The Parrish and Pemberton families were wealthy Quaker merchants living in Philadelphia during the 18th century. They shared a dedication to several benevolent causes, among them the abolition of slavery, improvement of relations with the Indians, penal reform, and the poor. This collection contains a selection of documents from and pertaining to both families. The Parrish documents focus on several noted family members, principally John Parrish (1728/29-1807), who was a Quaker minister active in promoting good relations with the Indians, and his nephew Dr. Joseph Parrish (1779-1840), a noted Philadelphia physician who was an outspoken abolitionist and crusader for penal reform. The Parrish family documents then follow Joseph Parrish’s sons Dillwyn Parrish (1809-1886), a prominent Philadelphia pharmacist who was also a dedicated abolitionist and crusader for racial equality, and his brother Samuel Parrish (1822-1872), who appears to be largely responsible for gathering much of the Parrish and Pemberton material. Volumes in the collection concern early Quaker settlement and religious concerns, “Visitations to the sick,” (1796) by philanthropist Ann Parrish (1760-1800), Parrish family genealogy, the political and moral writings of Dr. Joseph Parrish, “Sketches and recollections…” of John Cox (1755-1847), father-in-law to Dr. Joseph Parrish, collected source material of Quaker historian Robert Proud (1728-1813), and a slave narrative written by James Carter in 1807. The Pemberton documents focus primarily on brothers Israel Pemberton (1715-1779), James Pemberton (1723-1809) and John Pemberton (1727-1795) in their efforts toward abolition and the improvement of relations with indigenous peoples through the Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures during the Seven Years’ War.
