John J. Thompson, 1840-1868

Thompson, John J. 7 letters Oct. 30, 1840 to 11 mo. 27, 1874, addressed to John Thompson, Hitchin topics: -re: their common ancestor, Thomas Lawson -work of cousin Mary Roberts -family news -visit of cousin Thompson Neave in Phila. -penny postage system -slavery question, says "misunderstood in your country" and in this section "we are all decided abolitionists" -early legal efforts to abolish slavery in U.S. thwarted by English government -attitude of Southerners on slavery -comparison of conditions of enslaved people to those of miners and laborers in England -business conditions -financial crisis in U.S. -desirability of having N.E. boundary settled -Uncle George accepting appointment as warden of Eastern Penitentiary -European trip of Charles Neave -inability to find letters of ancestor Jonah Thompson -evils of British opium war -death of Jonah Thompson on "9th ult." (1861) -acknowledges receipt of Friends papers and photos of portraits of Wm. and Hannah Penn -William Tallack and his writings -expresses approval at Parliaments action in regard to Established Irish Church -reconstruction difficulties in the South -disappointment in President and failure to impeach -probability that Friends will support Grant in next election -Smith's Catalogue deficient in names of American Friends, a list of names omitted being prepared -changes in firm due to death of Isaac P. Morris -orders books -President Grant's plan to use Friends in managing Indians -Pacific RR and possibility of its bringing large numbers of Chinese people to east, Chinese labor better than Irish or German -regrets can't get daguerreotypes of Hannah and Wm. Penn for Penn­Logan correspondence being edited by Edward Armstrong -death of William Allinson, Dr. Henry Hartshorne (Haverford College) appointed in his place as editor of Friends Review -ill health of James Morris -re: prohibition movement -visit of Yardley Warner -R. Pearsall Smith left Society of Friends -death of James T. Morris (nephew) on 9 mo. 23, 1874 -visit of Robert P. and Hannah Smith to England -mention of John Jay Smith folder also includes: -circulars of May Collection of anti­slavery -material at Cornell University (1874) and of Port Richmond Iron Works (I.P. Morris & Co.) -acknowledgment of a contribution to May Collection at Cornell of anti­slavery material from John Thompson, giving list of books presented (1875) -newspaper clipping of obit. of JJT (May 26, 1875)