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John Field Land Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS-172

Scope and Contents

25 items ; 35 cm. or smaller

Dates

  • 1796-1815

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Archives and Special Collections of Ganser Library will reproduce Special Collections material to the extent that physical condition and copyright or other legal restrictions permit. Reproduction is available in the form of photocopies and digital images. All reproduction requests must be approved by a member of the professional staff. Decisions will take into account the type and condition of the binding, the brittleness of the paper, the size and the general size and fragility of the item.

Conditions Governing Use

Archives and Special Collections adheres to the provisions of the 1976 Copyright Act and amendments, and follows the minimum standards of educational fair use established under Section 107. In applying these standards, Archives and Special Collections will copy up to 10% of a copyrighted work if the copy is to be used for the purpose of private study, scholarship or research. The department will not copy for the purpose of public performance. Physical condition permitting, the department will copy more than 10% of a copyrighted work only with the written permission of the copyright holder. Multiple copies are not permitted under fair use. For authored works created since 1978, copyright lasts from the creation of the work until 70 years after the author's death. The expiration term for corporate, anonymous, or pseudonymous works is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever occurs first. For works published before 1978, with a copyright notice, the maximum duration of copyright protection is 75 years. Works published before 1978 without a copyright notice are assumed to be in the public domain. Since March 1, 1989, a copyright notice is no longer necessary. Archives and Special Collections reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Biographical or Historical Information

John Field was a wealthy merchant and extensive land owner from Philadelphia, Pa. during the later part of the 18th century and early part of the 19th century. Field acquired large tracts of land in Northumberland, Huntington, Luzerne, Lycoming, Dauphin, and Allegheny counties during the 1790s from noted land speculators Robert Morris and John Nicholson. The bubble burst in 1798 and the inflated land prices crashed. John Field, Jr., the son of John Field, hired Philadelphia attorney William Meredith to salvage his father's dwindling estate following his father's death.

Note written by

Extent

25.00 items

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Letter book (1808-1814), legal documents, reports, memos, and correspondence relating to properties owned by John Field of Philadelphia between 1796 and 1815. The collection includes letters between John Field, Jr., William Meredith, Robert E. Griffith, and Robert Smith and discusses land dealings with Robert Morris and John Nicholson. Most of the materials deal with the aftermath of the 1798 collapse of land prices and with resulting attempts to dispose of much of Field's property.

Arrangement Note

Chronological

Technical Access Requirements

The processing fee for photocopying or scanning requests is $10.00/request. There is no charge for Millersville University students, faculty, or staff.

Existence and Location of Originals

multi-part note content

Related Materials

multi-part note content

Title
Archon Finding Aid Title
Description rules
Other Unmapped
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
und

Repository Details

Part of the Millersville University Special Collections Repository

Contact:
9 North George Street
McNairy Library, PO Box 1002
Millersville University
Millersville 17551-302 US
717-871-7134