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John Meredith Read papers
The John Meredith Read papers span twenty-eight boxes. The bulk of the papers cover Read's career from the early to late 1800s, with a few items dating from before his birth and after his death. Such materials include papers from his father John Read and from his son John M. Read Jr. and his...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Collection: | John Meredith Read Papers |
| Collection Number: | 1668 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| Physical Description: |
11.0 Linear feet ; 28 boxes, 5 volumes |
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| Access: |
The collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
The John Meredith Read papers span twenty-eight boxes. The bulk of the papers cover Read's career from the early to late 1800s, with a few items dating from before his birth and after his death. Such materials include papers from his father John Read and from his son John M. Read Jr. and his own children. Though the collection highlights Read's public work in law and politics, details about his persona life can be gleaned from the letters of family and friends that are scattered throughout the boxes of correspondence.
Incoming correspondence in the collection primarily concerns court cases, estates, and business interests, and touches only occasionally on Read's political interests as a state Republican leader. There is some correspondence between Read and his first wife Priscilla dating from 1825 to 1831. Many of the letters from 1840 to 1874 are from other family members, chiefly his father John Read who wrote from Trenton of financial matters, and his son John Meredith Read, Jr., who wrote from school and later from his law office in Albany. A series of letters from Col. Charles H.T. Collis, dating from 1862 to 1864, covers Collis's court martial case and his observations on the progress of the Civil War. An 1846-1850 letter book (Volume 2) also relates to Read's general legal and financial matters. Read's several judicial appointments are documented additionally by court docket books, 1815-1840 (Volumes 3 and 4), which cover first the period of private practice and later his cases as U.S. district attorney for eastern Pennsylvania. More of his personal court docket books, dating from roughly 1859 to 1873, that he kept during his tenure as Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice can be found in Box 12. Read was an active member of the Masons, and a number of manuscripts in Box 11 relate to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, including a record and account book from 1825 to 1834. John Meredith Read (1794-1874) was a Philadelphia lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was a founding member of both the Free Soil and Republican parties. This collection of John Meredith Read's papers deals mostly with his legal career and covers his political career to a lesser extent. The collection spans Read life and includes some papers from his ancestors as well as his children. There is both business and personal correspondence, legal papers, financial records, estate papers, papers on the Masons, miscellaneous ephemera and printed matter, and volumes. |