The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Cavanaugh, R. L.
Title: Collection,
Dates: 1797-1936, (bulk 1797)
Call No.: Col. 597
Acc. No.: 00x180
Quantity: 7 folders
Location: 18 B 2
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The papers in this collection were collected by R.
L. Cavanaugh of Delaware; nothing else is known about him.
Richard Richardson, born in 1720, was the son of
John and Anna Ashton Richardson, who had married in 1704. Richard married Sarah Tatnall, the daughter
of Edward Tatnall, in 1766. He built a
new house for his bride, which a later generation named “Glynrich.” Five children are mentioned in his will: sons
Joseph (1767-1833), Ashton (1776-1852), and John (1783-1859); and daughters
Elizabeth Strode (1771-1847) and Ann (1778-1845). Richard died in 1797. His son Joseph inherited “Glynrich.” Ashton inherited another piece of property on
which he built a house called “Ashley.”
The Richardson family owned grist and sawmills near Wilmington,
Delaware.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
A collection of miscellaneous documents and
photographs concerning different people.
Included are three inventories relating to the Richardson family. One inventory is an appraisal of the estate
of Richard Richardson, who died in 1797.
He owned a clock, furniture, looking glasses, a spy glass, tools,
linens, flatware, silver, china, pewter ware, blankets and pillows, guns,
grain, livestock, harness, fence rails, coffee, yarn, pots and pans, a watch, a
razor, mortgages, bonds, notes, certificates, and other items. (Clothes were not included in the
inventory.) Another inventory is a list
of Richard Richardson’s property that was taken by his son Ashton as his share
of his inheritance. The third list is an
account of property taken by Ashton Richardson from the estate of Ann Armstrong. From her, he received a silk gown, gold
buttons, a caster, bottles, a tea chest, knives and forks, a looking glass,
dining table, a coffee pot, silver spoons and sugar tongs, and a pewter
dish. All the items on these inventories
were assigned a monetary value, expressed in dollars. Also in the collection are photocopies of
20th century photographs of “Glynrich” and “Ashley,” which were Richardson
family homes.
As well, the collection includes an engraved
portrait of Alfred V. du Pont (1798-1856); two photograph studio portraits of
an unknown man; a land plat that is unmarked and undated; a photocopy of a
survey done in 1850 showing Jacob Yarnell’s land along Red Clay Creek; a
photocopy of the will of Martin W. Barr of Middletown, Delaware, signed in
1934; photographs of the estates of Mrs. Victor du Pont and Eugene du Pont,
showing landscaping done by Lewis & Valentine Co.; and pictures of an
unidentified building.
ORGANIZATION
The items have been arranged by type of material.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Gift of R. L. Cavanaugh.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Richardson, Richard,
1720-1797.
Richardson, Ashton, 1776-1852.
Yarnell, Jacob.
Barr, Martin W., 1860-1938.
Armstrong, Ann, -1799.
Topics:
Lewis & Valentine Co.
(Ardmore, Pa.)
Decedents’ estates - Delaware.
Distribution of decedents’ estates.
Landscape architecture.
Wilmington (Del.) - Dwellings.
Inventories.
Black-and-white
photographs.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 18 B 2
All accession numbers begin with 00x180.
Folder 1:
Richard Richardson and Ann Armstrong appraisals
.1a-d “Appraisment of the personal Estate of
Richard Richardson of Christiana hundred (deceased), 11 mo. 17th
1797”
A seven page list of furniture,
table and bed linens, glassware, ceramics, flatware, wheat, flour, livestock,
carts and wagons, tools, pots and pans, wine; plus mortgages, bonds, bills,
notes, and cash. Values are given for
all items.
On back of page
7 is a note about the amount taken by Joseph Richardson, signed A. Richardson.
.2 “An account of Property taken by me
(Ashton Richardson) at the appraisment, formerly the personal Property of my
Father.” (no date)
List of goods taken by Ashton
includes silver canns, pewter dishes and plates, rifle and pistol, wheat and
flour, some livestock, flour barrels from the cooper shop, some tools, cedar
rails, coffee, silver watch, wine, etc.
Values are given.
.3 “An account of Property taken by Ashton
Richardson, as pr appraisement, originally the property of Ann Armstrong
(dec.)” (no date)
Ashton took an old silk gown, gold
sleeve buttons, a caster and some bottles, a mahogany tea chest, knives and
forks, looking glass, dining table, silver coffee pot, silver spoons, and a
pewter dish. Values are given.
[These items seem to have been taken
from that Ann Armstrong who was a widow living in Wilmington and who died
sometime between Feb. 20 and March 14, 1799.
Ashton’s brothers John and Joseph Richardson were named executors of her
will. In her will, Mrs. Armstrong left
money to Thomas Gunn and Mary Ford.]
Folder 2:
photographs and photocopies
.4 photocopy
of photograph of “Glynrich,” a Richardson home, built 1765
.5 photocopy
of a sketch of “Glynrich”
.6-.7 interior views of “Ashley,” one a corner of
a room with two chairs, a tilt-top stand, and shelves built into the wall; the
other shows a woman knitting, a woman spinning, and a young man sitting with
them
.8 home of Mrs. Victor du Pont, with note
on back; taken by Lewis & Valentine Co., landscape contractors, Ardmore,
Pa.
.9 grounds of Eugene du Pont, with note on
back; taken by Lewis & Valentine Co., landscape contractors, Ardmore, Pa.
.10a-b photo of a grand house, and photocopy of the
photo
.11 photocopy of a photograph of a different
side of the house depicted in .10
.12 photocopy of a letter written to Cousin
Helen from Philadelphia, 12 mo. 20th, 1914: about the sketch that is
now acc. 00x180.5; Helen was the great-great-granddaughter of Sarah Tatnall and
Richard Richardson
[no accession
number, not part of original gift] information
from the internet about “Glynrich” and “Ashley”
Folder 3: Alfred du Pont
.13 engraving of Alfred du Pont, engraved by
Samuel Sartain (1830-1906) of Philadelphia.
This is Alfred V. (Victor
Philadelphe) du Pont (1798-1856), son of Eleuthere Ireneé du Pont. Alfred du Pont was a chemist and was head of
the Du Pont Company from 1837-1847.
Samuel Sartain was the son of the
note engraver John Sartain.
Folder 4: plat maps
.14 photocopy of “Draught of Jacob Yarnell’s
Lot, surveyed Oct.[?] 19, 1850, J. Lobb.”
It’s not quite clear which is
Yarnell’s property, but the map focuses on land along Ham Run, which empties
into Red Clay Creek near where Stanton Road and New Port Road intersect. Properties owned by James Cranston, B.W.
Duncan, and John Marshall are marked.
.15 plat map, showing roads and woods, and
what is probably a pond, but nothing is labeled
Folder 5: Martin W. Barr
.16 photocopy of will of Martin W. Barr of
Middletown, Delaware, dated Nov. 10, 1934.
Also includes two codicils, dated Nov. 14, 1934, Dec. 9, 1935, and March
16, 1936.
In his will, Barr mentions a number
of different objects, such as paintings, vases, chairs, a sampler by Mary
Reese, beer mugs, etc.
Martin W. Barr (1860-1938) was the
son of Hannah M. Justis and Joseph M. Barr; he had a brother Eugene J. Barr and
an aunt Susan G. Justis. His paternal
grandparents were Jane Adams Barr and Dr. Martin Barr. He is buried in Old St. Ann’s Church Cemetery
in Middletown.
Folders 6-7: portrait photographs
.17-.18 two different portrait photos of
the same unidentified man, taken at the Marceau studio in Philadelphia