Lloyd & McGrath letter

Collection — Box: Multi 08, Folder: 01

Identifier: MS-0200

Scope and Contents Note

This collection contains a legal letter from John Lloyd and John McGrath of Philadelphia to Joseph Wickes, Esq., requesting assistance in collecting a small claim court debt against John William Lindsay of Centerville.

Dates

Creation: 1833; 1835

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.

Organizational History

Lloyd & McGrath was a hardware business and importers & wholesalers located at 107 Market St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John Lloyd (1805-1888) was also a stockbroker after he retired from Lloyd & McGrath.

Biographical Information

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Col. Joseph R. Wickes (1788-1864) was born in Kent County to Joseph (1759-1822) and Mary Piner Wickes (1764-1823), descendants of Major Joseph Wickes (approximately 1620-1692), who emigrated from England in 1850 to the Eastern Shore. Joseph graduated from Washington College in 1810. He studied law under James Houston, who became a U. S. District Court Judge. He passed the bar in 1810. Joseph fought in the War of 1812 at Caulk’s Field. During the war, he gained his rank of Col. He became a prominent citizen in Kent County; unlike other lawyers at the time, he did not pursue politics but resumed his law practice. On November 21, 1821, he married Elizabeth Caroline Chambers (1800-1872), daughter of Ezekiel Chambers of the Board of Visitors & Governors of Washington College. Together, they had several children, including Joseph A. Wickes (1826-1915), who followed his father into law and became a judge. The Wickes were a prominent and wealthy family in the area and were slave owners; several of the documents in this collection deal with the legalities and economics of enslaved African Americans. Joseph died January 17, 1864.