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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.03801 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0083] January-March 1788 |
| Title | James Swan to Henry Knox about his journey to France |
| Date | 17 February 1788 |
| Author | Swan, James (1754-1831) |
| Recipient | Knox, Henry |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Relates the details of his passage to France. Had planned to avoid conversing with people from Boston, but ran into people he knew aboard ship. Received introductions from French nobility during his passage. Asks for news related to the United States Constitution. Discusses his debt, stating his interest in obtaining a consular position to an unspecified location in Europe. Notes that the merchants' wives are the most extravagant in their spending, while the higher order are "very prudent & oeconomical, tho' showy." Discusses letters of introduction, mentioning two previous letters from Washington to Count Rochambeau and the Marquis "Chatleux." Requests new letters to the Marquis [de Lafayette?] and Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson to spare them "the difficulty of recollection, which to me is the most painfull situation I can be placed in..." Bemoans his financial situation. |
| Subjects | US Constitution Revolutionary War General Travel Global History and Civics France Immigration and Migration Refugees Finance Debt Maritime Letter of Introduction or Recommendation Government and Civics Politics Ratification Diplomacy Office Seeker Merchants and Trade Commerce Women's History President |
| People | Swan, James (1754-1831) Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Rochambeau, Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de (1725-1807) Washington, George (1732-1799) Lafayette, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de (1757-1834) Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) |
| Place written | Rouen, France |
| Theme | Merchants & Commerce; Naval & Maritime; Foreign Affairs; Creating a New Government; Government & Politics |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Additional Information | In the late 1780s, oppressed with heavy debts, Colonel Swan went to Paris with letters of introduction to Lafayette and other prominent men and eventually worked his way into a partnership in the firm of Dallarde, Swan et Compagnie, one of the firms that furnished supplies to the new French government after the French Revolution. When a business partner filed suit against him in 1808, Swan chose to go to a high-class debtor's prison at St. Pelagie instead of settling the claim. He stayed there for 22 years, until 1830, and died the same year. Hepzibah, his wife, lived in the house in Dorchester until her death in 1825 (information from the Dorchester Atheneum). |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |