Description:

Charles Biddle
Baltimore, MD, June 21, 1780
Charles Biddle ALS Re: Enemy Privateers, "it would be best to remove the Negroes"
ALS
Revolutionary War. Charles Biddle. Autograph Letter Signed, "Chas. Biddle", 1p, on bifold stationery measuring 6.25" x 7.75", Baltimore, Maryland, June 21, 1780. Integral address leaf at verso addressed to Owen Biddle Esquire of Philadelphia. Blank inner pages. Docketing at verso. Expected transmittal folds and creases. Opening tear from intact wax seal. Faint ink ghosting. Toning, scattered spotting, and light soiling. In very good plus condition.

The letter reads: "I return you my sincere thanks for your care of Larkey Sheppard the goods & c. he brought with him. We where [sic] so much expos'd to the Enemies Privateers that I thought it would be best to remove the Negroes. I expect to have the pleasure of seeing you in Philada. by next Sunday week. My comps. to cousin Sully & Family."

The Biddle family was one the First Families of Philadelphia, descended from English immigrants who arrived in the Province of New Jersey in 1681. Quakers, they had emigrated, in part, to escape religious persecution. The Biddles were a wealthy and prominent clan in Philadelphia's early years. They were involved with the city's financial, legal, and mercantile affairs and were also patriots with extensive military careers. Charles was a descendant of the branch of William Biddle, 3rd (1698-1756) and Mary Scull (1709-1789); Owen was a descendant of the branch of John Biddle (1707-1789) and Sarah Owen (1711-1773).

Charles Biddle (1745-1821) was a Pennsylvania statesman. During the Revolutionary War, he was a captain in the merchant service and participated in the work around of the British fleet's blockade of American ports. He volunteered in the Quaker Light Infantry and in 1778, he served under his brother, Commodore Nicholas Biddle (1750-1778), aboard the USS Randolph. Biddle served as Vice President of Pennsylvania from 1785-1787 under John Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin, and he hosted George Washington.

Owen Biddle Sr. (1737-1799) was a clockmaker and watchmaker by trade and a merchant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An astronomer and scientist, Biddle was an early and active member of the American Philosophical Society. A patriot in the American Revolutionary War, Biddle was appointed Deputy Commissary General of Forage with the rank of Colonel by the Continental Congress in 1777.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.25" x 7.75"
  • Medium: ALS

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