John Thaw, son of Benjamin Thaw and Hannah Engle, was born in Philadelphia and as a young man became an apprentice to a shipping merchant. In 1799, John Thaw entered the shipping business as a merchant and shipped manufactured goods from Philadelphia to various ports in the West Indies. He purchased several schooners for this work including the Schooners: Bee, Barque America, and Ocean, some of which he co-owned with Captain John Dove. He left this business, however, around 1802 when one of his captains supposedly robbed him of all his profits on a voyage to Africa. John Thaw then found a position with the Bank of Pennsylvania. In 1804, the Bank of Pennsylvania began work to establish a Pittsburgh branch which would be the first bank west of the Allegheny Mountains. John Thaw was offered the position of Teller in that bank and in August, 1804, he, his wife, Elizabeth Thomas, and their daughter, Eliza, moved west to Pittsburgh.
The Bank prospered and helped to establish business and industry in the growing "frontier" city of Pittsburgh. The charter for the Bank of Pennsylvania was suspended, however, in 1818 and John Thaw moved to the Pittsburgh branch of the second Bank of the United States which had been approved by Congress in 1816. Adamson Tannehill served as President of this branch as it became one of the nation's strongest banking offices. By the 1830's, the bank entered the political agendas of national politicians who argued the constitutionality of a federal bank. President Andrew Jackson soon removed all federal deposits from the Bank and the branch office was reorganized under the state and renamed the Pennsylvania Bank of the United States. John Thaw remained at this bank until the suspension of its charter in 1841. Thaw continued to work with other banks in Pittsburgh, but was also appointed Notary Public from 1812 to 1833. After the Pittsburgh Fire of 1845, John Thaw who had lost his own house to the fire served as Treasurer to the Monogahela Bridge Company (1845) which built a suspension bridge over the Monogahela River to replace one that was destroyed by the fire. John Thaw also helped to organize and distribute relief funds for the many victims of the fire.
John Thaw and Elizabeth Thomas had eleven children and lived at the corner of Third and Wood Street in Pittsburgh until their house was burned and then moved to a location on Smithfield Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue where John Thaw lived until his death in 1866.
William Thaw (1818-1889) was the seventh child of John and Elizabeth Thaw. He attended the Western University of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh, and worked as a clerk in his father's bank. In 1841 he married Eliza Burd Blair (1822-1863) from Washington, Pa., who was a graduate of Dickinson College and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1842, William Thaw went into business with his brother-in-law, Thomas Shields Clarke, and established Clarke and Thaw, a transport line of canal boats and steamships known as the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Packet Line. Clarke and Thaw entered the railroad industry in the 1850's by handling shipments of consigned goods over two or more railroad lines for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Thaw soon developed a freight transport service called the Star Union Line which he directed until 1873. In 1868, William Thaw and George W. Cass formed the Continental Improvement Company which helped to complete the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. Around the same time, Thaw was involved in the Western Transportation Company which organized the building and operation of the Pittsburgh and Stuebenville Railroad. In 1870, The Pennsylvania Company was formed to manage and operate all western routes of the Pennsylvania Railroad and William Thaw served as its first Vice President. Thaw also served as Vice President of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad and was Director for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company from 1881 to 1889. In 1873, Thaw developed and served as President of the first steamship line between the United States and Europe known as the Red Star Line. In addition to his varied business interests, William Thaw was dedicated to many civic projects and contributed significantly to the Western University and helped to build the Allegheny Observatory in 1860. Thaw was also an active member and contributor to the Third Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh. William Thaw died in Paris in 1889.
William Thaw had five children by his first wife, Eliza Burd Blair, and five by his second wife, Mary Copley Sibbett, who Thaw married in 1867. His children were: Eliza, William, Mary, Benjamin, Alexander Blair, Henry (Harry) Kendall, Edward, Josiah Copley, Margaret, and Alice Cornelia. After William Thaw's death in 1889, Mary Copley Thaw moved to "Lyndhurst", a mansion in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Eliza Thaw Edwards (1843-1912), the oldest of William Thaw's children, married George Breed Edwards in 1864. George Breed Edwards (1842-1887) worked for William Thaw as a manager for the Star Union Line and later as a freight agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Benjamin Thaw (1859-1934), son of William and Eliza Burd Thaw, graduated from the Western University of Pennsylvania in 1878. He worked as a railroad clerk and later entered the coke manufacturing business with his brother, William Thaw (1853-1892). Benjamin and William, along with the Darsie Brothers, owned the Hecla Coke Company which was absorbed by the Frick Coke Company in 1905. Benjamin Thaw then managed his father's estate and became involved with several business endeavors and philanthropic organizations. Benjamin married Elma Ellsworth Dows in 1886 and they had four children: Benjamin, Henrietta, William, and Alexander Blair. Benjamin, Jr., entered the foreign service and worked as a diplomat in Paris, Brussels, and South America. Two of their sons, William and Alexander Blair, served as pilots during World War I in the French Foreign Legion. Alexander Blair Thaw (1896-c1916) died in a plane crash during that time. William Thaw (1893-1933) flew fighter planes with a volunteer squadron known as the Lafayette Espadrille. He then enlisted with the United States Army in 1918 where he earned the rank of colonel. William Thaw died in Pittsburgh of pneumonia in 1933.
Henry (Harry) Kendall Thaw (1871-1946), son of William and Mary Copley Thaw, married actress, Evelyn Nesbit in 1905. The relationship between Harry K. Thaw and the actress was a tumultuous one and the Thaw family, in particular Mary Copley Thaw, questioned his bride's social standing due to her reputation for leading a promiscuous lifestyle. Harry K. Thaw committed murder in June, 1906, when he fatally shot Evelyn Nesbit's former companion, architect, Stanford White, at New York's Madison Square Garden. Thaw was determined insane by the courts and sentenced to a mental institution. With support from his mother he spent the next several years in and out of jail and mental institutions appealing his case and attempting to prove his sanity. Thaw and Evelyn Nesbit divorced in 1913 and Harry K. Thaw was finally released from confinement in 1924. Thaw spent the remainder of his life travelling and died in Miami Beach, Fl., in 1946.
Mary Thaw Thompson (1856-) graduated from Vassar College in 1877 and married William Reed Thompson in 1879. Mary Thaw Thompson devoted much of her life to philanthropic endeavors. She was an active alumnae to Vassar College and served as the first President to the Young Women's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.). She was responsible for donating the Thaw Mansion at 120 Fifth Street (now Stanwix Street) in 1895 to the Y.W.C.A. which the organization occupied until 1910. Mary Thaw Thompson was a member of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and was responsible for collecting and preserving many of the family records.
William Reed Thompson (1845-1906) served in the Civil War and in the 1870's he became Cashier and President of the Mechanics National Bank on Fourth Avenue (Pittsburgh, Pa.). He then bought interest in a Banking House and operated under the firm of William R. Thompson and Company where he helped to manage the estate William Thaw. He served as Treasurer to the Johnstown Flood Relief in 1889 and helped to administer several other philanthropic and relief organizations.
The papers primarily consist of correspondence and financial and business records relating to the banking career of John Thaw and the freight and transportation businesses of William Thaw. The personal correspondence is comprehensive and details the lives and social activities of several Thaw family members. These papers also include genealogical materials, scrapbooks, publications and newspapers clippings.
Series have been designated for the papers of John Thaw,the papers of William Thaw and his family which have been arranged into sub-series, and general Thaw Family materials.
The Thaw Family Papers are housed in ten archival boxes and are arranged into four series. These papers have been arranged alphabetically by folder title with the papers of John Thaw and William Thaw divided into Personal and Non-Personal Material.
This collection is open for research.
Papers of the Thaw Family, 1792-1981, MSS# 29, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
This collection was processed by HSWP Staff.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Kate Colligan in February 1999.
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
25 folders
The papers of John Thaw have been arranged alphabetically by folder title. Personal and Non-personal material have been separated and these papers have been arranged to the front with miscellaneous materials arranged to the rear.
The personal materials include correspondence, financial and shipping records, legal documents, and materials relating to real estate. His personal correspondence includes letters to family and friends and often contains information regarding his involvement in shipping and banking. His letterbook (1802-1805) include both personal and business correspondence primarily relating to his shipping interests. These letters include information regarding the two ships, the "Schooner Bee" and "Schooner Barque America" and a letter (August 1804) written to Thaw's brother discussing his move and describing his journey to Pittsburgh. John Thaw's personal financial material primarily includes well maintained expense books and detailed annual statements. The legal documents arranged with his personal materials include his marriage certificate to Elizabeth Thomas (1802) on which is a listing of all of their children and their birth dates, several documents giving power of attorney to John Thaw, and an indenture contracting the apprentice of a nine year old girl as "housekeeper" to John and Elizabeth Thaw. The materials relating to the real estate of John Thaw includes deeds, construction plans and estimates and insurance inventories. These records relate to property in Pittsburgh and include a deed from the purchase of land belonging to James O'Hara.
John Thaw's non-personal material relate to his banking and business interests. Banking records primarily consist of correspondence, bonds, and some meeting minutes. Correspondence includes letters from James O'Hara and Adamson Tannehill. These materials primarily relate to the Pittsburgh branch of the second Bank of the United States and include that bank's charter in 1817. Papers regarding the Monongahela Bridge Company include the toll keeper's record book, meeting minutes, correspondence from stockholders, and construction estimates and specifications. The shipping records consist of bills and receipts detailing the items sold and returned on voyages, invoices, and some correspondence regarding the shipment and payment of goods and wages to captains and crew from Philadelphia to various ports.
The collection of newspaper clippings (1819-1858) document various Pennsylvania tax laws, court decisions and trials, and some articles regarding health and medical issues. Materials relating to the Pittsburgh Fire of 1845 are not extensive, but do provide detailed information regarding John Thaw's personal property losses as a result of the fire and his involvement with the Fire Relief Commission, included is a published report of the Relief Commission and a list of those who received funds and aid from the Commission. (1845) Political material include a ballot from the 1805 election of Allegheny County Commissioners, the petitions to the governor for the commission of John Thaw as Notary Public and his resignation from that post in 1833, notes regarding the gubernatorial elections of 1829, and the publication, "The Prohibitory Law: Declaration, Protest and Resolutions of Liquor Dealers of Allegheny County" (1855). Miscellaneous materials is primarily published materials and includes the "Steam Boat Charter, State of Indiana" (c1850), the "Speech of Honorable H. Winter Davis of Maryland" (1860), and "Jayne's Medical Almanac and Guide to Health" (1852).
The papers of John Thaw provide detailed information regarding business and banking in early 19th century America. These papers also provide information on early policy decisions and commerce in Allegheny County, as well as documenting the major events in the city's history such as the Fire of 1845.
45 folders
The papers of William Thaw and his family have been divided into three sub-series: William Thaw, Wives of William Thaw, and Children of William Thaw with folders arranged alphabetically by folder title within each sub-series. The papers of William Thaw have been divided into Personal and Non-personal material and have been arranged to the front with biographical material. Miscellaneous material has been arranged to the rear.
The personal correspondence of William Thaw includes incoming and outgoing letters of family members and letters regarding his philanthropic work including the Allegheny Observatory and the Third Presbyterian Church. Estate materials include several copies of William Thaw's will and a report to shareholders' of the William Thaw Coke Trust that details the labor and living conditions in Connelsville, Pa. (1915). The personal financial material is brief and includes miscellaneous notes and some tax records. All of the non-personal correspondence of William Thaw has been combined and includes letters regarding many of his various business interests from 1840 to 1889 including Clarke and Thaw, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Pennsylvania Company, the North Pacific Railroad Company, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad Company and the Atlantic and Pacific Ship Railway. The legal documents include papers relating to the trial of the State of Pennsylvania v. the Allegheny Bridge Company (1850-1851) and several articles of agreement between the Pennsylvania Railroad and various freight operators including Clarke and Company (1868). The record book of the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Packet Line includes the meeting minutes of the general meetings of captains and owners and those of the executive committee. Published materials includes various advertisements and circulars for freight transport services of Clarke and Thaw and Clarke and Company and the announcement of the discontinuation of canal service and the introduction of transportation on the Pennsylvania Railroad (1855). These published items also include other advertisements, a passenger list,passes, and bond certificates for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Lloyd Shipping Map (1876), the "Organization and By-laws of the Atlantic and Pacific Ship-Railway Company", and the "Address of the President of the Lake Carriers' Association". There are only a few papers relating to the Southern Railway Security Company which includes some correspondence and the published minutes of a meeting in 1876. None of these papers, however, seem to document the events of the Railroad Strike of 1877.
The remaining papers of William Thaw include scholarly publications written by Samuel Pierpont Langley based on his work at the Allegheny Observatory and a brief biography of Langley (c1914), also included are materials relating to the Western University of Pennsylvania. These papers primarily consist of correspondence regarding contributions by William Thaw to the University, but also included is an article of agreement between Thaw and the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Board of Trustees to the University and a supplement to the charter of incorporation of the Trustees of the University (c1880). Miscellaneous materials include newspaper clippings regarding tax and census information (1880) and an article regarding the Pennsylvania Railroad's recovery from the Johnstown Flood (1889). Also included is a listing of the original stockholders for the Red Star Line (1873) a receipt for goods shipped by Clarke and Thaw (1845). The papers of William Thaw comprehensively document transportation and industry in mid to late 19th century America. The materials generated by Thaw's involvement with the Pennsylvania Railroad and other companies provide an excellent resource for those researching the railroad industry and industrialism in general both within Pennsylvania and throughout the country. The papers regarding William Thaw's involvement with the Western University of Pennsylvania also document industry and industrialist and their philanthropic endeavors.
The papers of Eliza Burd Blair Thaw and Mary Copley Thaw are arranged alphabetically by folder title. The materials relating to Eliza Burd Blair Thaw include her will and other estate papers generated after her death. The majority of material are correspondence spanning from her years in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania to the year of her death in Pittsburgh. The majority of these letters are those from William Thaw throughout their marriage often written while he was travelling with his transportation businesses, other letters include those from a cousin, Kate Prather, and her mother, Louisa Blair. The papers of Mary Copley Thaw are limited, but include a transcribed entry in her diary which describes the near collision of a ship she was travelling on called the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
The papers of the William Thaw's children are arranged alphabetically by folder title. The papers of Eliza Thaw Edwards primarily consist of correspondence from her sister, Mary Thaw Thompson. These letters often describe travel abroad to Europe and Egypt. Materials relating to Harry Kendall Thaw do not include any personal papers only various articles and newspaper clippings reporting on the murder and his trial. The materials relating to Alice Cornelia Thaw are limited and include some correspondence and clippings regarding her marriage to the Earl of Yarmouth.
The papers of Benjamin Thaw are more comprehensive. These materials primarily consist of correspondence and published materials. The correspondence includes letters from family members and letters regarding Benjamin Thaw serving on the Fort Necessity Restoration Committee for the George Washington Bicentennial Commission(1931), also included is a letter describing a train wreck in 1893. The published material includes several items related to the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce including programs and invitations for the Pittsburgh Sesquicentennial-centennial celebration (1908) and the Lincoln centennial celebration (1909), other items include a passenger lists from the Hamburg-American Line and a report from the "1926 Flood Commission Conference." The papers of only two of Benjamin Thaw's children, Benjamin, Jr., and William are included. The materials relating to Benjamin Thaw are limited and include some correspondence and newspaper articles regarding his marriage in 1923. The materials on William Thaw are more comprehensive. The general materials include some correspondence and newspaper clippings. William Thaw's career as a pilot during World War I are well documented in two scrapbooks that include numerous newspaper clippings and many photographs of the Lafayette Espadrille and other squadrons. The scrapbook from 1917 to 1918 continues to document Thaw's participation in World War I, but also includes clippings and photographs of the Aero Club of America and the Aerial League of America. These scrapbooks provide a useful resource for those researching World War I, early aviation, and the French Foreign Legion.
The papers of Mary Thaw Thompson include correspondence, diaries and ledgers and other miscellaneous items. The correspondence primarily includes letters from family members, one of which is from her cousin, Frank Semple, regarding Harry K. Thaw and his trial (1908), other letters relate to family history and genealogy. Her diaries are primarily day book with short entries documenting social events, domestic chores and activities, and some family matters. The ledgers and grocery account books were maintain by Thompson and itemized the expenses relating to the household. The materials relating to the philanthropy of Mary Thaw Thompson includes some items relating to the North Presbyterian Church and building specifications for construction of a building for the Y.M.C.A. (c1895). iscellaneous materials include various writings one of which is a speech or article presented to the 20th Century Club and describes the Railroad Riot of 1877 in Pittsburgh. These papers provide insightful information regarding women's domestic and social life at the turn of the 19th century.
The papers of William Reed Thompson are not comprehensive, but do include some correspondence and speeches. The majority of material relates to his participation in the Johnstown Flood Relief Commission which consists of correspondence, including a signed letter from Andrew Carnegie, and financial materials. Other correspondence includes a letter by William Reed Thompson stating his position on the Spanish-American War (1898), letters from cousin, Frank Semple, regarding the William Thaw Coke Trust (1905) and letters from John Brashear regarding the Allegheny Observatory.
shelf
8 folders
General material is arranged alphabetically by folder title with miscellaneous materials arranged to the rear. Items relating to Other Family Members primarily consist of correspondence including that of John Denniston, Samuel Thaw, Charles Thaw, Thomas Shields Clarke, Elias Davidson Kennedy and John Semple. Some papers of Benjamin Thaw (1817-1843), the third child of John and Elizabeth Thaw, are included and materials relating to Benjamin and Hannah Engle Thaw, the parents of John Thaw, including minutes of the Philadelphia Baptist Association (1811) and a copy of the Baptist Missionary Magazine (c1811), and the eulogy of Hannah Engle Thaw (1811). General published material includes a brochure for the School for Young Ladies at Dobb's Ferry (c1900), program for the 100th anniversary of the Old Portage Railroad (1929), centennial program for the Third Presbyterian Church (1933), yearbooks for the Allegheny Preparatory School (1898-1901), and the Constitution and By-Laws for the Carnegie Institute (1896). Miscellaneous material includes some circulares concerning voting and the Citizens Municipal League (1896) and several unidentified speeches.