Page 1 of 6 Guide to the Benjamin Franklin and John Foxcroft receipt 1763 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org Published in 2013
Page 2 of 6 Collection overview Title: Benjamin Franklin and John Foxcroft receipt Date range: 1763 Creator: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790 Extent: Abstract: Language of materials: Repository: Collection number: 0.01 linear feet (1 folder) This collection consists of one receipt to Thomas Vernon (1718-1784), postmaster for Newport, Rhode Island, from Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and John Foxcroft (d. 1790), the deputy Postmasters General for North America in 1763. English RLC.Ms.513 Scope & content This collection consists of one receipt from Benjamin Franklin and John Foxcroft, deputy Postmasters General for North America, to Thomas Vernon (1718-1784), the postmaster of Newport, Rhode Island, from 1745-1775 or 1776. This receipt is for money received from Vernon on account of the post office for the American colonies. Arrangement This collection is arranged in chronological order. Biographical note Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), most notable as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1723, he left Boston for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and by 1726 Franklin had established a reputation
Page 3 of 6 as one of the best printers in the city. In 1729, Franklin purchased the Pennsylvania Gazette, the city s most important newspaper, and in 1732 he began publishing the popular Poor Richard s Almanac, thus gaining attention as a writer too. Franklin also enhanced Philadelphia s cultural and intellectual life with the establishment of the Junto in 1727, Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731, the American Philosophical Society in 1743, an insurance company, and an academy that would later become the University of Pennsylvania. He also became known for his scientific experiments and inventions. Nearly ten years after relocating to Philadelphia, Franklin began to be more directly involved in the political life of the colonies and was able to retire from active involvement in his businesses by 1749. In 1736, he was elected clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly and postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737. By 1753, he was promoted to one of two deputy Postmasters General for the colonies and remained in this post until January 1774. In July 1757, Franklin was dispatched by the Philadelphia Assembly to London, England, and spent most the next eighteen years in England as a colonial agent for Pennsylvania and other colonies. He returned to Pennsylvania in 1775 and was elected to the Continental Congress and in the following year was selected as a member of the drafting committee for the Declaration of Independence. From 1775-1785, he served as a commissioner to France, gaining financial support from the French for the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and later to negotiate the peace between the United States and Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790, leaving being a great legacy of political and scientific achievement. John Foxcroft (d. 1790) served as one of the two deputy Postmasters General for the colonies alongside Benjamin Franklin from October 1761-1775. During the American Revolutionary War, Foxcroft remained loyal to the British government. After the war, Foxcroft became an agent for British packet ships in New York City. John Foxcroft died in 1790 and was buried in the Trinity Churchyard in New York, New York. Access & use Access to the collection: Use of materials: Access is open to members and researchers at the. This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the.
Page 4 of 6 Preferred citation: Benjamin Franklin and John Foxcroft receipt, RLC.Ms.513, Contact information: Administrative information About the collection 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org Aquisition: Processing information: Acquisition information is unknown. This collection was initially processed by Leah Podolsky in 2009 and Aimee Saunders in 2010. About the finding aid Author: Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage. Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2013 September 12 Descriptive rules: Additional information Related material: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) Benjamin Franklin papers, Mss.B.F85, American Philosophical Society. Search terms Names: Foxcroft, John, d. 1790 Vernon, Thomas, 1718-1784 Subjects: Postal service--united States--History Postmasters general--united States
Page 5 of 6 United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1755 Types of materials: Receipts (financial records)
Page 6 of 6 Inventory