John Bohlen Collection
1808-1865
(10 items, 0.25 linear feet)

B B63

© American Philosophical Society
105 South Fifth Street * Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
 American Philosophical Society 105 South Fifth Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
Table of contents Abstract
Born in Schiffdorf (near Bremerhafen), John Bohlen became one of Philadelphia's most prominent merchants at the turn of the nineteenth century. Running a profitable concern in partnership with his brother Bohl (1754-1836), John Bohlen imported commodities from their native Holland. Thanks to an insatiable American thirst for gin, Bohlen amassed an immense fortune that enabled him to travel in the same social circles as Stephen Girard and others among the mercantile elite and to win a spot in 1816 as one of the Directors of the Bank of the United States. By the time of his death, he was one of only eleven Philadelphians whose personal estates exceeded one million dollars in value.

The Bohlen Collection contains a scant ten letters that appear to have been retained, as much as anything, for their autograph interest. Although they shed relatively little light on the life of John Bohlen, they do offer interesting glimpses into the personalities of Bohlen's famous correspondents, including Stephen Girard, Francis Scott Key, Meriwether Lewis, Virgil Maxcy, Oliver Hazard Perry, and Timothy Pickering.
Background note
Born in Schiffdorf (near Bremerhafen), John Bohlen became one of Philadelphia's most prominent merchants at the turn of the nineteenth century, running a profitable concern in partnership with his brother Bohl (1754-1836) importing commodities from their native Holland. Thanks to an insatiable American thirst for gin, Bohlen amassed an immense fortune that enabled him to travel in the same social circles as Stephen Girard and others among the mercantile elite and to win a spot in 1816 as one of the Directors of the Bank of the United States. By the time of his death, he was one of only eleven Philadelphians whose personal estates exceeded one million dollars in value.


Scope and content
The Bohlen Collection contains a scant ten letters that appear to have been retained, as much as anything, for their autograph interest. Although they shed relatively little light on the life of John Bohlen, they do offer interesting glimpses into the personalities of Bohlen's famous correspondents. Five letters were received by Bohlen, three letters by his relative by marriage, Daniel Murray, and one each by other relatives, Elizabeth Dorsey and John Gregg.

Among the interesting items in the collection is a fine letter written by Meriwether Lewis in Saint Louis, 1808, regarding collecting debts owed to Bohlen, a letter of Timothy Pickering to Elizabeth Dorsey displaying his eloquent and gracious style, waxing over his visit to her home, and a prototypical Oliver Hazard Perry letter fulminating about calumnies made against him. The three page letter of Francis Scott Key is also interesting in that it includes two pages of excerpts from a sermon that impressed Key.

Also included in the collection are a letter apprising Bohlen of his appointment as Director of the Bank of the U.S., and two letters of one of Bohlen's relatives pertaining to an early (1850s and 1860s) interest in collecting the autographs of famous Americans and mentioning the discovery of an account book of George Washington's secreted in a wall at West Point.

Administrative information
Restrictions
None.

Provenance
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Francis H. Bohlen, 1999.

Preferred citation
Cite as: John Bohlen Collection, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information
Catalogued rsc, 2002.

Added entries
Contributors
  • Bank of the United States
  • Bohlen, John
  • Calhoun, John B.
  • Cole, J.
  • Dorsey, Elizabeth
  • Girard, Stephen, 1750-1831
  • Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843
  • Lewis, Meriwether, 1774-1809
  • Maxcy, Virgil, 1785-1844
  • Murray, Daniel
  • Perry, Oliver Hazard, 1785-1819
  • Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829
  • Stone, John S.

    		•
    Contact information
    American Philosophical Society
    105 South Fifth Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
    [http://www.amphilsoc.org/]

    ©2002


    Detailed inventory

    		 Lewis, Meriwether.
    ALS to John Bohlen     		1808 December 24 1p.

    		Re: debts owed Bohlen by Robert Westcott and James McGuffin, which Lewis will help recover.

    		Girard, Stephen.
    ALS to John Bohlen     		1810 January 1


    		Has been awarded $36,741 in the case Girard v. Biddle.

    		Bank of the U.S. Commissioners.
    LS to John Bohlen     		1816 November 1


    		Notice of election as Director of the Bake of the U.S. Signed by W. Jones, Stephen Girard, Thomas William, Thomas Leiper, and Cadwalader Evans.

    		Pickering, Timothy.
    ALS to Elizabeth Dorsey     		1816 December 29 1p.

    		Gratified by his visit to West River, the polite society and chaste manners.

    		Perry, Oliver Hazard.
    ALS to Daniel Murray     		1818 March 1


    		Re: state of Mrs. Blakely's pecuniary affairs.
    "In reply to your inquiry respecting the affair which has lately made so much noice, and which had lately made so much noise, and which has brought upon me such a torrent of abuse and malignant calumny -- I shall only briefly state that they (the circumstances as related) are all false with the exception of my having given personal chastisement to an impertinent and insolent fellow, -- who is destitute of truth and spirit -- and who has been base enough to circulate the most unfounded slander, and then deny it under his own hand."

    		Maxcy, Virgil.
    ALS to Daniel Murray     		1818 March 24 1p.

    		Thanks for the pamphlets.

    		Key, Francis Scott.
    ALS to Daniel Murray     		1820 August 4 3p.

    		Sending extract of a sermon he ahd mentioned

    		Stone, John S. .
    ALS to John Gregg     		1851 March 24 1p.

    		Letter of introduction for John Bohlen.

    		Cole, J. .
    ALS to John Bohlen     		1855 January 1 6p.

    		Sending autographs of Washington (a page of an account book found at West Point), Marshall, and Madison.

    		Calhoun, John B. .
    ALS to John Bohlen     		1865 Nov. 29 2p.

    		Sending autographs of the Lincolns.