%eadnotat; ]> 5132roro An Inventory of the Rodman-Rotch Families Family Papers, 1763-1865 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 1960 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000. ENG Rodman-Rotch Families Family Papers, 1763-1865 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 1960 Descriptive Summary Family Papers, 1763-1865 RG 5/132 Rodman-Rotch Families 1 box; 0.5 linear ft. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog The Rodman and Rotch families were New England Quakers. Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) married Elizabeth Rotch (1757-1856) in 1780. He was a successful Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts, whaling merchant and clerk of New England Yearly Meeting. Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, also from a family involved in the whaling business, and active in philanthropic and reform causes. They had nine children. The Rodmans and Rotches were closely intertwined by marriage; three of the Rodman siblings married three of the Rotch siblings. The families also had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. The collection contains chiefly personal correspondence (1763-1865) of the extended Rodman and Rotch families, along with travel journals (1805, 1807, 1809) and a manuscript copy of the autobiographical memoir of William Rotch (1734-1828), the father of Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, and some related material. The families had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. Some of the letters have been transcribed into typed copies. There are also a small number of Quaker manuscripts, including accounts of Priscilla Cadwallader's sermon delivered at Newport, R.I., in 1824; Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or Testimony in 1749; and Robert Barrow's testimony at the funeral of George Fox.

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728

 BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL

The Rodman and Rotch families were New England Quakers. Samuel Rodman (1753-1835) married Elizabeth Rotch (1757-1856) in 1780. He was a successful Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass., whaling merchant and clerk of New England Yearly Meeting. Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, also from a family involved in the whaling business, and active in philanthropic and reform causes. They had nine children. The Rodmans and Rotches were closely intertwined by marriage; three of the Rodman siblings married three of the Rotch siblings. The families also had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families and were related to the Fisher, Waln, Morgan, Hussey and other families.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection contains chiefly personal correspondence (1763-1865) of the extended Rodman and Rotch families, along with travel journals (1805, 1807, 1809) and a manuscript copy of the autobiographical memoir of William Rotch (1734-1828), the father of Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, and some related material. The families had links to Philadelphia and English mercantile families. Some of the letters have been transcribed into typed copies. There are also a small number of Quaker manuscripts, including accounts of Priscilla Cadwallader's sermon delivered at Newport, R.I., in 1824; Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or Testimony in 1749; and Robert Barrow's testimony at the funeral of George Fox.

 Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

Biographical and genealogical Family correspondence Quaker manuscripts ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Donor: Mrs. Alfred Rodman Hussey, 1960

The collection was given by the widow of Alfred Rodman Hussey, a descendent of Samuel and Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman.

 Access

Collection is open for research.

 Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

 Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], Rodman-Rotch Family Papers, RG 5/132, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

 Processing information

Processed by FHL staff prior to 1967.

 Bibliography Genealogy of the Rodman Family by Charles Henry Jones, Philadelphia, 1886. Related Material

See also:

Alfred Rodman Hussey Collection, items including Journal about the “New Light” Movement, 1823-1825. MSS 030 Memorandum / written by William Rotch in 1814 in the eightieth year of his age. Falls Church, Va: Kimo Press, [1981?] SELECTED SEARCH TERMS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

Rodman family Rotch family Quakers - Social life and customs Whaling Quakers - New England - Nantucket, Mass. Quakers - New England - New Bedford, Mass. Rodman, Elizabeth Rotch, 1757-1856 Rotch, William, 1734-1828 Rodman, Samuel, 1753-1835 Nantucket (Mass.) -- History Society of Friends -- Massachusetts -- Nantucket Barrow, Robert, d. 1697 - The testimony of Robert Barrow, 11 month 16, 1691, at George Fox's burial, where were supposed to be four thousand Friends, besides other people. Cadwallader, Priscilla, 1786-1859 - A Sketch of Priscilla Hunt's discourse delivered at New Bedford April 25th 1824. Spavold, Samuel - Sam'l Spavold's Prophesy or Testimony, which he gave forth at Sauterforth the 3rd of the 10 mo. 1749. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS Ser. 1. Biographical and genealogical, 1803-1809, n.d. Journals [Rodman, Eliza?] Phila. 1803 1 [Rodman, Eliza?] 1805 1

Includes visit to Stafford Springs, Conn. and visit to Shakers.

 [Rodman, Eliza?] 1807 1

Includes visit to Boston, Plymoth, and Sandwich.

 Rotch, Joseph: “Journal of a Southern Tour” 1809 1 Rotch, William: "An autobiographical Memoir of William Rotch written in the eightieth year of his age" 1 Ms. copy Genealogical material, dealing with ancestors of Julia W. Rodman Material on Rotch, Starbuck, Rodman, Prior, Haydock 1 Chart of Robert & Susanna Heath's family 1 Chart of Tristram Coffin descendants 1 Memo of Mary Prior to her children 1 Memorial for Mary Prior 1 An exile from Home: Elizabeth Rotch. 1

An address by Alfred Rodman Hussey

 Newspaper clippings 1 Ser. 2. Family Correspondence, 1763-1915 Dean and Lydia Rotch (1770-1822) on death of Mother Rodman 1798 2mo. 27 Dean and Lydia Rotch on death of Thomas Rodman 1809 5mo. 14 1 Fisher, Hannah Rodman (1764-1819) correspondence 1781-1819 1

Includes 1 letter by Samuel Fisher on death of Hannah.

 Fisher, Mary Rodman (1781-1813) correspondence from Wakefield, [Mass.] 1807-1812 1 Hazard, Anna Rodman (1761-1845) correspondence 1786-1837 1 Robeson, Anna Rodman (1787-1848) correspondence 1809-1839 1 Rodman, Benjamin (1794-1876) correspondence 1811-1857 1

Includes “Salutatory oration pronounced before the trustees of the “Friends Academy”, New Bedford “...being the second anniversary of the establishment of the Institution...” 5/21/1813.

 Rodman, Mary Borden (1729-1798) correspondence 1781-1794 1 Rodman, Samuel (1753-1835) correspondence 1782-1819 1

Mostly to his wife, Elizabeth Rotch Rodman.

 Rodman, Samuel, Jr. (1792-1876) correspondence 1809-1865 1

Also typed extracts of letters written to S.R., Jr. while at school.

 Rodman, Sarah (1764-1793) correspondence 1787-1793 1 Rodman, William Rotch (1786-1855) correspondence 1811-1836 1

Mostly concerning business.

 Rotch, Benjamin (1762-1839) correspondence 1768-1836 1 Rotch, Charity Rodman (1766-1834) correspondence 1791-1823 1 2 typed copies Rotch, Elizabeth Barker (1764-858) correspondence [1790]-1855 1

Written from Dunkirk, Islington, Milford, Lowlands.

 Rotch, Elizabeth Rodman (1759-1828) 1779-1781 1 Rotch, Mary (1777-1848) 1790-1813 1

Also includes copy of Epistle from New England Y.M. (Women) to Philadelphia YM (Women) 1817, Mary Rotch, clerk.

 Rotch, William (1734-1828) 1785-1813 1 Rotch, William, Jr. (1759-1850) 1779-1842 1 Miscellaneous correspondence 1763-1830

Filed chronologically.

 Bowne, Hannah to Elizabeth Rodman [1805?] 12mo. 10, 1806 3mo. 10 1 Emlen, Susannah to Hannah Prior 11 7mo. 12, 1815 1mo. 1. 1819 2mo. 14 1 Fillers, Felix 1809-1815 3 ALsS 1 Fisher, William L. to Samuel Rodman, Jr. 1814 3mo. 1 1 Haydock, Hannah and/or Henry 1

[Attached to letter by Eleanor Moode(?)]

 Haydock, Mary to Samuel Emlen 1791 7mo. 6 1 Moode(?), Eleanor 1763 5mo. 31 1 Newhall, Mary-Lynn, Troy 1817 6mo. 26, 1827 3mo. 25 1

To Samuel & Elizabeth Rodman re religious controversy.

 Rodman, Eliza to Rodman, Samuel, Philadelphia, 1811 1mo. 11 1 Rodman, H.H. to Elizabeth Rodman 1820 5mo. 20 1 Rodman, Julia, Correspondence on meteorological records 1915 1

Includes Rodman, T.P. to Harriet Amanda Holt, 1830 1mo. 24

 Shober, Samuel L. to Charles --, Philadelphia, 1820 12mo. 27 1

A theological discussion.

 Ser. 3. Quaker Manuscripts, 1691-1824 Fothergill, Samuel, testimony 1 Hints for my Government externally & internally (Rules of Conduct) 1 Lines on the Death of -- by M.W.C. to Miss Lydia Rodman 1 Mary Newhall's testimony at Rochester 1818 1mo. 4 1 Mrs. Mary Newell (?) 1 [Pine Street Meeting] Account of a sermon by M.M. n.d. 1 Samuel Spavold's Prophesy or testimony at Sauterforth "the 3d of ye 10th mo 1749" 1 A Sketch of Priscilla Hunt's Discourse Delivered at New Bedford 5/15/1824. 1

Cadwallader Priscilla 1786 1859)

 The testimony of Robert Barrow 1691 11mo. 16 at George Fox's burial 1