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Ferris-Wetherald Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-041

Scope and Contents

Contains correspondence, legal papers, deeds, and memorabilia of the Ferris and Wetherald families, who were Quakers of Wilmington, Delaware, and Lancashire, England. Persons represented include Benjamin Ferris (1780-1867), of Wilmington, Del., and his daughters, Deborah (1813-1897) and Anna M. Ferris (1815-1890), and Joseph Wetherald (1787-1842), of Wilmington, and his brother, James Wetherald, of Wakefield, England.

Dates

  • Creation: 1773-1888

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

Joseph Wetherald (1787-1842) and his wife Mary (Haworth) Wetherald (1790-1872) were born in England and emigrated to the United States in 1819. Joseph was the son of Joseph and Molly Wetherald of York County, and, like his father, worked was a butcher. Mary was the daughter of Jonathan and Sally Haworth of Lancaster County, England. Joseph and Mary settled in Wilmington, Delaware. They had ten children: Sarah, Haworth, Elizabeth, Susanna H., William, Jonathan, Mary, Joseph, Anna, and Martha H. Wetherald. Joseph's brother, James, remained in England.

In 1845, Mary Wetherald (1825-1907) married William Ferris (1822-1909), the second to youngest son of Benjamin and Fanny (Canby) Ferris. Benjamin Ferris was a prominent member of the Society of Friends. Like the Ferris family, the Wetheralds affiliated with the Hicksite branch of Wilmington Monthly Meeting. William and Mary (Wetherald) Ferris had seven children: Benjamin, Fanny, Joseph W., Mary, William, Deborah, and Anna M. Ferris.

Extent

0.5 linear ft. (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Contains correspondence, legal papers, deeds, and memorabilia of the Ferris and Wetherald families, who were Quakers of Wilmington, Delaware, and Lancashire, England. Persons represented include Benjamin Ferris (1780-1867), of Wilmington, Del., and his daughters, Deborah (1813-1897) and Anna M. Ferris (1815-1890), and Joseph Wetherald (1787-1842), of Wilmington, and his brother, James Wetherald, of Wakefield, England.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

  1. Biographical and genealogical
  2. Correspondnece
  3. Business and legal papers

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mary Ferris Blackburn and Edith S. Blackburn, descendants of Joseph and Mary Wetherald and Benjamin and Fanny Ferris, 1965

Related Materials

See also:

  1. Ferris Family Papers, RG 5/040

Separated Materials

The marriage certificate of Joseph Wetherald and Mary Haworth, 4mo 25 1811, Marsden Meeting, Lancashire, England, was removed to Chart Case, Marriages - W.

Processing Information

Processed by FHL staff in 1965 in five series. Correspondence was arranged chronologically without context. In 2012, to co-ordinate with the re-processing of the Ferris Family Paper, RG5/040, the contents of this collection were sorted into consistent series and refoldered. Correspondence was divided into correspondents and described.

Title
An Inventory of the Ferris-Wetherald Family Papers, 1773-1888
Author
FHL staff
Date
2011
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

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