Browse Items (11130 total)
Reinhard, John
Description:
John Reinhard was a master builder who became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company on the eve of the Revolution and of The Carpenters' Company after the two organizations of master carpenters united in 1786. He was an "encourager" of the…
Member number:
133*
Date elected:
1/16/1786
Mosley, Richard
Description:
Richard Mosley was a master builder who served his apprenticeship with Benjamin Worrell, gaining his freedom in 1774. Shortly thereafter he joined the Friendship Carpenters' Company; and when that company joined with The Carpenters' Company in 1786,…
Member number:
132*
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Morrell, Robert
Description:
Robert Morrell was a master builder who joined the Friendship Carpenters' Company c.1773; and when that company merged with The Carpenters' Company in 1786, he signed the articles. In 1805, a carpenter named Robert Morrell is listed as residing at…
Member number:
131*
Birth date:
1/1/1752
Date elected:
1/16/1786
Stevenson, Sr., William
Description:
The master builder William Stevenson, Sr., was elected to the Friendship Carpenters' Company on the eve of the Revolution. He joined The Carpenters' Company when the two organizations of master carpenters united in 1786. In 1789 he inventoried the…
Member number:
130*
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Keen, Matthias Valentine
Description:
Matthias Valentine Keen was a master builder who became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769 and a member of The Carpenters' Company when those two organizations joined in 1786. Nothing is known of Keen's architectural work, but he…
Member number:
129*
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Pancoast, Samuel S.
Description:
Samuel Pancoast was a master builder who became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769 and signed the Articles of The Carpenters' Company in 1786 when the two organizations joined. He served on several Company committees and is…
Member number:
128*
Birth date:
12/29/17??
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Jones, Isaac
Description:
Isaac Jones was the brother of Abraham Jones, and a master builder elected to the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769. He was an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the…
Member number:
127*
Birth date:
1/1/1744
Date elected:
1/16/1786
Garrigues, William
Description:
William Garrigues was a prosperous master builder. A founder of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769, he negotiated the ill-fated efforts to unite the two companies of master carpenters on the eve of the Revolution. He was an "encourager" of…
Member number:
126*
Birth date:
7/23/1746
Date elected:
1/16/1786
Roberts, Hugh
Description:
Master builder Hugh Roberts--occasionally "Jr." to avoid confusion with the Hugh Roberts, 1703-1786, who owned the large house built at Point no Point in 1767 and belonged to the American Philosophical Society -- became a member of the Friendship…
Member number:
125*
Date elected:
1/16/1786
Wetherill, Joseph
Description:
The master builder, lumber merchant, and Philadelphia Inspector of Lumber, Joseph Wetherill, was the son of Christopher and Mary (Stockton) Wetherill. In 1764 he married Anna Canby of Solebury Township, Bucks County, PA, in the Philadelphia Monthly…
Member number:
124*
Birth date:
7/10/1740
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Evans, Robert
Description:
Robert Evans was a Master Builder who first joined the Journeymen Carpenters' Company, then became a member of the Friendship Carpenters Company in 1769; and, when the Friendship Company merged with The Carpenters' Company in 1786, he became an…
Member number:
123*
Birth date:
1/1/1738
Date elected:
1/1/1786
Cooper, John
Description:
John Cooper was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785. John Cooper was proposed for the Carpenters’ Company by John King. It is certain that a carpenter named John Cooper lived at 133 Pine street from 1791 until his death in the…
Member number:
122*
Date elected:
1/7/1785
Harrison, John
Description:
The master builder John Harrison (III), whose relationship to the other Harrisons is unclear, was living in Mulberry Ward at the time of the 1774 tax. Two years later (January 26, 1776), John Thornhill reported "that John Harrison is Desirous of…
Member number:
121*
Date elected:
1/6/1785
Rodes, Mark
Description:
Mark Rodes was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785. He may be the Mark Rodes who was a seargent in John Jordan's company of the Artillery Artificers, 1778-1780.Biography from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project…
Member number:
120*
Date elected:
1/5/1785
Rugan, John
Description:
John Rugan was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785. His other memberships include the Library Company and the Columbia Fire Company. Biography fromPhiladelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of…
Member number:
119*
Date elected:
1/4/1785
Donahue, John
Description:
John Donahue was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785 and excluded in 1790. He was an "encourager" to Abraham Swan, The British Architect (Philadelphia, R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775). Biography from Philadelphia Architects and…
Member number:
113*
Date elected:
1/3/1785
Bartling, Conrad
Description:
Conrad Bartling was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785. He became a Warden of The Company in 1791. Biography fromPhiladelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.Written by Roger W. Moss.
Member number:
112*
Date elected:
1/2/1785
Boyd, Andrew
Description:
Andrew Boyd was a master builder who signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company in 1785. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
Member number:
110*
Date elected:
1/1/1785
Moore, William
Description:
William Moore, an unfortunately common name in late eighteenth-century Philadelphia, was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1784 and by 1790 marked in The Company records as excluded, probably for failure to pay dues. In 1770 he witnessed the will…
Member number:
111*
Date elected:
1/3/1784
King, John
Description:
The master builder John King became a paying student of Thomas Nevell in 1766. Nevell recorded in his account book on 12 March 1766, that King paid him two pounds "to Instructions in the Art of Drawing Sundry Propositions in Architecture." King next…
Member number:
109*
Date elected:
1/2/1784
Rakestraw, Jr., Joseph
Description:
Joseph, Jr., the third Philadelphia master builder of this name, styled himself "junior" to avoid confusion with his uncle (Joseph Rakestraw, d.1794). He is listed as an "encourager" to the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect…
Member number:
107*
Birth date:
1/1/1750
Date elected:
1/1/1784
Thornhill, Jr., Joseph
Description:
The master builder Joseph Thornhill was the son of John and Jane (Cook) Thornhill. During the Revolution he served as a Sergeant in the 1st Company of Artillery of Philadelphia under master-builder Captain Benjamin Loxley. On December 18, 1783, he…
Member number:
108*
Date elected:
1/1/1783
Corkrin, James
Description:
James Corkrin was a master builder and lumber merchant who became a member of The Carpenters' Company in 1783 and served as Warden in 1784.Biography fromPhiladelphia Architects and Builders, a project of theAthenaeum of Philadelphia.
Member number:
106*
Date elected:
1/6/1782
Linnard, William
Description:
William Linnard was a master builder who served during the Revolution as a Captain of the Pennsylvania Artillery Company Militia. In 1782 he was elected to The Carpenters' Company and served as Warden in 1787 and Vice-President from 1806 until…
Member number:
114*
Birth date:
1/1/1749
Date elected:
1/5/1782
Evans, Evan
Description:
Evan Evans was a master builder who was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1782 and about which virtually nothing is known. He did not appear on the printed list of members in 1786 and was removed from the roll of members in 1787. Written by Roger…
Member number:
100
Date elected:
1/1/1782
Kinsley, Frazer
Description:
Frazer (Frazier, Frasier) Kinsley was a master builder appointed by the Committee of Safety in 1776, along with Thomas Nevell and others to collect lead clock and sash weights to be used for ammunition. An "encourager" to the Philadelphia edition of…
Member number:
109*
Date elected:
1/4/1782
McDowell, William
Description:
William McDowell was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1782, but inactive until marked off The Company roles in 1790. It is possible that he was the same William McDowell who served as a lieutenant in the 1st and 2nd…
Member number:
108*
Date elected:
1/3/1782
Ingels, George
Description:
George Ingels was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1782, and he actively served The Company as a member of committees or an officer (President, 1795-1813). He marched at the head of 450 "architects and house carpenters" in the…
Member number:
107*
Date elected:
1/2/1782
Gibson, James
Description:
James Gibson was a master builder and an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book on architecture published in America. Throughout the Revolution he served, as did…
Member number:
106*
Date elected:
1/1/1782
Sadler, Matthias
Description:
Matthias Sadler was a master builder apprenticed to Joseph Ogilby from 1771 until 1776. He served during the Revolution in Baldwin's Artillery Artificer Regiment and by 1780 appears as a resident of Mulberry Ward in Philadelphia. On April 30, 1781 he…
Member number:
105*
Date elected:
1/1/1781
Rhoads, Joseph
Description:
The Southwark master builder Joseph Rhoads was elected to The Carpenters' Company prior to the date of earliest surviving records. He first is recorded as present at a Company meeting in 1767, and he served on various Company committees in 1770s. On…
Member number:
52*
Trip, John
Description:
The master builder John Trip was elected to The Carpenters' Company on April 19, 1770, but rarely attended meetings. In 1800 it was reported that he was living in Wilmington, Delaware. Some Company records indicate that he was expelled from…
Member number:
81*
Date elected:
1/1/1770
Ashton, William
Description:
William Ashton was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company on April 19, 1770. He was an encourager to the 1775, Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect. Written by Roger W. Moss, from thePhiladelphia Architects and…
Member number:
80*
Date elected:
1/2/1770
Smith, John D.
Description:
John Smith, son of the master builder/architect Robert Smith, was registered as a student at the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia from July 1760 to April 1765. He was listed as the administrator of his father's estate in 1777, and, in fact, was…
Member number:
104*
Date elected:
1/1/1779
Few, Joseph
Description:
Joseph Few was a master builder nominated to The Carpenters' Company by William Williams and elected 17 April 1775, although he never signed the Articles. He built a residence at 301 Pine st. 1774-1775. This building was later occupied by Thaddeus…
Member number:
103*
Date elected:
1/1/1775
McClure, Samuel
Description:
Samuel McClure was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1774. For a brief period (1781-1782) he served The Company as a Warden. In 1779 he was assessed for a tax of 1 pound and 10 shillings for the state tax in the Dock…
Member number:
102*
Date elected:
1/1/1774
Forepaugh, George
Description:
George Forepaugh was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1774 and served as Warden from 1780. According to Hazard's Register, he was the master carpenter for the Senate gallery of Congress Hall, 1795. When Forepaugh died in 1817,…
Member number:
101*
Birth date:
10/19/1743
Date elected:
1/1/1774
Allison, Robert
Description:
Robert Allison, a talented carpenter and master builder, proved to be one of the Carpenters’ Company’s most colorful members. Carpenter, master builder, land speculator and developer, he was a strong supporter of the American cause. Well-known…
Member number:
99
Date elected:
1/1/1773
Williams, William
Description:
William Williams was one of the leading master builder/proto-architects in late eighteenth-century Philadelphia. He first comes to notice with a provocative advertisement in the Pennsylvania Packet for January 4, 1773: William Williams, a native of…
Member number:
98*
Birth date:
1/1/1749
Date elected:
1/1/1773
Ogilby, Joseph
Description:
Joseph Ogilby was a leading master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1773. He became a Warden of The Company in 1775 but was replaced the next year when it was reported that he had left the city. Ogilby was an "encourager" to the…
Member number:
97*
Birth date:
1/1/1737
Date elected:
1/1/1773
Lort, Jr., John
Description:
John Lort was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1773, the same year as his partnership with Thomas Nevell. The partners were paid 47 pounds 13 shillings 10 pence for work performed at Carpenters' Hall that was then under…
Member number:
95*
Birth date:
1/1/1752
Date elected:
1/1/1773
Govett, Jr., Joseph
Description:
Joseph Govett was a master builder proposed for membership in The Carpenters' Company several times (1765, 1771, 1772) but was blocked from admission until 1772 because of his membership in the Journeymen Carpenters' Company. He was an "encourager"…
Member number:
96*
Birth date:
12/13/1739
Date elected:
1/1/1772
Evans, Joseph
Description:
Joseph Evans was a master builder from Dock Ward nominated to the Friendship Carpenters Company by Robert Evans and elected to membership in 1772. Written by Roger W. Moss, from thePhiladelphia Architects and Builderswebsite.
Member number:
94*
Date elected:
1/5/1772
Keen, John
Description:
ohn Keen, eldest son of Matthias and Mary (Swift) Keen, was born in Philadelphia and apprenticed to Robert Smith. He became a member of The Carpenters' Company in 1772 and rapidly joined the inner circle of master builders; he served The Company as a…
Member number:
93
Birth date:
3/29/1747
Date elected:
1/4/1772
Zantzinger, Adam
Description:
Although trained to the craft of house carpentry, Adam Zantzinger spent most of his life as a merchant. He was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1772 and signed the Articles the following year, even though he was advertising his ironmongery store…
Member number:
92*
Birth date:
8/18/1746
Date elected:
1/3/1772
Procter, Thomas
Description:
Thomas Procter was an Irish-born master builder who, wishing to improve his understanding of the "art of architecture," studied with Thomas Nevell in 1771. The following year he was elected to membership in The Carpenters' Company, the same year…
Member number:
91*
Birth date:
1/1/1739
Date elected:
1/2/1772
Thomas, Moses
Description:
The master builder Moses Thomas was married in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1742. The date of his arrival in Philadelphia is unknown, as is the date of his election to The Carpenters' Company; he appears to have signed the articles of The Company…
Member number:
90*
Date elected:
1/1/1772
Allen, John
Description:
John Allen was a Master Builder proposed for membership in The Carpenters' Company by Thomas Nevell, and Abraham Carlile. He was elected on April 15, 1771, but died without taking part in any recorded activities of The Company. Written by Roger W.…
Member number:
90a*
Birth date:
1/1/1721
Date elected:
4/15/1771
Caruthers, Samuel
Description:
Samuel Caruthers was a house carpenter elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1771, although he never signed the articles and there is no record of his attending meetings. He is primarily of interest as a manufacturer and dealer in hand tools for the…
Member number:
89*
Date elected:
1/2/1771
Mitchell, Benjamin
Description:
Benjamin Mitchell was a master builder who joined the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1770; and when that company merged with The Carpenters' Company in 1786, he signed the articles. Written by Roger W. Moss, from thePhiladelphia Architects and…
Member number:
141*
Date elected:
1/16/1786