John Coats letter (transcript)

Collection — Box: Multi 05

Identifier: MS-0137

Staff Only

Scope and contents note

This collection contains a transcript of a letter written by Dr. John Coats to his brother Lindsay Coats. The letter was written on June 25, 1795 in Chestertown, Maryland, while John Coats was visiting his son John Henry Coats at Washington College. Topics addressed in the letter include the estrangement between John Coats and his brother, general family relationships, John Henry Coat's time at Washington College, Dr. John Coat's desire to visit his brother in Philadelphia, and his poor health. The transcript of this letter was made in 1936 by Mattie R. Whitaker, secretary to the Dean of Washington College, from an original loaned by Wayne Herkness.

Dates

1795 June 25

Access restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Publication rights

Copyright has not been assigned to Washington College. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Washington College as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Biographical Information

Dr. John Coats (1751-1810) was born in Philadelphia on July 11 to John and Sarah Coats. He received a liberal education and was a graduate in Medicine. He established a medical practice where he worked until the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, when he enlisted in the Continental Army. Coats participated in Attack of Quebec in December 1775 and was severly wounded. The following year, he reputedly recruited and supplied a military company in Philadelphia at his own expense; this company formed part of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiment. Coats was wounded again on May 8, 1777 in Piscataway, New Jersey. He settled in Easton in 1783 and began practicing medicine again until his ill health forced him to resign. An avid member of the Masons since before the Revolutionary War, Coats helped to form the first Grand Lodge of Maryland in 1787. He died on November 30, 1810 and is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Easton, Maryland.