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Edward Roberts (mayor)

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Edward Roberts (c.1680 – c.1741) was a colonial mayor of Philadelphia. Upon emigrating to the United States he became a prosperous merchant and landowner. He served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1739 to 1740.

Background

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Roberts was born in Llanvawr, Merionethshire, Wales,[1] the third son of Hugh Roberts [Wikidata],[2] a prominent Quaker preacher.[3][1] Roberts emigrated to the United States as a child when his father moved to the colonies in 1684 to bring his ministry to the people there.[4][1] Roberts' father was a successful minister and property speculator upon arrival in Pennsylvania. Edward Roberts would inherit a 200 acre property, "Chestnut Hill" from his father, land that would later become part of Fairmount Park.[1]

Roberts became a freeman of Philadelphia in 1717.[3] That year, he served as a town councilman.[5]

In 1736, he was one of the signers of the Articles creating the Union Fire Company to develop what would become the first volunteer fire department in the United States in Philadelphia.[6][7] He was elected Mayor on October 2, 1739.[3][5] Roberts was said to use a seal that included "a rose, under a crown, between two human hearts" for his correspondence.[1]

Personal life

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He had four children, Hugh, Jane, Mary and Susannah Elizabeth. His son, Hugh Roberts (1706–1786) was a Philadelphia merchant known as one of Benjamin Franklin's closest friends.[8][9] His daughter Jane, would marry William Fishbourne, mayor of Philadelphia. His daughter, Susannah Elizabeth, married doctor Thomas Bond[1][10] in 1735.[citation needed] Mary married Mordecai Yarnall.[11]

In 1741 Roberts died in Philadelphia County, now Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Welsh settlement of Pennsylvania by Browning, Charles Henry Publication date 1912 Publisher Philadelphia, W. J. Campbell Pages cited 95- 105
  2. ^ Owen, R. (., (1959). ROBERTS, HUGH (1644? - 1702), Quaker. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 12 Nov 2024, from https://biography.wales/article/s-ROBE-HUG-1644
  3. ^ a b c Young, John Russell (1895). Memorial History of the City of Philadelphia, from Its First Settlement to Year 1895: Narrative and critical history, 1681-1895. New York History Company. p. 239.
  4. ^ Bowden, James (1850). The history of the Society of Friends in America. Robarts - University of Toronto. London C. Giplin. pp. 52, 252, 253.
  5. ^ a b Hazard, Samuel; Linn, John Blair; Egle, William Henry; Reed, George Edward; Montgomery, Thomas Lynch; MacKinney, Gertrude; Hoban, Charles Francis (1880). Pennsylvania Archives. J. Severns & Company. pp. 731, 729.
  6. ^ “Articles of the Union Fire Company, 7 December 1736,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-02-02-0024. [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 2, January 1, 1735, through December 31, 1744, ed. Leonard W. Labaree. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1961, pp. 150–154.]
  7. ^ Lemay, J. A. Leo (2013-06-03). The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 2: Printer and Publisher, 173-1747. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 366. ISBN 978-0-8122-0929-7.
  8. ^ “From Benjamin Franklin to Hugh Roberts, 16 July 1753,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-05-02-0004. [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 5, July 1, 1753, through March 31, 1755, ed. Leonard W. Labaree. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1962, pp. 11–12.]
  9. ^ "Hugh Roberts (68), APS Members Bibliography". membib.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  10. ^ "Thomas Bond". University Archives and Records Center. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  11. ^ "Series 1: Mordecai Yarnall (1705-1772) family correspondence, 1757 - 1758 | Archives & Manuscripts". archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
Preceded by Mayor of Philadelphia
1739−1740 		Succeeded by
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