Jane Aitken (1764-1732) a longtime citizen, bookbinder, and printer of Philadelphia, was the eldest daughter of Robert and Janet (Skeoch). She was born on July 11, 1764, in Paisley, Scotland where her father ran a stationer's store and circulating library until 1771 when he moved his wife Janet, Jane, and second daughter Margaret, to Philadelphia.

Robert Aitken was a talented printer and bookbinder. Within one month of his arrival in Philadelphia, Aitken had established a large and successful bookstore. In 1773, Aitken published Aitken's General American Register, and the Gentleman's and Tradesman's Complete Annual Account Book, and Calendar...for the Year of Our Lord, 1773 which proved his proficiency in the book arts. Based on her own proficiency and the similarity and continuity of bookbinding and printing styles sustained long after her father's death, Aitken must have learned the bookbinding and printing trades at an early age.

Despite Robert Aitken's hard work and established reputation he died leaving enormous amount of debt. The actual cause of Aitken's financial instability is unclear but there are a few possible causes. One obvious reason was his production of the so-called "Aitken's Bible," the first complete Bible in English, which he published in 1782. The "Aitken's Bible," although an artistic success, was a financial disaster because by the time it was finished, imported Bibles were available once again. Possibly Aitken's debt was a result of a combination of a series of poor investments coupled with the bible endeavor. But most likely it was the debt incurred by Jane's late brother-in-law Charles Campbell for which Robert Aitken took responsibility in addition to poor investments and the Aitken's Bible.

Like her father, Jane Aitken was an extremely talented and prolific printer and bookbinder. She was responsible for printing a number of publications when she took over her father's business including contracts from the American Philosophical Society, the Philadelphia Female Association, and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, to name just a few. Her most important work, however, was the completion of the four-volume "Thomson Bible" of 1808, which firmly established Jane's Aitken's reputation.

Jane Aitken never married, a status possibly related to her father's financial instability. Although since her youngest sister Mary Ann, managed to get married and have children perhaps Jane's single status was due more to her independent and ambitious nature than a lack of opportunity. As the oldest and the second most experienced printer in the Aitken family Jane might have remained unmarried in order to better assist her father with the printing business. At any rate, Jane was thirty-eight years old when her father died and if, as evidence suggests, her brother-in-law was primarily responsible for the majority of the Aitken family debt it must have taken some years for that kind of insolvency to develop.

Jane spent the entirety of her adult life struggling to contend with her father's legacy: a solid reputation for printing, enormous debt, and the responsibility of two younger sisters, one recently widowed with three children when her father died. It is unknown whether Jane's mother, Janet, was still alive at her father's death in 1802. Jane also had an older brother Robert Aitken Jr., also a printer, whom her father had disinherited some time before 1802. Considered only a minor talent, Robert Aitken Jr. was apparently incapable of providing assistance to his overburdened sister.

One person who did provide assistance for many years after her father's death was John Vaughan although the relationship between him and Aitken is ambiguous. For example, although he is described as a tireless supporter, John Vaughan couldn't - or wouldn't -- prevent Aitken's equipment from being seized and sold at a Sheriff's sale in 1813 yet he bought most of her equipment and leased it back to her. Nevertheless, Vaughan's generosity as a benefactor was apparently limited because the following year Jane served time for her debts in a Norristown, Pennsylvania, prison. While it is uncertain exactly how long the prison term lasted, Aitken is recorded as doing binding work in 1815. After 1815 the record of her activities becomes very sparse. The 1819 city directory lists her as "late printer," and she died on September 5, 1832 at the age of sixty-nine. It is difficult to determine exactly when and why Aitken finally resigned from printing and bookbinding but it appears to have been shortly after 1815 for health-related reasons given that her obituary reported that she died after a "long and painful illness."

This collection contains approximately 145 items, primarily correspondence between Jane Aitken and John Vaughan regarding financial matters. Most often these exchanges consisted of a brief note from Aitken to Vaughan explaining her financial needs and requesting a loan or an advance. Unsurprisingly, many of the items relate to the estate of her father Robert Aitken, including several inventories outlining the extent of his debt.

A couple of exceptions to the rather dry nature of this collection: a scathing "anonymous" letter written to John Vaughan and possibly a letter written in response. The dramatic "anonymous" letter accused Vaughan of "cruelty and hypocrisy;" the "response" letter written to a Mr. Fry, possibly Vaughan's attorney, informed him of the last leasing terms to be offered to Jane Aitken. These two letters, written just a few weeks apart, invite speculation into the complicated and inter-reliant relationship between Aitken and Vaughan.

Overall, however, this collection documents the business relationship between Jane Aitken and John Vaughan.

The correspondence is arranged chronologically

None.

Unknown.

Cite as: Jane Aitken Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Recatalogued by Anne Harney, 2001.

Finding aid rewritten August 2001; converted to EAD 2002 May 2003.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and The Rosenbach Museum and Library both have a small number of Aitken materials.