Foulke Family Papers
Scope and Contents
The Foulke Family Papers contain correspondence, business and legal papers, surveys, genealogical notes, and memorabilia of the Foulke, Roberts, and Mather, and related families. Correspondents include Benjamin G. Foulke and his wife, Jane M. Foulke, his mother, Jane Mather, his brother, Caleb Foulke, the latter's brother, Thomas Foulke, Catharine P.ounty. Their gra Foulke, a Quaker minister, and Thomas Foulke of Gwynedd, Quaker educator. Of particular interest is a letter from Reubens Peale to Jane Roberts concerning silhouettes and correspondence between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, about the Hicksite controversy. Also include genealogical information on the descendants of Edward Foulke of Gwynedd.
The memorabilia covering 1703-1999, includes albums and material concerning the Gwynedd Boarding School as well Foulke Family Reunion files. Also included are papers relating to the Meeting of Ministers and Elders of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite) and its constituent quarterly meetings for the period 1820-1856 and papers from monthly meetings including Abington, Byberry, Gwynedd, Richland and Stroudsburg and papers concerning Richland Township, Pa., and its organizations.
Dates
- Creation: ca. 1654-1999 (bulk ca. 1750-1860)
Creator
- Foulke, Edward, 1651-1741. (Contributor, Person)
- Foulke, Joseph, 1786-1863 (Contributor, Person)
- Richland Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Contributor, Organization)
- Richland Lyceum (Bucks County, Pa. : Township) (Contributor, Organization)
- Gwynedd Boarding School (Gwynedd, Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
The Foulke family was a prominent Quaker family, descended from Edward Foulke (1651-1741) and Eleanor (Hugh) Foulke (d. 1733) who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1698. Their descendents married into the Roberts, Mather, Morris, and other Quaker families and were active in Quaker and Bucks County affairs.
Their oldest son, Thomas Foulke, was born in Wales and married Gwen Evans. Their great-grandson, Joseph Foulke (1786-1863), son of Hugh and Ann (Robert) Foulke, was a prominent Quaker minister and established the Gwynedd School, a private school for boys, and published "Friends Almanac." The School later was conducted by his sons, Daniel and Joseph Foulke, and nephew, Hugh, Jr.
Edward and Eleanor's son Hugh Foulke married Ann Williams at Gwynedd Monthly Meeting. Their son, Thomas Foulke (1724-1786) married Jane Roberts (1732-1822), and another son, John Foulke (1722/23-1787), who served on the Provincial Assembly, married Jane Roberts' sister, Mary Roberts.
Thomas and Jane's son was Everard Foulke (1755-1827) of Richland, a Justice of the Peace and commissioner of Bucks Cndson. Their grandson was Caleb Foulke (1783-1852), a farmer and surveyor in Richland Township and, later, Quakertown, Bucks County, Pa.
Caleb's distant cousin, Charles Foulke (descended from John and Mary (Roberts) Foulke was married to Catherine P. Edkins (1809-1890), a prominent minister in the Society of Friends.
Benjamin G. Foulke (1813-1888) was the son of Caleb and Jane (Green) Foulke of Richland, Pennsylvania. In 1838, he married Jane Mather (1817-1911) at Gwynedd Monthly Meeting. Benjamin served as clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite), and Jane was a prominent Quaker minister.
The Crow family apparently owned property in Richland, Bucks County, in the vicinity of the Foulke family. Many of the business papers apparently concern Caleb Foulke's work as a surveyor, and the Quaker meeting papers concern Benjamin Foulke's work with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
Extent
5 linear ft. (10 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Foulke family was a prominent Quaker family of Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, descended from Edward (1651-1741) and Eleanor (Hugh) Foulke (d. 1733) who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1698. Their descendents married into the Roberts, Mather, Morris, and other Quaker families and were active in Quaker and Bucks County affairs. The Foulke Family Papers contain correspondence, business and legal papers, surveys, genealogical notes, and memorabilia of the Foulke, Roberts, and Mather, and related families. Of particular interest is a letter from Reubens Peale to Jane Roberts concerning silhouettes and correspondence between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, about the Hicksite controversy.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into eight series:
- Biographical and genealogical
- Correspondence
- Writings
- Business papers
- Memorabilia
- Pictures
- Reference Material
- Foulke Family Reunion Papers
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession information:
Donor: Rebecca (Mrs. N. C.) Cregar, 1936-1941
Donor: Charles F. Jenkins, 1936-1941.
Donor: Eliza Ambler Foulke, 1975
Donor: Mary Rebecca Cregar, 1984
Donor: Foulke Family Reunion Committee, 1998; 98-056
Donor: Suzanne Foulke Judge, 1998; 98:056
Donor: Estate of Mary Rebecca Cregar, 2001; 2001-007
The collection was given by various descendents of the Foulke family. Rebecca (Foulke) Cregar was the granddaughter of Benjamin G. and Jane (Mather) Foulke, and she and her daughter, Mary Rebecca Cregar, gave most of the papers in the collection. Benjamin Foulke was the son of Caleb Foulke of Richland, Pa., and served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. According to the donors, Benjamin and Jane's daughter, Eleanor, collected much of the material. Charles F. Jenkins deposited the Joseph Foulke correspondence. Eliza Ambler Foulke and her husband, Thomas A. Foulke, were both descendents of Joseph Foulke of Gwynedd Boarding School and donated the marriage certificates. Suzanne Foulke Judge gave the materials concerning Lydia Austin Wilson, an Elder of clear Creek Monthly Meeting in Illinois.
Separated Materials
Materials catalogued separately:
Marriage certificates removed from the collection and individually cataloged and filed in oversize chart case, alphabetically under the surname of the groom:
- Benjamin Fell and Sarah Rawlings, 11mo 3, 1757, at Richland MM.
- Cadwallader Foulke and Ann Shoemaker, 11mo 27, 1810, Gwynedd MM.
- Solomon Cleaver and Lydia Shoemaker, 1Omo 6, 1819, Horsham MM.
- Benjamin G. Foulke and Jane Mather, 3mo 6, 1838, Gwynedd MM.
- Caleb Foulke and Ann Sharpless, 6mo 13, 1838, Sadsbury MM.
- Biddle Haines and Sarah Ballinger, 12mo 20, 1838, Evesham MM.
- Samuel Bullock and Jemima R. Wills, 4mo 27, 1841, Mt. Holly MM.
- Ellis Cleaver and Hannah Pugh, 4 mo 9, 1846, Gwynedd MM.
- Samuel Foulke and Ann Jones, 5mo 8, 1849, Gwynedd MM.
- Samuel R. Lippincott and Hannah B. Haines, 3mo 23, 1864, Evesham MM.
Quakers Records removed and placed in RG 2:
- Abington Monthly Meeting and Quarterly Meeting papers.
- Monthly Meeting Minutes, 1703-1710- removed, 1985, and placed with Abington MM records.
- Richland Monthly Meeting.
Miscellaneous papers, removed from this collection 1985, and placed with Meeting records. See Richland MM, Miscellaneous papers. Includes:
- Act of the Legislature to authorize the Trustees to sell certain real estate, 19 Feb. 1861 Brief history of the Monthly Meeting, including lists of Elders, Ministers, Clerks, and members disowned in 1779 for taking the Test of Allegiance.
- Anonymous letter complaining of "back-sliding" among the membership, n.d.
- Brief of title to Meeting House property and Foulke and Roberts lots surrounding it, n.d.
- Lists of subscribers, 1749, towards addition to the Meeting House, 1791-92 towards a wall for the graveyard, 1825 towards erecting carriage and horse sheds, 1861-62 towards building a Meeting House.
- Membership lists, 1809 and undated, members living at Williamsport.
- Richland Preparative Meeting membership lists, 1845, 1847, and about 1850.
- School committee papers, 1790-1823 (loose sheets).
- Petition to Bucks Co. Court of Quarter Sessions, Sept. 1840, asking that a road running through Meeting property be relocated to the property line.
Printed material: Items listed below were given with these papers, but have been cataloged and filed in FHL with other similar items.
- Epistles from London Yearly Meeting to Quarterly and Monthly Meetings of Friends in Great Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere...: (PG 1)
- 1784 - 2nd copy
- 1785 - new material
- 1786 - 2nd copy
- 1790 - 2nd copy
- 1792 - 2nd copy
- 1794 - new material
- 1821 - new material
- 1824 - 2nd copy
- 1791 - 2nd copy
- 1827 - new material
- Epistle from Genessee Yearly Meeting of Women Friends..., 1842, in PG 1
- 6th Annual Report of the Friends' Association of Philadelphia for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedman, SG 3,
- James Parnell, pub. by Tract Association of Friends, PG7, 2nd copy
- "An appeal to that Society of Friends which holds its Yearly Meeting at Cherry St.", 1857, PG 1.
- "Outline charts of Old Testament History and Religion" 1915, by Elizabeth W. Collings, A.M.
Other materials:
- Foulke Family Herald (family newsletter), 1991-1998, transferred to FHL Periodicals
- Cameo belonging to Lydia Austin Wilson transferred to Relics.
General
- Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks, by Clarence V. Roberts.
Processing Information
The collection was sorted and described before 1967. Marriage certificates, received in 1975, were catalogued as FHL Marriage Certificates (See material catalogued separately) and books were added to the FHL book collection. In 1985, the meeting records from Abington Monthly Meeting were transferred to RG 2, Abington MM, and miscellaneous papers from Richland Monthly Meeting were transferred to RG 2, Richland Monthly Meeting, Miscellaneous Papers. At the same time, the books of clippings in Series 7 were photocopied, and the originals which were in poor condition were removed. In 1988, papers relating to Foulke Family Reunions were added as a separate series, materials relating to Lydia Austin Wilson (1837-1909) given by Suzanne Foulke Judge were added to Series 6, and two letters dated 1796 from Theophilus Foulke to his wife, Hannah, were added to Series 2, Correspondence. Non-archival material was returned to the donor. Foulke Family Herald (family newsletter), 1991-1998, removed to FHL Periodicals. In 2001, a manuscript diary kept by Charles M. Foulke in 1859, included in a gift of Quaker and non-Quaker books from the Estate of Mary Rebecca Cregar, was added to Series 5, Memorabilia.
Subject
- Foulke family (Family)
- Mather family (Family)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Foulke Family Papers, ca. 1654-1999 [bulk ca. 1750-1860]
- Author
- SKM
- Date
- 2001
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
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