Roman family

The families in this collection are all related by the marriage of Marianne Smith to Dr. Stephen Harris on April 14, 1833. Marianne’s father, Joseph Smith, was an iron and shipping merchant in Philadelphia, and her mother was Mary Frazer, daughter of Colonel Persifor Frazer and Mary Worrilow Taylor. Marianne’s brother was Persifor Frazer Smith, the lawyer. More information on the individuals represented in this collection is included in the introductory material to each family’s papers.

Both sides of the lineage represented in this collection immigrated to Pennsylvania because of religious persecution in England and Ireland. As Presbyterians and Quakers, they no longer wished to live under a series of laws which forced non-Anglicans out of public office, schools and the church as well as prohibiting meetings for non-Anglican worship. These newcomers contributed to the establishment of the government and religious expression in early Chester County.

The documents provide a broad picture of early Chester County and its residents as they interacted with each other at home and in Philadelphia through business, religious, and social transactions. Included in the collection are letters from James Logan (William Penn’s secretary); a broadside by Andrew Bradford, a Philadelphia printer; and a real estate document signed by David Lloyd, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.