracts. The Josiah Albertson material also includes several account and receipt books, as well as a composition book for 1801-1802.

Material related to Alice Albertson consists of personal correspondence from friends and family, her butter account books for 1831 and 1839, and numerous bills and receipts related to her butter business.

The collection also includes correspondence and documents related to Josiah's brothers, Benjamin and Jacob; his children, Samuel, Hannah, William, and Joseph; as well as Rachel and Charles Albertson. A composition book dated 1805 and belonging to Jacob Albertson is included in this material.

A variety of documents related to the Friends Meeting House in Plymouth are also found in this collection. The items include an account book, a treasurer's report, notes on the 1782 annual meeting, a report of the Committee on the Subject of Spirituous Liquors, and a letter of complaint against Samuel Maulsby.

Finally, the collection contains a number of receipts, bills, documents, poems, and trigonometry problems related to unidentified persons. Other miscellaneous items include the account book of farmer Hugh L. Tyler and two items of particular interest. "The Testimony of the Death of Hannah Hill" (1774) is a record of the last illness and death of a young woman as witnessed by her friends and relations. An undated and incomplete morality play includes a fascinating dialogue between a blind man and Death.