%eadnotat; ]> 5150with William Thornton Research Papers, 1673-1963 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2000 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, May 2002. ENG William Thornton Research Papers, 1673-1963 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2000 Descriptive Summary William Thornton Research Papers, 1673-1963 RG 5/150 Harriet Frorer Durham (d. 1991) 1 box; 0.25 linear ft. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399
Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728 This group of papers relating to the Thornton family, all copies, were made available to Harriet Frorer Durham, a Quaker writer who was working on a biography of Dr. William Thornton (1759-1828) of Philadelphia. William Thornton of England, Dr. Thorton's descendent, provided the papers. The collection contains genealogical material compiled for Dr. William Thornton and photocopies of business and legal papers (1673-1802). BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL

William Thornton (1759-1828), physician, architect, and government official, was born in Tortola and practiced medicine there briefly before moving to the United States. He was a birthright Quaker and strongly antislavery, concerned primarily with colonizing efforts for freed slaves. He was disowned after his 1790 marriage in Philadelphia. His best known buildings are the United States Capitol and Woodlawn Plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT

This group of papers relating to the Thornton family, copies and transcripts, were made available by William Thornton of England to Quaker writer, Harriet Frorer Durham, who was working on a biography Dr. William Thornton (1759-1828) of Tortola and the United States. William Thornton was a descendent of the Doctor. Durham was a graduate of Swarthmore College, Class 1945, active in social concerns, and wrote the book Caribbean Quakers (Dukane Press, 1972)..

 Arrangement

The collection is divided into four series:

Genealogical material Genealogical correspondence Business and financial papers Legal papers ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Accession information

Donor: Harriet Durham, 1971, 1974 (microfilm)

The collection was given by Harriet Durham who was researching Dr. William Thornton of Philadelphia and Tortola for a biography. His descendent, William Thornton of England, made available the material for her to photocopy.

 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], RG5/150, William Thornton Research Papers, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

 Processing information

When processed at FHL, the copies were stored in oversized drawers. In 1999 the collection was moved to conventional RG 5 storage. Microfilm of William Thornton Papers deposited in the Library of Congress and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, given by the same donor, are stored with microfilm.

The following materials, originally part of the collection, were recatalogued:

Film MS-T: William Thornton Papers in the Library of Congress (7 reels) Film MS-T: William Thornton. Letters and related papers in Historical Society of Pennsylvania (1 reel) Thornton family genealogical chart (Filed with Genealogical Charts) Related Material

See also:

PG 7 reference file on William Thornton. Includes an article by Harriet Durham. Film MS-T: William Thornton Papers in the Library of Congress (7 reels) Film MS-T: William Thornton. Letters and related papers in Historical Society of Pennsylvania (1 reel) SELECTED SEARCH TERMS Thornton, William, 1759-1828 Thornton family Quaker - Genealogies Durham, Harriet Frorer, d. 1991 Caribbean Quakers DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below:

 Ser. 1. Genealogical material Thornton family Ser. 2. Genealogical correspondence, 1961-1963 and n.d. Correspondence 1961-1963, n.d. Ser. 3. Business and financial papers Accounts 1 Bills 1 Inventories 1 Receipts 1 Proposal for Auction 1 Valuations, and estimate 1 Ser. 4. Legal papers Abstract of mortgage 1 Appointment and release 1

Reverse of document, shows signer of John Quincy Adams.

 Deeds, list of deeds 1 Instrument of guardianship 1 Leases 1 Opinion concerning trusteeship 1 Release 1 Wills (see separate folder labeled "Wills") 1