George Fox Papers 1660-1952

Ms. Coll. 862
ca. 200 items (2 boxes)

Table of contents

• Using links
• Links to images
• Summary of collection
• Arrangement and description of collection

Using links

In order to aid navigation within this finding aid, links have been provided at the beginning of each box description: to the table of contents, collection summary and to all other boxes in the collection .

Links to images

The following list brings together all of the image links found throughout this finding aid.

Box 1 Epistle to the King and Parliament from George Fox, 1661 (approximately 78K).

Box 2 This picture is said to be of George Fox's birthplace at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire (approximately 117K).

Summary of collection

Includes: Letters (ALS, ms. copies, facsimiles, photocopies), portraits, illustrations, articles, clippings, pamphlets and map. Includes autograph Epistle to the King (1660) and Epistle to King and Parliament (1661); ms. copies (some contemporary) of other Fox letters includes Epistle (1675) to Friends in America, letters (1679, 1683) to Peter Hendricks (1683 letter in hand of scribe, Mark Swanner), Epistles (1667, 1669) to Friends, and Epistle (1673) to Women's Meetings; also ms. copies of Sermon of 1680. Other ms. material includes a ms. copy of an undated Epistle apparently challenging all dissenting bodies to submit their claims to Quaker test, and fragments of Fox's handwriting including lines written in Hebrew. The bulk of the collection consists of portraits, photographs, illustrations, articles, clippings, pamphlets and a map concerning the life and times of George Fox. Topics covered include Fox's itinerary of his trip to America, the Dutch Bible Fox carried with him on his trip to Holland in 1677, pictures of places associated with Fox, birthplace, funeral and grave of Fox. Includes material from the George Fox tercentenary of 1924 (on the 300th anniversary of his birth).

Arrangement and description of collection

Contents of boxes follows:

Box 1

1. Epistle to the King (1660)
   ALS (gift, 1922)
   also:
   • 2 typed transcripts of text of above
   • ms. copy, photocopy and facsimiles of above letter
   • note re: provenance of letter
   • photograph of bust of G. Fox by Alfred Turner, Friends House London
2. Epistle, n.p., n.d.
   ms. copy
   (note in folder says apparently a challenge to all dissenting bodies to submit their claims to Quaker test)
3. Epistle to the King and Parliament from George Fox, 1661 (approximately 78K).
   ALS (purchased 1951)
   also:
   • article from the Bulletin of Friends Historical Association 40 (1951) on the letter
   • photo reproductions of the letter
   • typed transcript and notes re: letter
4. Epistle to Friends in America (1675)
   ms. copy (gift, 1958)
5. Letter (1682/3) to Peter Hendricks, London
   ms. in handwriting of a scribe, notes with letter indicate probably Mark Swanner (purchased 1947)
   also:
   • typed transcript of letter and photocopies of letter
   • notes re: provenance of letter
6. Lines written by George Fox, n.p., n.d.
   (original ms., apparently cut from a longer memorandum, this was removed from Elizabeth U. Willis scrapbook which was presented to the college in 1951 )
   also:
   • letter of Henry J. Cadbury to Miss Hewitt, May 2, 1938 re: G.F. ms.
   • typed notes re: G.F. ms.
7. Epistle (1656) to Parliament
   (photostatic copy-negative, gift, 1934)
8. Epistle (1667) to Friends
   (early ms. copy)
   also:
   • letter from Norman Thomas re: the above
   • notes on epistle say that it tells how the world has come to trust and respect the members of the Society of Friends (see p. 251 of G. Fox, Epistles, 1698 ed.)
9. Epistle (1669) to Friends
   (ms. copy)
   contains recommendations to Friends to preserve records of their testimonies and of deceased members. Note that this was published in G. Fox, Epistles, 1698 ed. as part of Epistle #264.
10. Letter to Peter Hendricks, dated Swarthmore, 5 mo. 1, 1679
    (ms. copy, gift )
11. Epistle (1673) to all the Women's Meetings dated Worcestor gaol, 11 mo. 2, 1673
    (ms. copy, gift, 1937)
    also:
    • typed transcript of a letter from William Smith, dated Nottingham Countie Gaole, 4 mo. 21, 1664 to GF re: a woman named Martha Plats and her interest in marrying Edward Langford
12. Sermon of 1680
    2 ms. copies
    • 1 ms. copy labeled on back "G. Fox's sermon at Wheler Street, 1/4 mo. 1680" and "Claude Gay's copy" with note that "found among George Dilwyn's papers by S. Emlen"
    • 1 ms. copy marked "exchange- 1937"
13. Handwriting of George Fox
    (original ms. - fragment)
    in envelope labeled "said to be the handwriting of George Fox. Given me by Eliza. Nicholson who vouches for it" and note that "Handwriting of George Fox. given to Samuel R. Shipley by Elizabeth Nicholson. Presented to Haverford College-1950"
14. Hebrew lines in the handwriting of George Fox
    (gift, April 1938)
    also:
    • photograph of above
15. Itinerary of George Fox
    (ca. 9 items)
    includes:
    • map, letters and notes on the travel itinerary of GF in America

Box 2

1. Portraits of George Fox
   (ca. 50 items)
   contains portraits and accompanying text (text dated 1942)
2. Notes, ALS (1914), photographs re: to history and provenance of Dutch Bible carried by George Fox on his trip to Holland in 1677 (gift)
   (ca. 9 items)
   also:
   • note that the Bible is stored in Philips Collection, bottom shelf.

   [Note: Bible has initials of Fox on back fly-leaf in hand of Mark Swanner and lacks title page. Notes in folder indicate Bible is a New Testament in Dutch and one of the many issues of "Staats - General" version, first published in 1637.]

3. Tercentenary of George Fox's birth, 1624-1924
   (ca. 25 items)
   includes pamphlets, clippings, articles (1924, 1952) re: above
4. Pictures of people and places connected with the life of George Fox
   (ca. 56 items)
   includes photographs, illustrations, drawing, letter, portraits of people associated with Fox)
5. This picture is said to be of George Fox's birthplace at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire (approximately 117K).
   (ca. 10 items)
   contains photographs, article (1924) and illustrations of birthplace of Fox
6. Funeral of George Fox
   (ca. 15 items)
   includes notes, ms. copies of letters re: to the death and funeral of George Fox, also printed broadside of will of George Fox with attack on same (1703), testimony of Robert Barrow, letter to John Airey
7. Grave of George Fox
   (ca. 6 items)
   contains photographs of grave of Fox

Return to: Table of contents

Contact Diana Franzusoff Peterson (dfpeters@haverford.edu or 610-896-1284) for more information about this collection. Please include the manuscript collection number in your request.

Return to Finding Aids