Silas Deane letters

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Collection Data

Description
Silas Deane (1737-1789) was an American lawyer and merchant, member of the Continental Congress from Connecticut, 1774-1776, and Congressional agent and diplomat in France, 1776-1778. Recalled in 1778 under controversial circumstances, Deane returned to Europe in 1780 as a private citizen and died in 1789 en route to America. Silas Deane letters, dated 1767-1785, are addressed to his stepchildren Sarah (Sally) Webb and Samuel Blachley Webb, and friends Thomas Mumford and Thomas Cushing, New England merchants and politicians. Letters to Sally in Boston, 1767-1769, mention her mother's illness and offer advice for Sally's education and self-improvement. His 1778 letter to Thomas Cushing in Boston asks him to assist Sally, now the widow of John Simpson, a Loyalist. Letters written at Philadelphia to Thomas Mumford in Connecticut, 1774-1775, tell of Congressional business and colonial disputes, his participation in the Secret Committee to obtain support from Europe, and the need to develop an American naval force. Deane's letter of July 16, 1785 at London to Samuel Blachley Webb gives a careful study of American commercial prospects and Great Britain's rising manufacturing economy. A letter dated March 7, 1779 addressing "my Dear Col[onel]," and referring to an exchange, may be addressed to Samuel Blachley Webb, at that time an American army colonel and prisoner of war.
Names
Deane, Silas, 1737-1789 (Creator)
Cushing, Thomas, 1725-1788 (Addressee)
Mumford, Thomas, 1728-1799 (Addressee)
Webb, Samuel Blachley, 1753-1807 (Addressee)
Webb, Sarah (Addressee)
Deane, Silas, 1737-1789 (Author)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1767 - 1785
Library locations
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Shelf locator: MssCol 4310
Topics
Deane, Silas, 1737-1789
Diplomats
Lawyers
Merchants
Politicians
Soldiers
Statesmen
Great Britain -- Commerce -- United States
New England -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
United States -- Commerce -- Great Britain
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783
Genres
Correspondence
Notes
Funding: Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from The Polonsky Foundation.
Physical Description
Extent: .1 linear feet 1 folder
Type of Resource
Text
Identifiers
MSS Unit ID: 4310
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19840587
Barcode: 33433095902809
Archives collections id: archives_collections_4310
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c480ee40-d4be-0132-8339-58d385a7b928
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