Library Company share #14 was first issued to Richard Standley (d. 1747) on November 22, 1731.
Standley was a potter. 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 Standley 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.”[i]
Image: Articles of Association, box 37, Library Company of Philadelphia records (MSS00270).
The Library Company’s records provide no further information about Standley, but he apparently maintained his share for the next sixteen years.
In 1747, his “deathbed will” was recorded by then-Librarian Robert Greenway (d. 1763), which certainly implies a strong connection between Standley and others involved with the Library Company.
Greenway had apparently found Standley “dangerously sick” when he stopped by his house, and therefore took down “instructions for his will in writing on an old letter which [Greenway] . . . had in his pocket in a manner scarse [sic] intelligible to any save [him].”[ii]
In addition to bequests to Standley’s wife and a few others, Richard left most of his estate to his brother Valentine Standley (d. 1781) and his cousin William Standley and their heirs, including the “old House adjoining his Dwelling House and also the Pothouse and yard . . . Likewise the Negroes and appurtenances belonging to the Potters Business.”[iii]
Sometime after Richard’s death, Library Company share #14 passed to his brother Valentine Standley (d. 1781). The date of that transfer is not recorded, but given Librarian Greenway’s presence at Richard’s deathbed, the transfer would have been well-understood at the Library Company.
Valentine too was a potter, though some records from his lifetime show his occupation as “brewer” as well.
He maintained the share for the rest of his life.
Valentine’s 1781 will does not specify what should happen with the Library Company share, but it does direct his wife to inherit one enslaved person named Violet. It is not clear if the pottery business still relied on enslaved people.[iv]
Valentine’s executor William Shippen eventually sold share #14 to Samuel Anderson on August 13, 1791.
The transfer document identifies Anderson as a “gentleman.” The 1791 Philadelphia directory lists him as a broker based on Mulberry Street.
Library Company records indicate that Anderson forfeited the share in May 1794.
After Anderson forfeited the share, it remained dormant for the next 140 years. The share was reissued as share #1338 in 1934, and issued to Brandon Barringer (1899-1991) on May 7, 1934.
Barringer worked in finance. He also served as treasurer of Curtis Publishing Company and as a trustee of Jefferson Hospital, among other roles.[v]
The share was reissued as share #14 by 1991.
Share History:
- Richard Standley (d. 1747), acquired share #14 on November 22, 1731
- Valentine Standley (d. 1781), acquisition date not recorded
- Samuel Anderson, acquired on August 13, 1791
- Reissued as share #1338, acquired by Brandon Barringer (1899-1991) on May 7, 1934
- Reissued as share #14 in 1991
Shareholders who acquired this share after 1950 are not displayed for privacy reasons.
Learn more about Library Company shareholding today.
[i] “At the Instance of Benjamin Franklin”: A Brief History of the Library Company of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 2015), 5.
[ii] Richard Standley will in Philadelphia Wills, Vol F-H, 1736-1748. Courtesy of AncestryLibrary.com.
[iii] Richard Standley will.
[iv] Valentine Standley will in Philadelphia Wills, Vol R-S, 1778-1784. Courtesy of AncestryLibrary.com.
[v] Finding Aid for Brandon Barringer Papers (collection 1998), Historical Society of Pennsylvania https://discover.hsp.org/Record/ead-1998 (accessed September 10, 2024).