Kailey Freeman-DePelisi
Dr. Rosalind Beiler
HIS 3600
March 10, 2023
Analyzing the Letter of Margery Vosse
Margery Vosse is a figure without much public information, so I will be analyzing a letter written by her and Richard Mather. The letter is from August 28, 1684. While there are many indications of personal connections throughout the letter, without the context of more information, it is impossible to say. From her brief introduction, Margery Vosse appears to have been a warm woman, missing a family that does not seem to be her own.
Margery Vosse and Richard Mather wrote the letter from Lancashire, England to Ralph Pemberton in Pennsylvania. Vosse starts the letter by sharing pleasantries with a good portion of the Pemberton family including Ralph, Phineas, Phebe, Abigail, and Joseph Pemberton. This shows a close familiarity with the Pemberton family, despite her not appearing to be a member of the family. Vosse also mentions Joseph Mather and James Harrison. Margery Vosse, when referring to Joseph Pemberton, called him Master. This indicates that Vosse is likely a servant or a maid for the Pemberton family. During the remainder of the letter that is written by Richard Mater, Mather is telling Ralph Pemberton about certain financial affairs of his back in England. This content once again is compelling to the idea that Vosse works for the Pembertons, potentially with Mather. However, Vosse is not just anyone. In her letter she states, “I Desir [desire] to heer [hear] from you oft [often] it doth [does] delight my heart”[1]. On top of working for the family, this line indicates a much more personal relationship with the Pembertons.
As for the remainder of her portion of the letter, Vosse mentions Ralph Pemberton’s debts. Vosse states “as for your Dets [debts] I cen [can] but [get] [little] of them in which is sum [some] Trobel [trouble] to mee [me] peopel [people] ere [are] so bad and teems [times] ere [are] so heard [hard] I cenot [cannot] tel [tell] how to geet [get] any of them”[2]. She explains that the people with the debt are basically nowhere to be found and that times are difficult at the moment. At this point, it has not been very long since Ralph Pemberton arrived in Pennsylvania. The letter is from 1684 and “Ralph Pemberton and families arrived from Bolton, Lancashire, England in 1682 on the ship ‘SUBMISSION’”[3]. The other writer of the letter is Richard Mather. It is interesting to note that one of the people that Vosse greets in the letter is Joseph Mather. It makes me assume that these two are related and it indicates that Margery Vosse appears to be close with both as she is greeting Joseph in the letter and writing a letter with Richard.
There is no definitive evidence that Margery Vosse was herself a Quaker. Her name does not show up on any standard Quaker registries, nor does her last name appear to be one associated with the Quakers. However, she could have always converted at an older age, and not been married, removing the chances of records. That being said, in her letter after greeting the people she knows, she states “my Dear love to Joseph Mether [Joseph Mather] and my love to all your firnds [friends]”[4]. In Quaker tradition the word friend or "firnds" as she spells it, is commonly used by Quakers to refer to other Quakers. Quakers also tend to surround themselves with other Quakers.
While it is difficult to find information on Margery Vosse, in her life she appears to have been a caring person. She worked diligently for the Pemberton family and acts as if she misses them in her letter. With time, hopefully, more is uncovered in her other letters within the PRINT project that offers more context to this one.
[1] Margery Vosse and Richard Mathers to Ralph Pemberton. August 8, 1684, in letters, vol. 2, pg. 36, Pemberton Family Papers, 1641-1880. Radcliffe Bridge; Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PRINT, 15926. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-pemberton/158/. [2] Margery Vosse and Richard Mathers to Ralph Pemberton. August 8, 1684, in letters, vol. 2, pg. 36, Pemberton Family Papers, 1641-1880. Radcliffe Bridge; Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PRINT, 15926. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-pemberton/158/. [3] “History of the Pemberton Family,” Bolton Mansion, accessed March 7 2023, https://boltonmansion.org/history-of-the-pemberton-family/ [4] Margery Vosse and Richard Mathers to Ralph Pemberton. August 8, 1684, in letters, vol. 2, pg. 36, Pemberton Family Papers, 1641-1880. Radcliffe Bridge; Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PRINT, 15926. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-pemberton/158/.
Bibliography
Bolton Mansion."History of the Pemberton Family." Accessed March 7, 2023. https://boltonmansion.org/history-of-the-pemberton-family/
Vosse, Margery and Richard Mathers to Ralph Pemberton. Letters. vol. 2, pg. 36, Pemberton Family Papers, 1641-1880. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PRINT, 15926. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-pemberton/158/.
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