Rare Thomas Lynch JR Letter 1776 Charleston South Carolina

Letter written from Charleston, South Carolina to George Laurence Eaton, Esquire. In full: “I am happy to extend to you the enclosed letter on his Excellys. account. I shall explain to my Father the visit and the reason. With great esteem I have the honor to be your friend.” Reverse bears an address panel in Lynch’s hand to “George Laurence Eaton Esquire, Charleston,” with “The politeness of James Coggeshall, Esq,” written in the lower left of the address panel.

by Ole Erekson, Engraver, c1876 Library of Congress from USHISTORY.ORG Thomas Lynch JR (1749-1779) signer of the Deceleration of Independence was born in South Carolina to Thomas Lynch Sr and Elizabeth Hamilton Allston. Thomas received an education in England and graduated with honors at Cambridge. He studied law in London and then returned home in 1772. He was politically engaged as soon as he returned home, and was commissioned a company commander in the South Carolina regiment in 1775. Soon afterward he was elected to a seat in the Continental Congress. He fell ill shortly after signing the Declaration and retired from the Congress. At the close of 1776 he and his wife sailed for the West Indies. The ship disappeared and there is no record of his life after.

Elizabeth Hamilton Allston Lynch (1728-1750?) wife if Thomas Lynch SR. Daughter of Gov. R. F. William Allston and Esther LaBrosse.  Portrait of Artist: Jeremiah Thëus, 1716 - 1774From Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Gift of Barbara B. Millhouse Object # 
1972.2.1 Read more at Womenhistoryblog

Charles Francis Jenkins (17 December 1865 – 1951) was an American Quaker and historian. He was born in to Howard M. Jenkins and Mary Anna Atkinson. He owned this portrait of Thomas Lynch JR.

Charles Francis Jenkins autograph collection Thomas Lynch, Sr. (South Carolina) 1769 June 5   Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Charles F Jenkins Papers Swarthmore College Archives
More coming on this rare signature soon!

Civil War Dispatch Sent by Major General George B McClellan

Major General George B. McClellan

(1826-1885) Photo from Library of Congress

This interesting telegraph dispatch sent by Major General George B. McClellan, commanding the Union forces during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. This order was issued as the campaign had almost ended, in a humiliating Union defeat, as the aggressive Robert E. Lee emerged, and beat back the numerically superior but tactically timid McClellan. The order directs Major General Erasmus Keyes, who had earlier in the day been ordered to hold at Yorktown, to "send all you have of Rushes (sic) Cavalry by land to Ft. Monroe" at the base of the Peninsula. The cavalry in question was the 6th Regiment of Cavalry (70th PA Volunteers), the so-called "Rush's Lancers." Docketed on the reverse as a telegraph dispatch, with a content summary. A terrific, and very scarce, Civil War item. Wartime field orders of any sort are very hard to come by, as most were not retained. From Heritage Collectors Society

Pittsburgh Daily Post Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Friday, October 30, 1885

Quaker Teacher Esther Biddle Rhoads

1978 Detroit Free Press A year before her death.

A follow up post from The Early Quaker Lines

From the Wardwell and Biddle line Esther Biddle Rhoads (1896-1979) daughter of Edward Garrett Rhoads (1863-1926) and Margaret Ely Paxon (1871-1949) granddaughter of Jonathan Rhoads (1830-1914) and Rebecca Garrett (1830-1905) daughter of Thomas Garrett (1809-1888) and Francis Biddle (1803-1873)  (BIDDLE Lineage: John, Owen, John, John, William and Lydia) NOTE: William Biddle (1806-1887) married Elizabeth Cresson Garrett (1806-1881), brother of Thomas Garrett--which I will cover in another post

The Society of Friends records and research show that the RHOADS and GARRETT families were prominent members of the Quaker community as well. The GARRETT family famed Abolitionists, I posted some photos and newspaper clips below. 

Esther's Education: Bachelor of Science, Earlham College, 1921. Doctor of Humane Letters, Earlham College, 1960. Doctor of Laws, Drexel Institute of Technology, 1962.  

Esther was a teacher and the head of the Friends Girls' School in Tokyo for over 50 years. She was also of great importance in work with Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia and with the American Friends Service, to assist Japanese-Americans affected by the War Relocation Act. 

Obit Esther Biddle Rhoads

Esther's Gr Grandparents Thomas Garrett (1809-1888) and Francis Biddle (1803-1873)

Garrett Family: Rebecca Garrett (1830-1905) daughter of Thomas Garrett (1809-1888) and Francis Biddle (1803-1873) wife of mother Jonathan Rhodes. 

Esther's great grandfather, Thomas Garrett (1809-1888) husband of Francis Biddle (1803-1873) He was the son of Philip Garrett 1780-1851 and Rebecca Cresson.  Thomas was "Station Master On The Underground Railroad "

Garrett Family Tree Historical Society and Pennsylvania Archives

  

Esther Biddle Passport 1920

 

Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

1914 Jonathan Rhoads Obit, grandfather to Esther Biddle Rhoads

• Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives 
• Sketch of Owen Biddle, to which is Added A Short Account of the Parke Family, Together with a List of His Descendants
• Esther B. Rhoads papers, ca. 1895-ca. 1979 - Ms, Coll. 1153 - Haverford College Special Collections and her Papers https://library.haverford.edu/finding-aids/files/950-156.pdf and
• http://library.haverford.edu/file-id-890