Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Samuel SHOEMAKER
He was a merchant and an active and successful businessman, being an attorney for the Pennsylvania Land Company, of London, and member of the American Philosophical Society. He was a Director of the Philadelphia Contributionship, and one of the signers of the petition to the Assembly, praying for a charter for the founding of the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751.
In 1755 he was elected a Common Councilman, and at the death of his father, in 1767, succeeded him as City Treasurer, which office he held until 1776. He was elected Mayor two years, 1769 and 1771, and served two terms, 1771 to 1773, in the Assembly; he was also a justice for the county from 1761 until the Revolution. Like many Quakers, he opposed the war, not only from peace principles, but from a desire to remain under the king.
When the British army left Philadelphia he went with them to New York, taking his young son Edward with him. Samuel Shoemaker was a pronounced loyalist; in consequence a part of his estate was confiscated, but such parts as had not been previously sold were protected to him by the Treaty of Peace of 1783. He remained in New York until just before the British evacuation of that city, when he, with his son Edward, sailed for England; while there he keep a diary for the entertainment of his wife, who remained in America. At the time to which the following extracts refer, Samuel Shoemaker and his son were spending a few days at Windsor with his friend, Benjamin West, the artist.
Extract from his diary:
"First day, Oct. 10, 1784. This morning Edward accompanied Benjamin West's wife to the King's Chapel, where he had an opportunity of seeing the King (George III) and some of the Royal family. Later, West's eldest son took Edward and several others of our party for a ride through Windsor Forrest, having first been with West and I to his room in the Castle to see a picture of the Lord's supper which he had just finished for the King's Chapel.
After part of our company were gone to take their ride, West informed me that the King had ordered him to attend at his Painting Room in the Castle at one o'clock, when the King and Queen and some of the Princesses, on their return from Chapel, intended to call to see the Painting of the Lords's supper which he had just finished, and West told me it would be a very proper time and opportunity for me to see the King, Queen, and the rest of the family, as they came from the Chapel, and therefore requested me to accompany him and his wife and the Italian Gentleman, and walk at the castle near the Chapel, till service was over, when he must repair to his room to attend the King, and would leave me with his wife in a proper station to have a full view of the King and family.
Accordingly, a little before one o'clock, West and his wife, the Italian Gentleman and I walked up to the Castle and there continued walking about till the clock struck one, when we observed one of the Pages coming from the Chapel. West then said he must leave us: presently after this two coaches passed and went round towards the Door of the Castle leading to West's Room. In these two coaches were the Queen and Princesses; presently after the King appeared, attended by his Equery only, and walked in great haste, almost ran to meet the coaches at the door of the castle above mentioned, which he reached just as the coaches got there, as did West's wife, the Italian Gentleman and I, when we saw the King go to the Door of the Coach in which the Queen was, and heard him say, "I have got here in time,' and then handed the Queen out, and up the steps, into the Castle, -- the Princess Royal, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Mary, and Princess Sophia, with Col. Goldsworthy, the King's Equery, the Hanoverian Resident, and Miss Goldsworthy, sub Governess to the two young Princesses, followed. They all went into the castle when I heard the King say 'tell him to come in' but little did I think I was the Person meant, and West's wife, the Italian Gentleman and I were about going off, when West came out of the castle and told me the King had ordered him to come out and bring me and Mrs. West in.
I was quite unprepared for this; however it was now too late to avoid it. The Italian Gentleman now left us and went to walk the Terras, and West and his wife and I went into the castle and were ushered up to the Room where the King and Royal family were, and were there introduced. Flattered and embarrassed thou may suppose, on my entering the Room, the King came up close to me, and very graciously said 'Mr. Shoemaker you are well known here, every body knows you & etc.' He then turned to the Queen, the Princesses & etc. who stood close by and repeated 'Mr. Shoemaker'. I then made my bow to the Queen, then to the Princess Royal, to the Princess Eliza, Princesses Mary and Sophia. The Queen and each of the Princesses were pleased to drop a courtesy, and the Queen was pleased to ask me one or two questions: the King and Queen and the four Princesses, the Hanoverian Resident, Col. Goldsworthy, Miss Goldsworthy, West and his wife and I were all that were in the room.
The King condescended to ask me many questions, and repeated my answers to the Queen and to the Hanoverian Resident, and when to the latter I observed he spoke it in German, which I understood. Among other questions, the King was pleased to ask me the reason why the Province of Pennsylvania was so much further advanced in improvement than the neighboring ones, some of which had been settled so many years earlier. I told his Majesty (thinking it would be a kind of compliment to the Queen's Countrymen) that I thought it might be attributed to the Germans, great numbers of whom had gone over in the early part of the settlement of that Province, as well as since. The King smiled and said 'it may be so, Mr. Shoemaker, it may in some measure be owing to that, but I will tell you the true cause, --- the great improvement and flourishing State of Pennsylvania is principally owing to the Quakers.' (this was a full return for my compliment to the Queen's Countrymen) for whom I observe the King has a great regard.
Finding the King so repeatedly mentioned what I said to the Hanoverian Resident and to the Queen, in German, on the King asking me a particular question, I took the liberty to answer in German, at which the King seemed pleased, and with a smile, turned to the Queen and said 'Mr. Shoemaker speaks German' and also mentioned it to the Hanoverian Resident, after which the King was pleased to speak to me several times in German. Then the queen condescended to ask me several questions, one of the last, whether I had a family. On my telling her that I was once blessed with a numerous family, but that it had pleased Providence to remove them all from me, except and wife and two sons, this visibly touched the Queen's delicate feelings, so much that she shed some tears, at which I was greatly affected. She is a charming woman, and if not a Beauty, her manners and disposition are so pleasing that no person who has the opportunity that I had, can avoid being charmed with the sweetness of her disposition. The Princess Royal is pretty, has a charming countenance indeed; the Princess Elizabeth very agreeable, but rather too fat or bulky for her height, Mary and Sophia are pretty, but being young their looks will alter.
After being graciously indulged with the opportunity of conversing with the King and Queen, and being in the Room with them for three quarters of an hour, they all departed and went to the Queen's House."
Samuel Shoemaker returned to America in the spring of 1786, and for some time lived in Burlington, New Jersey, afterwards removing to Philadelphia, where he died on Oct 10, 1800.
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