Gilpin, Joshua, 1765-1840.

Philadelphia businessman and canal promoter.

From the description of ALS : London, to Thomas Fisher, 1796 Feb. 22. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122442873

From the description of ALS : New Bedford, to Thomas Fisher, 1805 Sept. 22. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122442882

From the description of ALS : Wilmington, Del., to Thomas Fisher, 1793 Oct. 21. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122541875

Joshua Gilpin, a merchant and paper manufacturer, was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 8, 1765, the son of Thomas Gilpin (1728-1778), a merchant and flour miller. Gilpin established Delaware's first paper mill on the Brandywine Creek in 1787. Gilpin made two extensive tours of England and the Continent in 1795-1801 and 1811-1815, during which he examined many of the latest advances in technology. During the second trip he collected information that enabled his brother, Thomas, to produce the first continuous papermaking machine in America in 1817. It was set up in the Brandywine mill, which the Gilpins continued to operate until 1837.

From the description of Notes, n.d. [microform]. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122516461

Joshua Gilpin, a merchant and paper manufacturer, was born in Philadelphia on November 8, 1765, the son of Thomas Gilpin (1728-1778), a merchant and flour miller. Gilpin inherited his father's business and in 1787 established Delaware's first paper mill on the Brandywine Creek near Wilmington with his brother, Thomas, and his uncle, Miers Fisher. Joshua Gilpin made two extensive tours of England and the Continent in 1795-1801 and 1811-1815, during which he examined many of the latest advances in technology and machinery. During the second trip, he was able to examine the continuous papermaking machine of John Dickinson. His brother, Thomas, "invented" and patented a similar machine, the first of its kind in the U.S., in 1817. It was set up in the brothers' Brandywine Mill. Although successful, the Gilpins suffered from a shortage of capital and losses on other investments, and they sold the paper mill in 1837.

From the description of Notebook, 1800-1831 [microform]. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122458801

Joshua Gilpin was a paper manufacturer and merchant of Philadelphia, Pa., and Wilmington, Del. During an extended residence in England, he met Matthew Boulton, the celebrated Birmingham manufacturer and partner of James Watt. Gilpin continued to correspond with Boulton on matters relating to trade and technology after his return to America in 1801.

From the description of Letters to Matthew Boulton, 1798-1803 [typescripts]. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86134202

Joshua Gilpin, a merchant and paper manufacturer, was born in Philadelphia on November 1, 1765, and died on August 24, 1841.

From his father, Thomas Gilpin (1728-1778), he inherited flour mills in Maryland and Delaware, and a mercantile business in Philadelphia. In 1787 he established the first paper mill in Delaware near Wilmington in partnership with his brother, Thomas (1776-1853), and uncle, Miers Fisher.

Joshua Gilpin made an extended trip abroad in 1795-1801. Most of the time he stayed in England with a distant relative, the Rev. William Gilpin. He made an excursion to Ireland in 1796 and, after the French Revolution abated, toured the Low Countries, France and Switzerland. Gilpin followed the standard itinerary of the Grand Tour but also investigated agriculture, canals, roads, and manufacturing industries. Gilpin's English connections permitted him to visit all of the classic sites of the Industrial Revolution. Gilpin made a second trip to England in 1811-1815, being stranded there during the War of 1812. On this second visit he collected information on the newly-developed continuous papermaking machines, which permitted his brother to produce and patent the first such device in the United States in 1817.

The Gilpins gave up their mercantile business in 1817 to concentrate on papermaking. Although successful, they suffered from a shortage of capital compounded by losses on other investments. They sold the paper mill in 1837. In his later years, Joshua Gilpin lived in the style of an English country gentleman at his home, "Kentmere," near Wilmington.

From the description of Journals and notebooks, 1790-1833 [microform]. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122503459