Silas Deane letters

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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; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c480ee40-d4be-0132-8339-58d385a7b928

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Silas Deane letters

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