Marshall, Christopher, 1709-1797

Christopher Marshall was a druggist and merchant in Philadelphia, Pa. He was in business first as Christopher Marshall & Son and later as Christopher and Charles Marshall.

Christopher Marshall was born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 6, 1709. He was educated in England and sailed to America sometime in the late 1720s. By 1729, he had established a pharmacy shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Thompson (1702-1771) in 1736 and the couple had three surviving sons. A few years after Sarah's death, in 1774, he married again, this time to Abigail Fisher Cooper (1721-1782). His success as a pharmacist and chemist allowed him to retire from business in 1774, but he remained a vital public figure. In 1776, he became a delegate to the Philadelphia Provincial Council, and he was twice appointed to the Continental Committee of Council and Safety. His retirement afforded him the time to keep diaries of public and personal events. He wrote these "remembrances" almost daily from about 1774 to at least 1795. Marshall was a devout member of the Society of Friends, although he was eventually excommunicated from the Society. According to the minutes of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, in 1751, he was disowned by the Society for counterfeiting money. Later in life, he apparently supported the American cause for independence from the British. In 1777, Marshall relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to improve his health and avoid the British armies. After hostilities ceased, Marshall moved back to Philadelphia where he died on May 7, 1797.