[Letterbook of Jonathan Dickinson and James Logan, 1698-1701, 1731-1732, 1742-1742]

[Letterbook of Jonathan Dickinson and James Logan, 1698-1701, 1731-1732, 1742-1742]

Logan family papers [Volume 12]

Processing Information: The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project. This collection was minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder. Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article, More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.
Processing Information: Incorporated into this collection is former Collection 380, Deborah Norris Logan diaries. They are in this collection as Volumes 28-44.

The Logan family papers, 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872), document James Logan and several generations of his descendants including his son William, his grandson George Logan, and his great-grandsons Albanus Charles Logan and Algernon Sydney Logan. The collection also documents the Logan family's relationships with the Dickinson and Norris families. John Dickinson, who married James Logan's granddaughter, 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; and the bid for independence and the later formation of the United States of America. Included in the papers is 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 educated and prominent women in the Philadelphia area during the 18th and 19th centuries. This collection was acquired in two separate accessions and as such was originally processed into two large series. The first series, "Logan and Dickinson family papers," was acquired by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from the Logan family in 1840. The bulk of the material in this series consisted of bound volumes. Many of these volumes have since been disbound, but because catalog cards with item-level description exist at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the order of these volumes was maintained and no physical arrangement was performed during the 2011 processing of the collection. Researchers interested in item-level description should contact the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for information regarding visiting. For more detailed description of the contents of this series, please see notes located at the series and subseries levels. The second series, "Logan, Dickinson and Norris family papers," was purchased by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with money from the Gratz Fund in 1832. James Logan is not well represented in this series, nor are his sons William or George. Instead, the Logan family is best represented by Albanus Charles Logan and Algernon Sydney Logan. The bulk of the papers are assumed to relate to John Dickinson and his practice of law, although Dickinson's name is rarely connected to the documents and the handwriting is difficult to positively identify as his. Regardless, this series provides a detailed view into the practice of law in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and contains significant documentation of the properties and land of Pennsylvania and neighboring areas. For more detailed descriptions of this series, please see notes located at the series and subseries levels. Researchers are advised to examine both series in the collection as there is signficant overlap of topic, creator and type of record. Researchers interested in the Logan, Dickinson and Norris families should also plan a visit to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in order to examine extensive card catalog records which provide item-level cataloging of almost all the documents in the first series.
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.

Logan family.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

1698-1701

1731-1732

1742

English

Manuscript

0379