Warner, Edward

Warner, Edward

Master builder Edward Warner may have been apprenticed as a house carpenter to James Porteus whose heir he was in 1736/37. Warner was admitted as a freeman of Philadelphia by the Common Council in 1717, and by the 1720s he was selling by lottery a house he had built on speculation. Warner married the daughter of the prominent master builder William Coleman in 1733. The Carpenters' Company listed him as an early member in 1786, but no Company records prior to the 1760s survive to confirm that claim. Nor can any buildings be firmly associated with him; most references to his professional work relate to his civic activity. He was elected a City Assessor in 1730, a County Commissioner in 1731, a Pennsylvania Assemblyman in 1735, a Regulator of Streets in 1737, and in 1741 was appointed one of the Superintendents of the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall).

Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.  

12*

Warner

Edward

1/1/1690

11/11/1754

1733

Anna Coleman Warner

William, Rebecca, Catherine, Anna, Elizabeth

*Tatman & Moss Bio Dictionary Phila Architects, page 830. Master builder Edward Warner may have been apprenticed as a house carpenter to James Portues (q.v.) whose heir he was in 1736/7. Warner was admitted as a freeman of Philadelphia by the Common Council in 1717, and by the 1720s he was selling by lottery a house he had built on speculation. Warner married the daughter of the prominent master builder William Coleman (q.v.) in 1733. The Carpenters' Company listed him as an early member in 1786, but no Company records prior to the 1760s survive to provide a date. Nor can any buildings be firmly associated with him; most references to his professional work relate to his civic activity. He was elected a City Assessor in 1730, a County Commissioner in 1731, a Pennsylvania Assemblyman in 1735, a Regulator of Streets in 1737, and in 1741 was appointed one of the Superintendents of the Pennsylvania State House. See Selected Bibliography in Tatman & Moss Bio Dictionary Phila. Architects. Volume at Carpenters' Hall and The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Some possible articles listed. See "Growing With America, The Fox Family of Philadelphia,"by Joseph M. Fox, published 2006. Copy in Fox file. page 39 - Edward Warner married Ann, William Coleman's daughter. page 44 - Together, Fox and Warner represented 38 years of service in the Pennsylvania Assembly.

*Member file: Executor for Arthur Wells, cordwainer, died Oct 7, 1732; William Corker, Sept. 28, 1732; Cornelius Swerts, Sept. 14, 1736; Samuel Nicholas, bricklayer, Oct. 18, 1734; James Portues, a Company member and carpenter, Nov. 30, 1736; Philip Johns, tavernkeeper, Jan. 15, 1733; Thomas Shute, April 8, 1748; John Mayfield, March 15, 1722. Trustee: Robert Tate, a joiner, Dec. 26, 1727. Also, witness for five others.

*Member file. 3 typed pages of biographical information, including his properties, civic appointments, marriages and (1741) appointment to a committee to investigate causes of delay in construction of State House, begun in 1732. In August, 1742, he was on a committee with Thomas Leech and Isaac Norris appointed superintendents to complete the structure.

*Hannah Roach paper, page 5aa See under William Coleman for relationship of Warner's wife to Coleman. Warner had been apprenticed to James Portues, who bequeathed him portion of his estate. Hannah Roach paper, page 7aa See under William Coleman for reference to Warner as a County Commissioner and election to the Assembly.

*Birth date determined by research of Spencer Roach.

*Hannah Roach paper, page 11aa Good paragraph on Company members who worked on State House.

See Fox member file folder For Warner's relationship to Laurel Hill mansion, along the Schuylkill.

*(Hannah Roach) notes) Edward Warner, house carpenter: will dated 4 11m (November) and proved 28 November 1754; Joseph Fox a trustee. Phila. Will book K, 219, #141:1754. Admitted freeman 29 April, 1717

PA Gazette 10/11/1731 - #851 Elected a commissioner for Philadelphia county. PA Gazette 10/2/1735 - #2055 Elected a Representative for Philadelphia county; re-elected several times. PA Gazette 5/10/1739 - #3510 "Strayed a month ago from Edward Warner, a small bay horse . . ." PA Gazette 10/3/51 - #1015 Elected representative of Philadelphia county to the Assembly. PA Gazette 10/5/1752 - #2282 and 10/4/1753 - #4931 Re-elected twice to serve in Assembly. PA Gazette 11/21/1754 - #5135 "About six weeks ago came to the place of the late Edward Warner, at the point (Probably Point-no-Point) a red steer, about four years old . . ." PA Gazette 12/5/1754 - #5188 Sheriff calling for a new election to replace Edward Warner, deceased. (Apparently, he died not long after being re-elected again.) PA Gazette 2/25/1755 - #5428 At his death he had a store at Arch & Water Sts.

Grantor File Data from the City of Philadelphia Archives:
(Date; Book; No.; Page; Grantee)
1739/1751; G; 2; 448; Syng, Philip
1739/1751; G; 12; 25; Wistar, Casper
1739/1751; H; 1; 118; Murry, Sebastian
1739/1751; H; 3; 505; Fox, Joseph
1739/1751; H; 7; 236; Bullock, George
1739/1751; H; 7; 334; Wilcox, John
1739/1751; H; 10; 399; James, Abel
1777/1800; D; 12; 125; Mason, Abraham
1777/1800; D; 14; 178; Paschall, Thomas
1777/1800; D; 23; 490; House, George
1777/1800; D; 32; 368; Fox, Joseph
1815/1819; MR; 11; 414; Bullock, George

Defendents/Sheriff Sales File Data from City of Philadelphia Archives:
(Book; Page; Year; Purchaser)
P-17; 115; 1853; Deal, Charles

a

George (1750)