Guide to the Burd-Shippen Family Papers, 1717-1898 DAR.1966.01

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Burd-Shippen Family Papers
Creator
Burd family
Creator
Shippen family
Collection Number
DAR.1966.01
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Date
1717-1898
Abstract
The Burd and Shippen families were prominent lawyers, business owners, and public servants in eastern Pennsylvania during the colonial era. The Burd-Shippen papers contain personal and business correspondence, legal documents, business records, and manuscripts. Many of the legal documents and business records pertain to both Edward Burd and Edward Shippen's legal practices as well as their positions in Pennsylvania government. Digital reproductions are available online for contents in Series V.
Language
English .
Author
Angela Manella.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of the contents of Series V are available online.

Biography

The Shippen family traces their lineage back to Edward Shippen I (1639-1712), a Quaker who moved to Philadelphia from Boston in 1693. Edward Shippen I's great-great-grandson, Edward Shippen III (1703-1781), had three children: Edward Shippen IV (1729-1806), Sarah Shippen (1731-1784), and Joseph Shippen (1732-1810).

Edward Shippen IV, a wealthy and prominent lawyer in Philadelphia, held multiple public offices by royal appointment. He fathered six surviving children, including Elizabeth Shippen (1754-1828) and Margaret "Peggy" Shippen (1760-1804). During the American Revolution, Edward Shippen IV lost his appointments, yet managed to keep his family financially afloat by remaining politically neutral. Both of his daughters married American revolutionaries. Elizabeth married her cousin, Edward Burd (1751-1833), while her younger sister, Peggy, married Benedict Arnold.

Sarah Shippen married James Burd (1726-1793) in 1748. A Scotsman by birth, James Burd commanded Fort Augusta during the French and Indian War, rising to prominence afterwards as a merchant and colonial magistrate. Their son, Edward Burd (1750/51-1833), served as a major in the Revolutionary War. Following the war, he was prothonotoray and later justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Edward Burd was a friend and business associate to his uncle and father-in-law, Edward Shippen IV. Edward Burd wrote Neddie Burd's Reading Letter, a history of the Berks County bar.

Elizabeth Shippen and Edward Burd had one son, Edward Shippen Burd (1779-1848). He married watercolorist Eliza Howard Simms (1793-1860) and resided in Philadelphia, where he worked as an attorney specializing in property law. Edward Shippen Burd was also involved in real estate and business ventures, including the Philadelphia Arcade and the Philadelphia Ice Company. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and, with his wife, donated extensively to philanthropic projects, particularly St. Stephens Church and the Protestant Episcopal Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Burd-Shippens are related to the Hubley and Walker families. Edward Burd Hubley, (1792-1856) a lawyer from Reading, Pennsylvania, served the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congresses as a representative from Pennsylvania. He later became a canal commissioner of Pennsylvania and then a commissioner of Cherokee affairs.

Scope and Content Notes

The majority of the collection includes the personal correspondence and business records of Edward Burd and, his relative, Edward Shippen IV. The business papers include legal documents such as deeds and indentured servant lists, business records in the form of invoices and receipts, and correspondence concerning debts and legal matters. The papers also relate to members of the Burd and Shippen families such as Sarah Shippen Burd, Elizabeth Burd, Edward Shippen Burd, James Burd, and James Burd Hubley. The collection contains the papers of Lewis Burd Walker, an amateur historian and family genealogist. Included in Lewis Burd Walker's papers are transcriptions of the wills of Margaret Shippen Arnold and Benedict Arnold. Walker also provides transcriptions of letters written by Margaret Shippen Arnold to family and friends.

Arrangement

The papers have been arranged in five series, reflecting family and business correspondence of the Burds and Shippens, as well as general correspondence with and between extended family. A final series has been added for the papers of family genealogist and amateur historian Lewis Burd Walker, which relate to the Burd-Shippens.

Series I. Family Correspondence, 1777-1869

Series II. Burd Family Business Papers, 1774-1855

Series III. Shippen Family Business Papers, 1717-1842

Series IV. General Correspondence, 1730-1806

Series V. Lewis Burd Walker Papers, 1823-1898

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Custodial History

This collection was located in the Darlington Memorial Library in the University's Cathedral of Learning until 2007 when it was moved to the ULS Archives Service Center for processing, storage, preservation and service. However, it remains in the custodianship of the ULS Special Collections Department.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by the University of Pittsburgh from Emily Driscoll, a manuscript dealer, with Autographs and Manuscripts in New York City in 1966.

Previous Citation

Burd-Shippen Family Papers, 1717-1898, DAR.1966.01, Darlington Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Burd-Shippen Family Papers, 1717-1898, DAR.1966.01, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Crystal Hanna and Angela Manella in May 2006.

Copyright

No copyright restrictions.

Related Material

Burd-Shippen Papers, 1708-1792, B B892, American Philosophical Society.

Burd-Shippen Family Collection, 1715-1834, Manuscript group 30 Pennsylvania State Archives.

Burd Family Papers, 1703-1937, 379, University of Delaware, Special Collection Department.

Edward Shippen Burd, 1779-1848, MC 1999.10, Dickinson College, Archives and Special Collections.

Shippen Family Papers, 1750-1775, MG 375, New Jersey Historical Society.

Burd-Shippen Papers, 1750-1847, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan.

Bibliography

  • Klein, Randolph Shipley. Portrait of an Early American Family. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia: 1975.
  • Nixon, Lily Lee. James Burd, Frontier Defender. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia: 1941.
  • Burd, Edward. Neddie Burd's Reading Letter: An Epic of the Early Berks Bar. Berks County Bar Association, Reading, Pennsylvania: 1927.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pennsylvania. Supreme Court

    Personal Names

    • Shippen, Edward
    • Burd, Elizabeth Shippen
    • Burd, James
    • Burd, Sarah Shippen
    • Arnold, Margaret Shippen
    • Arnold, Benedict
    • Walker, Lewis Burd
    • Hubley, James Burd
    • Burd, Edward
    • Burd, Edward Shippen
    • Shippen, Edward

    Family Names

    • Walker family
    • Donaldson family
    • Hubley family
    • Burd family
    • Shippen family

    Geographic Names

    • Pennsylvania -- Genealogy
    • Shippensburg (Pa.) -- History
    • Philadelphia (Pa.) -- History
    • Harrisburg (Pa.) -- History
    • Carlisle (Pa.) -- History
    • Lancaster (Pa.) -- History
    • Pennsylvania -- Politics and government
    • Pennsylvania -- History

    Genres

    • Family papers
    • Correspondence

Container List