Library Company share #17 was first issued to Francis Richardson (1705-1782) on November 22, 1731.
Richardson had apprenticed as a silversmith under his father, but was also a fabric merchant and clock maker.[i]
By 1731, he was obviously acquainted with Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and his fellow Junto members. That group drew up “Articles of Agreement” on July 1, 1731 to found a library, and Richardson was among the first group of shares issued four months later. These subscribers each invested forty shillings and “promised to pay ten shillings a year thereafter to buy books and maintain a shareholder’s library.”[ii]
Richardson gifted several books to the Library Company in 1733, including Francis Bacon’s Natural History. He was selected to serve on the board of directors from 1734 to 1736.[iii]
By 1781, he was apparently living in Chester. According to documents in Library Company institutional records, Richardson’s son John Richardson sold share #17 to William Tilton on June 8, 1780. However, this transfer was not recorded in the Library Company’s official share records.
Image: Francis Richardson’s son John apparently sold the family’s Library Company share to William Tilton on June 8, 1780. However, that transaction was not recorded in Library Company share records. Francis Richardson share transfer to John Richardson and then to William Tilton (share #17) (7438.F.7b; 7438.F.18), box 14, folder 47, Library Company of Philadelphia records (MSS00270).
It appears that the Richardson family tried again in 1781 to clarify Tilton’s ownership of the share, this time getting two witnesses to both the transfer from father to son Richardson and then from son to Tilton. But this transfer was again not recorded in Library Company’s share records, so the transaction apparently did not involve the Library Company.
Image: In this document found in the Library Company’s institutional records, the Richardsons wrote out the sale from father Francis to son John first, and then from John to William Tilton. The Tilton transaction includes two witnesses, but it was never recorded in Library Company share records. Francis Richardson Share Transfer to John Richardson and Then to William Tilton (share #17) (7438.F.7b; 7438.F.18), Box 14, Folder 47, Library Company of Philadelphia records (MSS00270).
In fact, according to the Library Company Chronological Share and Directors Register, the transfer to Tilton was “not recorded.”
According to the 1781 transfer document, Tilton was living in Philadelphia. The 1785 Philadelphia directory lists a William Tilton, merchant, on Third Street between Arch and Race Streets.
Library Company records indicate that Tilton’s share was forfeited in May 1786.
The share then remained dormant for the next 151 years. In 1937, the share was reissued as share #1410 and Gertrude Atkinson acquired it on March 4, 1937.
Library Company records provide no further information about Atkinson, but she was most likely Gertrude Atkinson (1874-1948), daughter of Quaker journalist and publisher Wilmer Atkinson (1840-1920). Gertrude was a prolific scrapbook maker.[iv]
Library Company records indicate that the share was forfeited in 1950. The share was reissued as share #17 by 1988.
Share History:
- Francis Richardson (1705-1782), acquired share #17 on November 22, 1731
- William Tilton, acquired on June 8, 1780
- Reissued as share #1410, Gertrude Atkinson (1874-1948) acquired it on March 4, 1937
Shareholders who acquired this share after 1950 are not displayed for privacy reasons.
Learn more about Library Company shareholding today.
[i] Finding Aid for Richardson Family Papers (Col. 602), Winterthur Library.
[ii] “At the Instance of Benjamin Franklin”: A Brief History of the Library Company of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 2015), 5.
[iii] The titles gifted by Francis Richardson are listed in the May 28, 1733 minutes, Directors Minutes Volume 1, volume 163, Library Company of Philadelphia records (MSS00270).
[iv] Scrapbooks compiled by Gertrude Atkinson are now part of the collections at the Historical Society of Fort Washington and Swarthmore University.