What was Philadelphia like to the eyes of a young man from France?
In 1776, Philadelphia was America’s largest city and the second largest English-speaking city in the world —London being the largest. The population of Philadelphia that year was about 35,000. It would remain the largest American city until 1830 when it was surpassed by New York. Philadelphia seemed to Girard a city of churches and Girard over the years helped enhance that image by donating to their continued construction.
Was Girard particularly concerned with the uprising in the British colonies at first?
As a Frenchman trading with the West Indies he was not concerned with the rebellion of the British colonies. Ships, commerce, the accumulation of a fortune alone occupied his thoughts. Nevertheless his arrival, though he didn’t know it, marked an epoch in his life, for, from that day till his death fifty-five years later, Philadelphia was his home.
What were the living and working areas of Philadelphia in 1776?
The confines of the city were the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, Vine Street on the north and Cedar or South Street on the south. According to Wildes, in 1778, Philadelphia huddled close in the seven blocks between the Delaware River and the farmlands.1
What did Girard learn about the history of the city?
He learned that William Penn was the founder of the city and that Quakers had been a dominant force there since its founding in 1682. George Wilson writes:“Penn, a strict Quaker himself, had known about religious intolerance from his life in England and was to make sure that the Quakers in the City of Brotherly Love would support religious freedom.” As the Quaker founders of the colonies changed, so did the demands of their god. He became less forbidding. The founding Quakers had their old-time religion; the revolutionaries had their newer brand.
It has been noted that Philadelphia has not treated its prominent citizens well. Is that a fact?
It is true, with the exception of Benjamin Franklin who was highly regarded. William Penn was scarcely noted at all with only a statue at the top of City Hall that can’t even be properly viewed.
How much land was William Penn given in the new continent?
Penn's province, by calculation of the area within the charter boundaries, contained in excess of 35 million acres. The final adjustment of these boundaries with the adjoining states of Maryland, New York, and Virginia took place years later, as did the ownership of the Delaware River—including its lands—by a compromise with the state of New Jersey.
Where in the city did Girard go to get information on repairs for his ship and for information on cargo sales?
He was given directions for going to The London Coffee House which was a meeting place for tradesmen and mariners. There he could get tea as well as coffee with any variety of spirits—whiskey, rum and various kinds of ale. Just about anything could be bought or sold there including slaves and indentured servants.
How was news posted in The London Coffee House?
A book was kept for ship captains to enter information about their voyages, about cargo requested and vessels for hire.2
How many newspapers were published in Philadelphia the year Girard arrived?
Philadelphia had five newspapers: Gazette, Journal, Ledger, Evening Post and Packet.
What information did these newspapers generally carry?Ship sailing dates, goods for sale, rewards for runaway slaves, debates in Parliament copied from London newspapers, businesses for sale or lease etc.
Did Girard ever use his ships to transport slaves?
Girard, the Frenchman, was rapidly embracing the standards of his adopted American society. It was acceptable practice for wealthy and prominent citizens to acquire slaves as a commodity. Girard was no different in that regard; he felt no stigma in owning slaves. But while he had slaves in his household, he did not carry slaves on any of his ships. Biographer George Wilson said that Girard was emphatic about not allowing his ships to be used for the purpose of buying, selling or transporting slaves.
Did Girard ever meet Betsy Ross in Philadelphia?
Yes. They lived several blocks from each other. Girard bought flags from her from time to time.
How long had Girard been in Philadelphia when he heard the first reading of The Declaration of Independence?
Girard had been in Philadelphia less than five weeks. He realized that his remaining in America was problematic but he had options. He could request a return to France or to San Domingo but he was excited by the fervor of independence and chose to support the colonies against the British. He decided to stay. Girard decided to throw his newly developed business influence, tenuous though it might have been in those first months, on the side of the Americans. As a Frenchman, he had no great love for the British, and saw an opportunity to help the fledgling nation in its bold determination to gain independence, not in any combative way for him, but in the profitable business of supply.3
Did he ever think about taking up arms in the Continental Army?
There is no evidence that he did but he would prove time and time again his patriotism in many ways.
What would have been the risk for him to continue moving his vessels under cover of night around the British blockade?
He risked a great deal. He could have been considered an enemy of the Crown and hanged.
Did Girard’s arrival in Philadelphia come about by chance?
Biographer James Parton describes it in this way: “It was lucky for Girard that he got into Philadelphia just when he did, with all his possessions with him. He had the narrowest escape from capture. On his way from New Orleans to a Canadian port, he had become lost in a fog at the entrance of Delaware Bay, swarming then with British cruisers, of whose presence Captain Girard had heard nothing. His flag of distress brought alongside an American captain, who told him where he was, and assured him that, if he ventured out to sea, he would never reach port except as a British prize. "Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Girard in great panic, "what shall I do?" "You have no chance but to push right up to Philadelphia," replied the captain. "How am I to get there?" said Girard; "I have no pilot, and I don't know the way." A pilot was found, who, however, demanded a preliminary payment of five dollars, which Girard had not on board. In great distress, he implored the captain to be his security for the sum. He consented, a pilot took charge of the sloop, the anchor was heaved, and the vessel sped on her way. Girard arrived safely at Philadelphia on one of the early days of May, 1776. Thus it was a mere chance of war that gave Girard to the Quaker City.” If Girard had not been able to borrow the five dollars he might very well have been captured by the British man-of-war and made prisoner of the Crown.
What was Girard’s reaction to the Quakers?
In the whole world he could not have found a more congenial abode, for the Quakers were the only religious sect with which he ever had the slightest sympathy. He liked the Quakers and held them in high esteem, partly because they had no priests, partly because they disregarded ornaments of faith and reduced life to its simplest and most obvious utilities, partly because some of their opinions were in accord with his own. He had grown up during the time when Voltaire was sovereign lord of the opinions of Continental Europe. Girard was never affiliated with the Quakers of Pennsylvania, although he clearly admired their philosophy. Also, any interest he might have had in becoming a Mason, would not have been possible because he would not have been eligible to join them due to the blindness in his right eye.4
How did the beginning of the American Revolution affect Girard’s business?
After being forced in May of 1776 by the British fleet into the port of Philadelphia, he decided to stay but he was fearful for his business because he had a full load of merchandise on board his vessel. He needed a place to unload it.
What decision did he make to accommodate his cargo?
He rented a house and store on North Water Street and was able to leave his cargo. With this store he was able to sell and demand retail prices for his wares. Still a young man, Stephen opened a thrifty but thriving trade. In his shop he became engaged in bottling cider and claret. When the British Army occupied Philadelphia, he moved his bottling business to Mount Holly, New Jersey and continued his business there until the end of the war. In 1779, Girard returned once again to Philadelphia to occupy a range of frame stores on the east side of Water Street. His stores were filled with old cordage, sails, blocks and other materials for ship building. 5
What was the cost of his Water Street rental?
Girard rented the house and store for “80 pounds hard money.”
We know that Girard rebounded financially after the Revolutionary War. Was he able to resume his merchant voyages?
As soon as the war ended and peace was declared, Girard loaded his two ships with grain and cotton and dispatched them to Bordeaux. They returned in six months having sold all the cargo. They returned with silk, wine and tea which brought a profit of just under a hundred thousand dollars.
Chapter 3 Notes
1. Wildes, Lonely
Midas, 34.
2. McMaster, Life and
Times, 8.
3. DiMeo, “Stephen Girard [:] Merchant, Mariner.”
4, Wildes, Lonely Midas, 324.The belief that Girard was a member of Lodge No.
3 in Philadelphia came from confusion regarding the acceptance of a Captain
Girard on September 3, 1778. According
to a book titled, History of Brother
Stephen Girard's Fraternal Connection with the R. W. Grand Lodge F&AM of
Pennsylvania, Barratt and Sache, New Era Printing Co. Lancaster Pa., that
Captain Girard was an officer in the revolutionary army and not Stephen Girard.
5. Simpson, Biography,
34.
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