Collection ID: 4079363 MS#0132

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Bonsall Family
Abstract:
The papers of the Bonsall Family of Pennsylvania primarily consist of correspondence, personal and professional documents, journals, genealogical tables, photographs, and a family Bible. The majority of the letters, documents, and journals were generated by or for Edward H. Bonsall (1794-1879) and the members of his immediate family, particularly his eldest son, Spencer Bonsall (1816-1888). Also included are documents produced by or for other Bonsall family members, from Richard Bonsall who settled in Philadelphia with William Penn (ca. 1683) to Eleanor Crosby Martin Bonsall (1894-?), the daughter of William Martin Bonsall and granddaughter of Spencer Bonsall.
Extent:
2.5 linear feet and 6 document boxes, 1 oversized folder
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Bonsall Family Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Background

Scope and Content:

The Bonsall Family Papers primarily consist of correspondence, personal and professional documents, journals, genealogical tables, photographs, and a family Bible. The majority of the letters, documents, and journals were generated by or for Edward H. Bonsall (1794-1879) and the members of his immediate family, particularly his eldest son, Spencer Bonsall (1816-1888).

Biographical / Historical:

The Bonsall family traces its North American ancestry back to Richard Bonsall (d. 1699), who left England with William Penn around the year 1683 to settle in Pennsylvania. Over the course of their history, the Bonsalls remained devoted members of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers. Well into the nineteenth century, much of their correspondence retained the use of "thee" and "thou" that were characteristic of Quaker plain speech, while months and days usually appeared in numeric rather than named form (for example"1st month, 4th day= January 4") to disassociate them from pagan deities. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most of the Bonsalls continued to reside in the Delaware Valley, especially in the areas surrounding Philadelphia, Germantown, and Chester, but, as the country began to expand westward, others moved out to Ohio, Illinois, and Colorado. The Bonsall heirs were chiefly occupied by real estate, transportation, surveying, and the law, from which they seem to have derived a comfortable, if not extravagant, living. A great part of the material in the collection concerns Edward H. Bonsall (1794-1879) and his oldest son, Spencer Bonsall (1816-1888). The family of Spencer's wife, Ellen Crosby Martin, is also well represented.

Edward H. Bonsall (1794-1879): Edward H. Bonsall was born in 1794 to Isaac Bonsall (1765-1831) and Mercy Milhous (1768-1805) of Philadelphia. His career as a conveyancer engaged him in the founding of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, of which he eventually became president. In addition to being an avid writer of letters, speeches, and poems, Bonsall was an active member of several learned and charitable organizations, including the Philadelphia Literary Association and the Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. As revealed in a number of his writings, he also nurtured a lifelong interest in travel. His detailed travel notes record the history, surroundings, and landscape of various cities in Europe, Egypt, and a burgeoning industrial America. These accounts frequently incorporate records of his day-to-day travel arrangements and expenses.

Spencer Bonsall (1816-1888): Spencer Bonsall, the first son of Edward H. Bonsall and Lydia McIlvain (1795-1854), inherited his father's love for travel and history. He was educated at the Quaker Westtown Boarding School in Chester, Pennsylvania, where, as his correspondence reveals, he lived an active social life. After an apprenticeship to the druggist Samuel C. Sheppard, Spencer took a trip around the world, passing through Madeira, Portugal, and landing in Calcutta, India. In 1840, he returned to India where he secured a position with the Assam Tea Company. Upon his return to the United States eight years later, he became the principal surveyor for the city of Philadelphia, and shortly thereafter, in 1854, married Ellen Crosby Martin. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Spencer enlisted in the 81st Pennsylvania infantry as a hospital steward, where he served from 1861 until 1863 when he was slightly wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. From 1869 to 1883 he served as an assistant librarian and genealogist at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Acquisition information:
Source of acquisition--Robinson, Cedric L. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1952. Accession number--M-52.
Processing information:

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 04/06/89.

Papers Processed Meghan Constantinou, Pratt SILS, 2012 10/--/2010.

Finding aid Written Meghan Constantinou, Pratt SILS, 2012 11/--/2010.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in four series.

Accruals:

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This collection is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Bonsall Family Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th St.
New York, NY 10027, United States
CONTACT:
(212) 854-5590
rbml@library.columbia.edu