Pemberton Papers Lapidus Grant

The Pemberton Papers Project, funded by the Lapidus Grant, is a collaboration between the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Dr. Rosalind Beiler of the University of Central to digitize and make available volumes 1 and 2 (1641-1702) of the collection.

The collection is composed of letters, memoranda, and notes of the Pemberton family. Phineas Pemberton and his family were prominent English Quakers who migrated to Pennsylvania in the seventeenth century.

The collection details early Pennsylvania history and provides insight to the persecution of Quakers in England. The letters help to answer important questions about how and why colonial promoters recruited English and continental settlers. They also allow researchers like Dr. Beiler to draw and analyze communication networks between England, continental Europe, and the American colonies.