Description:

Penn William 1644 - 1718 William Penn sells 2000 acres to Enoch Flower, the first schoolmaster in Pennsylvania!

Partly-printed Document Signed, "Wm Penn," 1 page, 26.5" x 20.5" on parchment, [London,] September 24, 1681, completed in manuscript, an indenture for 2000 acres of land in Pennsylvania to Enoch Flower. Expected folds, light toning, else very good condition with a bold signature and pendant red wax seal affixed at bottom.

Enoch Flower (1635-1684) was born in Wiltshire to a barber and before his arrival in Pennsylvania had taught school for about twenty years. His 2000 acre purchase from Penn included a series of tracts scattered across Bucks and Chester counties together with some land in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties and a city lot in Philadelphia. On December 26, 1683, the Pennsylvania Provincial Council met for the first time and one of the first orders of business was to appoint Flower as school master for the colony [with period spelling retained without comment]: "The Govr and Provll Councill having taken into their Serious Consideration the great Necessity there is of a Scool Master for ye Instruction & Sober Education of Youth in the towne of Philadelphia, Sent for Enock flower, an Inhabitant of the said Towne, for twenty year past hath been exercised in that care and Imploymt in England, to him having Communicated their Minds, he Embraced it upon these following Termes: to Learne to read English 4 s by the Quarter, to Learne to read and wite 6 s by ye Quarter, to learne to read, Write and Cast accot 8 s by ye Quarter; for Boarding a Scholler, that is to say, dyet, Washing, Lodging, & Shooling, Tenn pounds for the whole year."

Flower died of an unknown sickness in September 1684, only half a year following his appointment. The colony made no effort to organize another school until 1689 under the care of George Keith. Flower's grand nephew, Enoch Flower (1707-1773) was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and a member of his famous "Junto." (Wheeler, "Enoch Flower," Bulletin of Friends' Historical Association. Autumn 1934, 23:52-59)

Provenance: Charles E. Sigety.

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