Daniel Lawrence, Quaker Printer of Burlington, Philadelphia, and Stanford, N.Y.

Abstract

Notes and Documents DANIEL LAWRENCE, QUAKER PRINTER OF BURLINGTON, PHILADELPHIA, AND STANFORD, N.Y. By A. Day Bradley* Daniel Lawrence, Quaker printer of Stanford, Dutchess County, New York, has received a brief mention in Douglas McMurtrie's History of Printing. "Particularly interesting is the press of Stanford , a Quaker community in Dutchess County, where Daniel Lawrence began to print in 1802. In this year he printed the American Spelling Book by Asa Rhoads, Memoirs of John Roberts and An Account of the Pelew Islands. Other titles show an equally interesting variety of material." He adds that Daniel Lawrence of Stanford , New York, may have been the partner of Isaac Neale in Burlington , New Jersey in 1790-91.1 That Daniel Lawrence of BurHngton in 1790-91 and Daniel Lawrence of Dutchess County in the first decade of the nineteenth century are indeed the same is demonstrated by the records of his many transfers of membership from monthly meeting to monthly meeting. Further mention of Lawrence is given by Joel Benton. "But I imagine that considering the small population of the Town of Stanford , in the interior of Dutchess County, ... it was possibly the most noted anywhere near the Hudson River for early bookmaking ."2 _ Daniel Lawrence joined Friends in 1788, when he, "a sober young man appHed to be received in membership" by Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. He was asked to attend the meeting of 9 mo. 6, 1788, where "his application being taken into soUd consideration, divers observations were made tending to excite in him a diHgent attention to the nature of his request." The meeting responded favorably to his acceptance of the "divers observations" and he *A. Day Bradley is a member of Scarsdale Monthly Meeting and professor emeritus, Lehman College. 1.McMurtrie, Douglas C, A History of Printing in the United States, New York, 1936, 218. 2.Benton, Joel, Some Early Hudson River Imprints, The Literary Collector , Vol. 3 (1901-02), 119-122. 100 NOTES AND DOCUMENTS101 was duly received in membership.9 He remained a consistent Friend and his changes of membership document his various moves to New Jersey, back to Philadelphia and to New York State. In 1790 he transferred to Chesterfield Monthly Meeting, but was a member there only from 5 mo. 4 to 7 mo. 6, when he was granted a certificate to BurUngton. On 10 mo. 3 he returned to Philadelphia with a certificate to the Monthly Meeting for the Northern District.4 His membership in Burlington included the period of the partnership of I. Neale and D. Lawrence. From late 1791 until 6 mo. 25, 1793, Lawrence remained in Philadelphia and was printing at either No. 33 or No. 78 North 4th Street, "near Race."5 On 8 mo. 6, 1793, Daniel Lawrence attended Cornwall Monthly Meeting (in Orange County, New York) with a certificate "from the Monthly Meeting held at Philadelphia, 6 mo. 25," which was accepted. This move was soon followed by one to Dutchess County. On 5 mo. 19, 1794 he had "a prospect of settHng for a time within the verge of Creek Monthly Meeting" and was accordingly granted a certificate in sixth month. Soon after on 2 mo. 26, 1 795, Creek recorded the marriage of Daniel Lawrence and Hannah Frost.6 From 1793 to 1802 only a single book bearing Lawrence's name has been located; it was printed for Daniel Lawrence by Samuel Campbell, New York, in 1795. However in the period 1802-1805 Lawrence printed at least twenty-four books at Stanford, many of them for the brothers Henry and John F. HuU. Among the books printed for the Hull brothers was a reprint of the Journal of Samuel Bownas in 1805. This Hsts thirteen of Lawrence's books "which may be had of Henry and John F. Hull, wholesale or retail." The Hulls also advertised a variety of reHgious and school books. The 3.Minutes of Philadelphia Mondily Meeting; 7 mo. 25, 8 mo. 29, 9 mo. 26, 1788. Minutes of meetings in the Philadelphia area quoted in this article are in the Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, Pa. 4.Minutes of Chesterfield Monthly Meeting; 5 mo. 4, 6 mo. 6, 7 mo...