Skip to main content

Rodman-Rotch Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-132

Scope and Contents

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.

Dates

  • 1763-1865

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Rights Information

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

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.

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

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 an 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 miscellaneous 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:

  1. Journals, biographical and genealogical
  2. Family correspondence
  3. Quaker manuscripts

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donor: Mrs. Alfred Rodman Hussey, 1959, 1960

The collection was given by Mary Lincoln Warren Husssey, the widow of Alfred Rodman Hussey who was a descendent of Samuel and Elizabeth (Rotch) Rodman. His grandparents, Charles W. and Sarah R. Morgan became Unitarians after the "New Light" controversy in New Bedford Monthly Meeting. Alfred R. Hussey was a Unitarian minister.

Related Materials

See also:

  1. Account of the “New Light” Movement, 1823-1825. MSS 003/186, formerly part Alfred Hussey Manuscripts, MSS 030.
  2. Memorandum / written by William Rotch in 1814 in the eightieth year of his age. Falls Church, Va: Kimo Press, [1981?]

General

  1. Genealogy of the Rodman Family by Charles Henry Jones, Philadelphia, 1886.

Processing Information

Processed by FHL staff prior to 1967. Other related papers from the same donor were cataloged as Alfred Rodman Hussey Manuscripts, MSS 030. In 4/2014, the miscellaneous Quaker writings in the manuscript collection were united with the larger collection, added to Series. 3. The journals by Sarah R. Morgan and Jane Hoskins were added to MSS 003, FHL Journals. See Acc. file for list of items previously cataloged as MSS 030.

Title
An Inventory of the Rodman-Rotch Families Family Papers, 1738-1915
Author
FHL staff
Date
1960
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA