This collection (77 items) is made up of accounts and receipts regarding Philadelphia tanner Jonathan Meredith. The first 4 items concern costs associated with carpentry work done on two properties owned by Meredith (November 26, 1784, and August 6, 1790) and the sale of one of these properties to Lauman & West (March 27, 1795, and April 15, 1795). The remaining items, the bulk of which are dated in 1804, are receipts and invoices for Meredith's purchases of goods from different Philadelphia merchants. Many concern foodstuffs such as bread loaves, sugar, fruits, coffee, and spices; Meredith also paid to have meat smoked. He bought glass, paper items, and candles, and he paid for labor, such as shoe repair. Two items concern taxes (August 29, 1804, and 1804); one concerns a newspaper advertisement (November 21, 1803); and one concerns legal services associated with a mortgage between Meredith and Sarah Wistar (December 4, 1804).
Jonathan Meredith was born in Herefordshire, England, on June 19, 1740, the son of Thomas and Mary Meredith. He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, around 1755, and became a successful tanner. He and his wife, Elizabeth Tucker, had five surviving children: Elizabeth Ogden, Mary Hawthorn, David, William Tucker, and Jonathan. Jonathan Meredith died on August 20, 1811. His grandson, William Morris Meredith (1799-1873), was Secretary of the Treasury from 1849-1850.
