The William Rawle letter book (162 pages) contains copies of letters that Rawle wrote to his family from New York and Europe between 1778 and 1782. He most frequently addressed his letters to his sisters P. R. ("Adelaide") and A. R. ("Anna" or "Fanny"). Rawle occasionally wrote to his stepfather, former Philadelphia Loyalist mayor Samuel Shoemaker, with whom he had fled to New York, and to his mother, who had joined him in New York the following year. The letters sometimes appear out of chronological order, and the first 2 pages are missing. Rawle often signed his letters "Horatio."
Rawle's earliest letters to his sisters, dated around 1778, describe his journey from Philadelphia to New York on the sloop Harlem in mid-June 1778, a journey of nearly 2 weeks. After his arrival, he mentioned Long Island residents' preoccupation with politics and his own confidence in British success against the French fleet in the Caribbean. He commented most frequently on his social life, his concern for family members in Philadelphia, and news of acquaintances. In 1781, he began to discuss his desire to leave for England. He sailed on June 13, 1781, and arrived in Cork, Ireland, on July 15, 1781, where he wrote 2 letters to his mother, providing his impressions of the country. He also noted Irish support for the American Revolution, and expressed surprise at the freedom with which the Irish voiced their opinions. By October 1781, he had arrived in London, where he wrote about his activities, including his studies at the Middle Temple. Rawle also noted some differences between life in England and North America, and developed a desire a return to Pennsylvania, despite his Loyalism. His final letters pertain to his decision to go to France in 1782 and note his arrival in Boulogne that summer. Rawle's letters are followed by a page of brief biographical notes and a 2-page poem entitled "On the Death of a young Lady."
William Rawle was born to a Quaker family in Philadelphia on April 28, 1759. His stepfather was Samuel Shoemaker, who served as a mayor of Philadelphia during the American Revolution. A Loyalist, Rawle fled to New York on the sloop Harlem in June 1778, when the British evacuated Philadelphia. After studying law in New York, Rawle traveled to Cork, Ireland, and London, England, in 1781. In London, Rawle studied law at the Middle Temple until his departure for France in late June or early July 1782. He studied law in Paris and returned to Philadelphia in 1783, where he was admitted to the bar and began a legal practice. He served in the Pennsylvania legislature, as the state's district attorney (1791-1799), as the first president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and as chancellor of the Philadelphia bar. He and his wife, Sarah Coates Burge, married in 1783; their twelve children included William, Jr. (1788-1858), Edward (1797-1880), and Henry (1799-1816). William Rawle died on April 12, 1836.