Samuel Jones was a master builder elected to the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1771. He was 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. When the Friendship Company united with The Carpenters' Company in 1786, Jones signed the articles and was appointed to the committee for setting carpentry prices. He also served on the committee for printing the price book. Like many of The Company members, Jones derived substantial income from measuring the work of other carpenters. His accounts for 1784, titled "Book of Dementtions of Carpenters Work," survives in The Carpenters' Company collection on deposit at The American Philosophical Society Library. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.Written by Roger W. Moss.
The master builder Samuel Tolbert (not Talbert) became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company and then signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company when those two organizations of master craftsmen united in 1786. During the Revolution, Tolbert served as a 2nd Lt. and then Captain in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment. He was severely injured during the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line in 1781 but continued to serve until the end of the American Revolution. He died in 1787. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss and Thomas Stokes.
The master builder Nathan Allen Smith may have been from Burlington, New Jersey, but he certainly signed the articles of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1775 and the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia in 1786 when the two organizations of master carpenters united. He is said to have worked on Library Hall (1789, Fifth Street below Chestnut), and he was elected Warden of The Carpenters' Company, 1792-1794. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss
Thomas Savery, son of the cabinetmaker William Savery, Sr., entered Thomas Nevell's school for persons "anxious to improve themselves in the art of architecture" in December of 1771. Just as Nevell had been groomed for The Carpenters' Company by Edmund Woolley, students of Nevell's school tended promptly to enter The Company. In Savery's case, however, he joined the rival Friendship Carpenters' Company about 1775. In structure the Friendship Company differed little from The Carpenters' Company, except for the cost of admission. Where The Company charged a substantial four pound initiation fee, the Friendship Company demanded only five shillings. At each meeting the members paid six pence to defray costs where The Company paid one shilling. Expectedly, members of the Friendship Company tended to be younger and relatively less successful artisans. When the two companies of masters united in 1786, however, most of the Friendship members paid the four pound Carpenters' Company fee and joined The Company. Savery was one of these. Savery was also a subscriber to fellow Carpenters' Company member Owen Biddle's The Young Carpenter's Assistant; or, a system of architecture adapted to the style of building in the United States (Philadelphia, 1805), one of the earliest American books of architecture. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
The master carpenter and ironmonger William Zane became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company c.1775 and a member of The Carpenters' Company when the two groups of master carpenters united in 1786. In the years following the Revolution, Zane appears exclusively to have followed the trade of ironmonger, first as Zane & Company and later as Zane and Chapman. In the Pennsylvania Gazette for January 2, 1793, Zane advertised, "At the sign of the Canister and Hand-saw, between Market and Chestnut-streets," he "has just imported, in the late arrivals from Europe, a large and general assortment of IRONMONGERY, CUTLERY, SADDLERY, &c." According to the city directory for that year, Zane's establishment was at 23 Second Street. See also the January 1, 1798, testimonial for the "Composition Ornaments, manufactured by the said Zane, Chapman and Co." reproduced in Prime. Zane is recorded as having died in 1805. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
Joseph Clark was a master builder and a founder of the Friendship Carpenters Company in 1769. When the Friendship Company and The Carpenters' Company merged in 1786, he became a member of The Company. Architectural drawings held by the Maryland Historical Society for Wye Hall, near Queenstown, MD, are signed "Jos. Clark, invt & delint". Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
John Piles was a master builder elected to the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1773; he became a member of The Carpenters' Company in 1786 when the two companies joined. A resident of Dock Ward by the time of the 1774 tax (and for the rest of his life), he took one William Arnell, Jr., as an apprentice in 1773. Biography by Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
Josiah Matlack was a Dock Ward master builder who became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769 and in 1786 signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company when the two companies of master carpenters merged. He was 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. In the first city directory, Matlack was listed as a house carpenter residing on Spruce between Second and Third streets. In the 1793 and 1794 directory he resided at the same location but was listed as a gentleman. By 1797, the Josiah Matlack living on Spruce street was listed as a surveyor. Contemporary advertisements corroborate the location of his residence and also his rising success in Philadelphia. In 1777, he advertises a lot of land on Spruce street for sale and the next year he advertises the sale of a “quantity of ship plank, a keel, sundry ship timbers and a six-plate stove.” Like many other early Philadelphians, Matlack shared his name with other city residents. This eventually became problematic for Josiah Matlack; In 1789 he wrote a short article describing how another individual with the same name had been convicted for breaking the law and how he had been wrongfully confused with the other individual’s misdeeds. As described in his changing status in the directory from a ‘house carpenter’ to a ‘gentleman’, Matlack did not want to have his status as an elite member of Philadelphia society tarnished. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Thomas Stokes.
John Barker was a master builder who first became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company, signing the articles in 1775. When that Company merged with The Carpenters' Company in 1786, he transferred his membership. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
Samuel Pastorius was a master builder who joined the Friendship Carpenters' Company c.1775 and The Carpenters' Company in 1786 when the two joined. He was an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan, The British Architect (1775), the first book of architecture published in America. Failing to pay his dues, Pastorius was excluded from The Company the same year he died. The inventory of his estate included 243 lights of sash at 3d each; one six panel door; 94 plains, 1 glue pot, 4 augers, and 5 saws valued at 12 pounds; 1 brace and 8 bitts valued at 7/6; and 1 door and 11 window frames valued at 3 pounds. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 1775 Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan The British Architect, the first architectural book published in America. Reinhard took an apprentice named Nicholas Izenminger for a period of nearly four years to teach him house carpentry. According to the City Directory, a house carpenter, John Reinholt*, lived on Christian street near Third street in 1797. In 1799, John Reinhart, house carpenter, lived on Christian street between third and fourth. It is likely these two Johns are the same person. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss and Thomas Stokes.
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, he signed the articles. At the time of the 1790 census he was living in Southwark and attended Company meetings through 1797 when he appears to have left Philadelphia, probably for Kentucky. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 124 south 5th street. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Thomas Stokes and Roger W. Moss.
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 tools of the house carpenter John Barker; that same year he was elected Warden of The Company. In 1811 he became a city Surveyor, and in 1816 he was elected Vice-President of the Carpenters' Company and President the following year. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 was an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan, The British Architect (printed for R. Bell by J. Norman, 1775), the first book on architecture published in America. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 recorded as taking Aaron Thompson as an apprentice in 1773. He was an "encourager" to the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan, The British Architects (1775), the first book on architecture published in America, and he received three shares for work performed during the construction of Library Hall. As early as 1785 Pancoast was living on Chestnut Street between Second and Third Streets; an insurance policy of 1790 for his house survives. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 first book on architecture published in America. Jones signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company when the Friendship Company was absorbed in 1786. When the Mutual Assurance Company was founded in 1784, he became chief surveyor of properties and a member of the Board of Trustees (1785), serving in both capacities until 1807 when he fell through a Delaware River wharf and drowned. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book on architecture published in America. When the Friendship Company and The Carpenters' Company merged in 1786, Garrigues continued to be active in company affairs; he held the positions of Secretary, 1794-96 and 1799, and Vice President 1800, 1802-1805, 1814-1815. When the Library Company erected its hall on Fifth Street (designed by William Thornton) in 1789-1790, Garrigues received three shares in the library on account of work contributed. In 1794 he was hired by the Insurance Company of North America as a surveyor of houses and buildings. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 Carpenters' Company in 1769 and signed the Articles of The Carpenters' Company at the union in 1786. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 Meeting. By 1769 Wetherill had become a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company, rising to Treasurer in 1772 and President in 1774. Like most of his fellow craftsmen, he supported the Revolution; Wetherill was elected to the Committee of 66 (1774) and was a delegate to the Provincial Convention (1775). During the war he assisted the Committee of Safety in building new or converting old mills for the manufacture of gunpowder. When the two companies of master builders united in 1786, Wetherill joined The Carpenters' Company and became its Treasurer, 1797-1805. More merchant than builder after the Revolution, he encouraged the City of Philadelphia to erect the Head House at the north end of New Market (Second Street) for which be loaned the City $1,000 in 1804. Wetherill lived at (modern) 348 South Fourth Street, a house that was new in 1794; it remained in the family until 1889. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 active member of The Company. He was 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. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 beginning of the 19th century. In the 1804 City Directory, his widow Jane is listed as living at their house on Pine street. The 1779 tax in Southwark includes a John Cooper taxed at 1 pound but it cannot be determined if this is the same John Cooper who was a member of the Carpenters’ Company. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss and Thomas Stokes.
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 becoming a Member" of The Carpenters' Company; he was elected at the meeting of April 26, 1776. Although carried on the membership rolls, this Harrison was not active in The Company and after the Revolution became a lumber merchant at 151 North Water Street with a residence at 15 Vine Street (1794). That same year he was appointed an administrator of William William's estate. Biography from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
Conrad Bartling was a master builder elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1785. He became a Warden of The Company in 1791. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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.
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 of George Claypoole, joiner, and in 1775 he was listed as an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan, The British Architect, the first book of architecture published in America. During the Revolution a William Moore served in various Pennsylvania regiments, advancing from Sergeant to Brevet Captain between 1776 and 1783. That William Moore reportedly lived until June 6, 1824. Another possibility is that the George Moore who appears in Philadelphia city directories until 1804 is the same one who died that year in Delaware County. Louise Hall also points out that a William Moore was a member of the Carpenters' Society of Baltimore by 1791. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 appears in 1773 when he took one Richard Riddle as an apprentice. That same year he erected a house for Thomas Wharton on Second Street; and, according to John MacPherson's receipt book, he worked at Mt. Pleasant (designed by Thomas Nevell in 1763) off and on from 1775 to 1779. A resident of Dock Ward, King was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1784. At the time of his death he lived on Lombard Street; his estate included "3 books of Architecture," a case of drawing instruments and 175 molding planes. Although King is not listed as 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, his inscribed copy is preserved in the library of The Carpenters' Company. Two drawings believed to be by King are tipped into the back of this volume. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 (1775), although the only architectural book mentioned in his inventory is one of William Pain's works, probably The Builder's Companion (1758 and later editions) which David Hall was importing to Philadelphia by 1760. Rakestraw signed the Articles of The Carpenters' Company in 1784 and became a Warden in 1791. He claimed a share in the Library Company of Philadelphia for work contributed to the construction of Library Hall, 1789-1790. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 married Dorothy Kilton at Christ Church, the same year he was elected a member of The Carpenters' Company. By 1791, Thornhill required aid from the Company, and following his death in 1793, his widow was looked after by The Company for several years. Occasionally Thornhill appears to have styled himself Joseph Thornhill, Jr. to avoid confusion with his uncle of the same name (Joseph Thornhill). Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.
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 1813. Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss.
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 W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 Abraham Swan's, The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book of architecture published in America, Kinsley was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1782. At the time of his death in 1791, he owned two architectural books valued at 1.2.6 pounds, presumably his subscription copy of Swan. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 Pennsylvanian regiments during the American Revolution. Biography from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss and Thomas Stokes.
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 Grand Federal Procession (July 4, 1788), carrying The Company banner showing their arms and the motto, "Justice and benevolence." Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 many of the building trades craftsmen, in Baldwin's Artillery Artificer Regiment, rising from 1st Lieutenant to Captain between 1777 and 1781. He was elected to The Carpenters' Company in 1782 but appears to have left Philadelphia for Baltimore shortly thereafter; he became a member of the Carpenter's Society of Baltimore in 1790 and returned his copy of The Carpenters Company price book from that city in 1807. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 was proposed to membership in The Carpenters' Company by Joseph Govett and elected shortly thereafter. In 1786 Sadler became Warden of The Company. He worked on the Library Company's hall for which he received two shares in the library. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 February 22, 1772, Rhoads was paid for measuring work at Christ Church and in November that same year he witnessed the will of Thomas Tresse, also a house carpenter from Southwark. When Rhoads died in 1784, his inventory included--in addition to the usual assortment of tools--an "Iron Machine for Raising." His estate was owed over 44 pounds by the trustees of Northampton County Court House and over 64 pounds by the estate of Robert Smith. Rhoads's widow, Ann, received a refund of 12 pounds from The Carpenters' Company for his 1770 subscription for the erection of the Hall. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 membership, probably for failure to pay dues; other Company records give a death date of 1805. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 working with the elder Smith on the Delaware River fortifications at the time of his death. John Smith continued to serve the patriot cause as a superintendent of carpenters erecting cannon platforms from September through November 1778. In 1779 he was elected to The Carpenters' Company but was irregular in his attendance at meetings during the latter years of the Revolution. In 1783 he was elected Warden, only to be replaced in the Spring of 1784 because he had moved to Chester County. According to Company records, Smith had financial difficulties; The Company paid his funeral expenses in 1805. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 Kosciuszko during his exile from Poland. Today, it is a museum, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. Few was an "encourager" of Abraham Swan, The British Architect (Philadelphia: R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775). It is possible that this Joseph Few served during the Revolution as Regimental Quartermaster of the 4th Continental Artillery, 1 April 1777 through 31 October 1777. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 Ward. Biography from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Roger W. Moss and Thomas Stokes.
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, his estate was valued at $4,143.75. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 buildings with which he was associated include Benjamin Franklin’s house in Franklin Court, the State House, Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and the House Intended for the President of the United States. Presumably of Scottish descent, his first known job in Philadelphia was assisting Robert Smith with Benjamin Franklin’s home off of Market Street in 1764 for which he was paid £120. On December 2, 1766, he married Rachel Gunning at the Market Square Presbyterian Church in Germantown. The following March 29, 1767, their daughter, Margaret, was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. A year later, a second daughter, Jane, was also baptized at the First Presbyterian Church on April 13, 1768. Allison began his land acquisitions in 1767 purchasing two lots of ground on George Street in Southwark from Samuel Rhoads and his wife. Allison is listed as a resident of Southwark, a carpenter with one servant, on the 1769 tax list. He began his long career of community service by accepting an appointment to a committee to work out suitable financial arrangements for Captain Condy who was overseeing the building of the new Presbyterian Church at Fourth and Pine Streets. Allison was building on his own as well. In 1771 Gunning Bedford, surveyor for The Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire inspected Allison’s home on the west side of “Georges Street between Cedar and Plum Streets in the district of Southwark where he dwells.” This two-story structure, twenty feet front, thirty feet deep, included chimney breasts, double cornices, entry wainscoting and a Doric frontispiece, was not yet finished and ultimately not insured by Allison for a few more years. The 1770s were busy ones for Allison and his family. A new daughter, Rachel, was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church in 1772 and the household was swelled by the addition of apprentices: John Strickland in 1772, and Robert Hall, Robert Leech and Francis Kain in 1773. All were to be taught the trade of a house carpenter. Robert Leech was to have time to go to evening school one quarter each winter and Francis Kain was to be able to be taught to read the Bible, “write a legible hand and cypher as far as rule of 3.” In addition to teaching his craft, Allison was to provide food, lodgings and laundry. Allison had been elected to the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia in 1773 along with Joseph Ogleby and William Williams. Records show that he worked on the Jacob Graff house during this period, and presumably also built on his own property, including 2 tenements on the southwest corner of Shippen and George Street, (surveyed by Bedford in 1774). Smaller than Allison’s own home, Bedford noted in his survey that the carpenters’ work was done in a plain way except the hanging of the doors. Allison also applied for a loan of £200 from the Contributionship in 1774 offering as collateral two houses on Penn Street near Cedar. He received the money in February 1775 on the proviso that he insure the houses. Within the year he applied for an additional £150 on the properties which the Board agrees to pay out of the first money that can be spared. On January 17, 1775 Allison was elected a member of the committee of the Carpenters’ Company for the upcoming year along with Robert Smith, Thomas Shoemaker, James Bringhurst, Benjamin Loxley, William Colladay, James Pearson, Joseph Rakestraw, William Lownes, Gunning Bedford, Thomas Nevel, Joseph Ogelby, James Worrel, and Joseph Fox, Esq. He continued his land dealings, purchasing property from Samuel Powel and his wife on Penn Street in late 1774, then selling a section of that land to James Hunter. October 1, 1775 he sold a frame tenement and lot to Francis Gurney. He also purchased two copies of the first architectural book published in the colonies by Robert Bell, Abraham Swan’s The British Architect with engravings by John Norman (published in England in 1745). 1776 was a momentous year for the colonies, certainly Philadelphia and also for Robert Allison. In January of 1776, he was elected to the Carpenters’ Company’s Standing Committee for Settling Prices along with most of his colleagues from the Committee the prior year. He also began to cultivate political connections. He was elected to the Committee for the City and Liberties of Philadelphia for the District of Southwark for a six-month period. He began the year with a measuring job, shelving at Captain David Sproats’ store with Edward Bonsall, but was soon engaged with the construction of a fort on Liberty Island with James Worrell. Other work took place on Province Island, Mid Island and Fort Mifflin. A son, George, was born on February 26, 1776, and baptized on March 2, 1776 at the Third Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. It is likely that an earlier son, Robert, was born in 1775 although no birth or baptismal records can be found. (A Robert Allison is recorded as buried at Third Presbyterian in 1822, and we know Allison did have a namesake who handled some details of his father’s funeral in 1811.) His defense work continued through 1777. Additionally that year he, together with David Evans, removed the State House bells to Allentown for safekeeping. His work for the cause of the Patriots took on a new dimension as he began his service in the militia. Pennsylvania law required all males capable of bearing arms, between the ages of 18 and 53, to serve in the militia for two months of active duty. Philadelphia had eight battalions; it appears that divisions generally fell along neighborhood lines. The men in these divisions elected their officers who were then commissioned by the State and subject to a three-year tour of duty. Allison was elected a lieutenant colonel in 1777 and served until 1780. Seemingly, he was responsible for much of the organization work; he was allotted $100 by the Council of Safety for recruiting expenses at the critical point when General Howe was threatening to invade Philadelphia and was also paid for the procurement of muskets just prior to the Battle of Brandywine. Allison’s sixth battalion was called to active duty at Swedes Ford. However, once the battalion’s two-month tour of active duty ended, a new battalion replaced them. Substitutes could be found or fines paid if one needed to avoid duty. This clearly enabled the colonists to continue as much as possible with everyday life. Allison’s carpentry work continued through 1778 with the commission to remove the plank, scantling etc. left by enemy troops and remove them to safety. He was also asked to draw plans for repairs to the courtroom in the State House and provide needed materials. In September he was to deliver to Colonel Bull the materials he retrieved from enemy redoubts to complete structures at Billingsport and Mud Island. He was also paid for repairs on the old workhouse, the Schuylkill bridge, and sundry small jobs. One of the most interesting was the removal of lead spouts from houses upon order of the Council of Safety with Evan Evans and James Worrell, to be delivered to J. Watkins, presumably the lead was to be used for ammunition. Allison, Evans and Worrell petitioned Congress in 1779 to appoint someone to value the lead and repay those citizens who were affected. Allison maintained a strong political presence; the issues of currency devaluation were of paramount interest to him. He served as the committee representative from Southwark to stop the issuance of paper money and to raise money by subscriptions raised by canvassing the neighborhood, although apparently nothing came of this. It may, however, have led to the petition submitted to Congress by hundreds of citizens, requesting that its members determine the extent and quantity of paper money to be issued and when it shall stop. They further suggest raising revenue by subscription. This was read on September 13, 1779. In May of that same year Allison and others sent another petition to Congress regarding the decay of credit and depreciation of money. His concerns reached beyond the financial, however. In a city where political sympathies were divided, tensions could run high. Allison signed a petition pledging support for those loyal to the American cause who were being dissuaded by Loyalists from testifying against them during the time of the British occupation. He was elected again as a member of the Committee for the City and Liberties in the late summer of 1779. He also took the time to aid individual colleagues, signing a petition with others including David Rittenhouse and Robert Smith in support of William Brown’s efforts to become the auctioneer of the city in 1779. In 1778 he signed a petition endorsing John Norman’s efforts to raise funds to finish the publication of a treatise on artillery. Even earlier in 1777 he was one of 19 Master Carpenters who signed a petition to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania supporting George Ingels for the office of measurer for the city. In 1780 Allison received £720 from David Rittenhouse, payable to Messrs. Allison and Smith, for planks used in refitting the public stables for the use of members of the Assembly etc. It is likely that this was the stable at Sixth and Chestnut Streets, advertised for sale in 1778 with stalls for 22 horses, and room for hay. The stable was used by the local militia during the war and was offered at public auction in 1782, listed as lately occupied by the Militia Lighthorse. Allison served on the Sheriff’s Committee in 1780 to divide the estate of his colleague, Robert Smith, who had died in 1777. Given the timing of this project it was probably Robert Smith’s son John, who worked with Robert Allison on this project. The 1782 and 1783 supply tax lists show entries for “Smith & Allison, “ but it is unclear whether this is related to his work with Robert Smith’s estate or a partnership with the son. In 1781 Allison was chosen assistant Master of the Carpenters’ Company working with Master Samuel Rhoads. Allison is credited with building Washington College’s first building in Chestertown, Maryland in 1783, a work he undertook with Joseph Rakestraw. By 1784 he returned to Philadelphia and together with Gunning Bedford, measured the carpenters’ work on the Free Quakers’ Meeting House. In 1785 he was paid for measuring and painting , carpenters’ work for T. Worrell in settlement of Eden Haydock’s estate, who died in 1776. Allison continued to reside at 35 East George Street. He remained active in the Carpenters’ Company proposing Ebenezer Ferguson and Francis McAllison as new members in 1785. By the late 1780s the depression which engulfed the city took its toll on Robert Allison and he entered into bankruptcy on October 9, 1788. The following day, Ebenezer Ferguson entered his claim for £200. Notices appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet soon after and on October 16, 1788, Robert Allison, “house carpenter, dealer and chapman” was to surrender himself to commissioners for the bankruptcy commission as well as on November 18 and November 26 at which time his creditors were to come prepared to prove their debts.” (A chapman is defined as one who buys and sells, a peddler, a hawker or in 1793, a “cheapener.” That same year his property on Catherine Street was sold at Sheriff’s sale. In 1789, ten Southwark lots (some developed) belonging to Robert Allison along George Street and Shippen Street were sold at Sheriff’s sale. Additional lots on Water Street, Swanson Street and Love Lane were also sold. ` Allison rebounded from this major blow, and in 1790 petitioned City Council “to be employed as a Carpenter when a City-Hall shall be built.” He continued to reside on George Street, according to the 1790 census. Residing with him were 9 free white males under 16, presumably some apprentices, and 5 white free females. Along with other master builders he endorsed the work of Zane Chapman & Company makers of composition ornaments. By 1792 Allison was purchasing property again with James Corkrin from John Dickinson Sargeant. He also finally paid off his bond and interest to The Philadelphia Contributionship. Throughout the next few years Allison bought and sold different pieces of the property from South to Gaskill Streets between Third and Fourth Streets. He moved his family to the property on South Street by 1793. After the death of William Williams in 1794, Allison and John Smith were employed as master carpenters on the house intended for the President of the United States. Allison devoted more time to Carpenters’ Company affairs in these years, and was chosen as a member of the Committee of the Carpenters’ Company in 1795. In 1796 Allison repurchased the adjoining South Street properties held by James Corkrin and then sold sections of the property to John Smith, John Batten, Barney McCarrell, and Joseph Knox. He continued to live at 117 South Street, the 1798 direct tax values the property at $1237.50. John Smith sold the South Street property back to Allison in 1801 who in turn sold it as part of a larger lot including two houses, to Joseph Sims for $5,000. It is likely that this was the Smith house as well as Allison’s own home. In the midst of this transaction, his wife, Rachel Allison, died, on March 5, 1801. Her death was recorded in both the deed and in the newspaper, a simple line: “Mrs. Allison, wife of Col. Robert Allison.” The money disappeared quickly and in 1802 Allison applied to the Carpenters’ Company for both a loan as well as relief money. He continued his commitment to the company, this time serving as one of a committee of 15 to revise the price guide. In March of 1804 he offered to sell the Carpenters’ Company his copy of Gibbs Designs, which it purchased for $8. Still funds were hard to come by as he explains in a letter to the Committee in February of 1805. With pain I am under the Disagreeable necessity to beg your favours for some small trifle to help me a little along. You know the severity of the winter having hardly anything to do and I could not get any money from those that owned moneys. It’s made me live very miserable. If it is as much as [the] purchase of a half Cord of wood as I am afraid wood will be higher. Do Oblige if you can. In 1806 Allison’s financial affairs hit bottom. An undated letter to the Carpenters’ Company reveals a myriad of financial concerns, of debts owed to him and by him, and legal issues and court sittings, and it is likely from this same trying period. A note towards the end of his letter hints at tension between Allison and the Company: I have been troublesome I must own but God knows far against my will. I am a member of this Company – you will therefore Judge of my ___situation at present. While Allison blames his financial difficulties on lack of work, and debts owed, the Carpenters’ Company records show another side of the issue. In 1806 Allison was imprisoned for debt, and a special meeting of the Carpenters’ Company Managing Committee had been called “for the purpose of taking into consideration the condition of our member, Robert Allison, who is represented to be in prison for debt.” George Summers, Daniel Knight and Jacob Lybrand were appointed a committee to check on the situation and be certain he was “comfortably accomodated.” Five days later the committee reported that they had done this. Seven months later, the committee’s minutes note that application was made on behalf of Robert Allison for aid. Jacob Lybrand and Jonathan Roberts were directed “to call on him and acquaint him that the committee will not consent to assist him until he changes his mode of living.” Within six months, on July 1, 1807, the committee authorized the payment of five dollars to Allison for relief. According to the Philadelphia City Directory Allison lived on Lombard Street at his point, listed as “measurer of carpenters’ work.” It is uncertain how plentiful work was but Allison began to rely more heavily on relief funds from the Carpenters’ Company. He received another $5 in 1807 and a total of $20 in 1808. These amounts began to increase in 1809 and the Company began to provide goods as well as money. In 1809 the committee instructed David Flicknir to provide Allison with a half of cord of wood, overcoat, shoes, stockings and $5. Other payments followed n 1809 and by 1810 he was receiving stipends every other week, sometimes $5 and sometimes $3, perhaps to keep him from squandering larger sums. Allison died on December 20, 1811. Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser of December 23, 1811 carried the following notice: Died – on Friday morning in the 73rd year of his age, after a short but painful illness, which he bore with Christian fortitude and resignation, Mr. Robert Allison, a respectable inhabitant of this City. The Carpenters’ Company paid for many of the funeral expenses. The Committee reimbursed William Powell for $16 for funeral expenses for Robert Allison on December 20, 1811, and paid David Flickner $14 for part of Allison’s funeral expenses. They also paid Henry Connelly $10 for his plain walnut coffin. A final entry in the minutes from January 8, 1812 reads: Robert Allison handed to the Committee several bills of the Funeral Expenses of his father. Jacob Lybrand was directed to pay two dollars the amount of two bills and inform him that the committee would not pay the other bills. Allison clearly was a skilled master builder, a trusted Patriot and a willing supporter of colleagues and friends. He appears in his prime years to have been respected by colleagues and it is thought he may have been a worthy successor of Robert Smith, although at this time few major building connections have been found. He was extremely proud of his militia rank of Colonel and used it frequently. He and his wife left behind a sizeable family, although unfortunately little is known of their lives. Allison counted among his contemporaries some of the city’s leading and wealthier citizens. Unfortunately he seems to have lived beyond his means for much of his life and his financial misfortunes ultimately overshadowed his earlier contributions. Written by Carol Smith, for the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 this city, where he was regularly bred to the business of HOUSE CARPENTRY, begs leave to inform his friends, and the public that having lately returned from London, where he has for some time studied ARCHITECTURE in its various branches, he proposes carrying on the business of House Carpentry in the most useful and ornamental manner, as is now executed in the city of London, and most parts of England; and humbly hopes, from his practice and experience, to give the highest satisfaction to such as shall be pleased to employ him, in a new, bold, light and elegant taste, which has been lately introduced by the great architect of the Adelphi Buildings at Durham Yard [Robert Adam]; and which is now universally practiced all over Britain. He also fits up shop-fronts in the nicest manner, from the plainest and most simple to the most elegant and tasty, according to original plans taken in London. Williams's advertisement is one of the earliest Philadelphia references to Adamesque neo-classicism, and he also is know to have owned several English architectural books that were new in the 1770s, such as N. Wallis's A Book of Ornaments in the Palmyrene Taste containing upwards of sixty new designs...(London, 1771), that survive with his signature in the library of The Carpenters' Company. Williams was elected to membership in The Company on February 15, 1773, together with Robert Allison and Joseph Ogilby; he signed the Articles on April 19, 1773. Two years later he was an Encourager of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book of architecture published in America. During the revolution, he rose from Captain to Lt.-Colonel between 1775 and 1780. On April 6, 177, he married Ester Smith, daughter of the late master builder/proto-architect Robert Smith, at St. Michael's and Zion Church; in October he was taken prisoner by the British at the Battle of Germantown, and several months later he escaped and rejoined the American forces. For the rest of his life he was referred to as Colonel Williams. Following the Revolution, Williams resumed his craft and served as Warden of the Carpenters Company, 1785-1786. For the Grand Federal Procession of July 4, 1788, to celebrate the ratification of the Constitution, Williams and his journeymen erected a float for the Company in the form of a dome resting on thirteen columns in the Corinthian order, rich in the adopted symbolism of the new nation: "The frieze decorated with thirteen stars; ten of the columns complete, and three left unfinished [for those states that had not yet ratified the Constitution]. On the pedestals of the columns were inscribed, in ornamented ciphers, the initials of the thirteen American states. ON the top of the dome a handsome cupola, surmounted by a figure of Plenty bearing cornucopias and other emblems of her character. Round the pedestal of the edifice were these words: 'In Union the fabric stands firm.'" Too little is yet known about the other work of this key figure, who, together with Thomas Carstairs, may be an important link to British neo-classicism in Philadelphia. Williams was one of the carpenters granted two shares in the Library Company of Philadelphia for his work on Library Hall (designed by William Thornton, 1789-1790), and two fine examples of Williams's domestic work survived on Spruce Street (modern numbers 435 & 427). The first of these he built in 1792 on speculation and sold to Anthony Butler for 1400 pounds. The second house (427) was erected at about the same time (c. 1790-1792) and sold to the French Consul General to the United States, Antonine de la Forest. Executed in the finest late eighteenth-century Philadelphia style, this house was resold in 1795 for 8,000 Spanish milled silver dollars to Don Joseph de Jaudenes, Commissary General and Envoy from the King of Spain. Additional insight to Williams's place in Philadelphia architecture comes from 1793 when Stephen Hallet and James Hoban attacked William Thornton's design for the United States Capitol. President Washington, at his wits end over the bickering between these three sent Hallet and Hoban to Philadelphia to meet with Samuel Blodget, Superintendent of Public Buildings, and Thornton. Since Blodget also thought Thornton's plan was "impracticable," Thornton arrived at the meeting with Colonel Williams and Thomas Carstairs as his advisors. Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, presided over this extraordinary meeting that resulted in some changes in the Thornton plan. Williams, whom Jefferson called an "undertaker," -- that is, a builder/contractor -- produced several suggestions for how Thornton's design could be improved. But Jefferson was not convinced; he wrote to President Washington, Williams's "method of spanning the intercolonnations with secret arches of brick, and supporting the floors by an interlocked framing appeared to me totally inadequate; that of unmasking the windows by lowering the galleries was only substituting one deformity for another, and a conjectural expression how head-room might be gained in the Stair-ways shewed he had not studied them." The meeting temporarily saved the Thornton design, but it must have taught Williams the lesson that Benjamin H. Latrobe would soon learn -- amateur architect Jefferson could be outspoken and pigheaded on matters of taste and architecture. Other references to Williams's professional activity include sizeable payments for work done "at the President's House by Wm Williams" (1792-1797) made to his estate by Richard Wells, supervisor of construction, in 1796. While John Smith, Joseph Rakestraw, and Robert Allison also worked on this seminal structure located on the west side of Ninth Street, south of Market (demolished c. 1829), the design is usually attributed to Williams. In partnership with Joseph Rakestraw, Williams worked on the southward extension of Congress Hall that created the Senate Chamber, 1793-1794. Rakestraw and Williams appear to have been on a retainer and were regularly paid 75 pounds each during the period they were engaged at the building; they were paid in full on May 19, 1794. Shortly thereafter both men died, probably from yellow fever. Following William Williams's death, the Columbianum or American Academy of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, &c opened an exhibition that included several architectural drawings by Robert Smith, John Sproul, Abraham Colladay, and Williams. So far as is known, this was the first exhibition of architectural drawings ever held in the United States. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.
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 Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan, The British Architect (1775), the first book of architecture published in America. Following the Revolution he returned to Philadelphia and resumed his active participation in Company affairs: Assistant in 1782, governing committee in 1784-93, 1798-1800. He received two shares in the Library Company for work performed at Library Hall and helped to found two fire companies: Reliance (1786) and Weccacoe (1800). By 1809 Ogilby was a resident of Montgomery County, Maryland, where he died. Written by Roger W. Moss, from the Philadelphia Architects and Builders website.