Logan family papers

The Logan family was a prominent Philadelphia family dating back to 1699, when James Logan, the family patriarch, arrived in Philadelphia to serve as the first secretary of the Pennsylvania colony. Through work in agriculture and politics, Logan and his descendants were intimately involved in the d...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Logan family (Creator)
Collection:Logan Family Papers
Collection Number:0379
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:Link to finding aid
Item Description: Processing Information: Incorporated into this collection is former Collection 380, Deborah Norris Logan diaries. They are in this collection as Volumes 28-44.
Physical Description: 35.0 Linear feet ; 65 boxes, 81 volumes, 12 flat files
Access: This collection is open for research use.
Summary: The Logan family was a prominent Philadelphia family dating back to 1699, when James Logan, the family patriarch, arrived in Philadelphia to serve as the first secretary of the Pennsylvania colony. Through work in agriculture and politics, Logan and his descendants were intimately involved in the development of the Pennsylvania colony and, later, the fledging United States. James Logan's prominence resulted in connections, both professional and familial, with other prominent colonial families, including the Norris and Dickinson families. The Logan family papers, 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872), documents James Logan’s personal and professional life, as well as that of several generations of his descendents. There are papers documenting the lives of his son William, his grandson George Logan, his great-grandsons Albanus Charles Logan and Algernon Sydney Logan, and the subsequent relationships with the Dickinson and Norris families. John Dickinson, who married one of James Logan's descendents, is well documented in this collection as are his activities with the Pennsylvania and Delaware governments and his legal practice. This collection is rich in the history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Delaware, the formation of the colony of Pennsylvania, the relationship of early colonials with the Native Americans, the bid for independence and the later formation of the United States of America. Included in the papers are correspondence, legal records, estate records, financial records, land and property records, diaries, and writings. Not only are prominent political figures (James Logan, George Logan, and John Dickinson) well documented in this collection, but women are also well documented, largely thanks to Deborah Norris Logan who kept a diary for most of her adult life. Her diaries and letters and those of some of her female relations reveal a glimpse into the lives of educated and prominent women in the Philadelphia area during the 18th and 19th centuries.