Dutton Collection of Deaths, Marriages, Etc.
The Dutton collection is a transcript, alphabetically arranged, of about 4000 records of deaths, marriages, and other events relating to numerous individuals and families, most from the counties of Chester and Delaware. This collection documents family events and migrations, including several to Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and South Carolina.
This book is a transcript of another in the possession of Gilbert Cope, of West Chester, who described it as follow : “The following records of deaths, marriages, etc., are taken from a book belonging to Hannah Dutton of Sugartown (Willistown township), and as I have understood it formerly belonged to her father Richard Dutton of Middletown (born 1776). There is some reason for supposing that it had belonged to one of the Larkin family, perhaps Richard Dutton’s father-in-law Isaac Larkin, but I have not inquired particularly as to its history (the spelling is not always correct). (Copied 1872) (Signed) GILBERT COPE West Chester Penna.”
Dutton Record of Marriages, Deaths, Etc. Finding Aid
by Joshua Hershey Parry, 2022
Abstract
Gilbert Cope was born in East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania on August 17, 1840. Taking an early interest in genealogy, he published his first book, a genealogical history of his own family, in 1861. In his later life, his influence and eminence in the genealogical and historical fields was far flung, having co-founded the Chester County Historical Society in 1893 and served as president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies from 1911 to 1912. Cope was also a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and an honorary vice president of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. He died in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania on December 17, 1928.
Hannah Dutton was born May 23, 1807 in Middletown, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and belonged to a Quaker family of whom Gilbert Cope published a genealogical history in 1871. She might have shared Cope’s interest in history and genealogy, having owned a manuscript relevant to the history of Chester and Delaware Counties which she allowed to be transcribed after the history of her own family had been published. She died on April 14, 1892.
The Dutton records of deaths, marriages, etc. 1770-1870, which is a transcript owned by Gilbert Cope and copied from a manuscript kept by Hannah Dutton, includes various types of records collected from various sources, mostly associated with Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. The largest records are of deaths and marriages associated with or occurring in the region. The remaining records are a list of traveling Quaker ministers, and three chronological lists of the following kinds of events: buildings burning down, individuals or families starting on mostly western-directed journeys, and extreme weather events in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Background Note
Gilbert Cope was born in East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania on August 17, 1840, and spent most of his life in nearby West Chester. Taking an early interest in genealogy, he published his first book, a genealogical history of his own family, in 1861. Afterwards, Cope spent much of his career publishing genealogies of families from Chester and Delaware Counties, as well as several works on the local history of the same counties. His influence and eminence in the genealogical and historical fields was far flung, having co-founded the Chester County Historical Society in 1893 and served as president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies from 1911 to 1912. Cope was also a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and an honorary vice president of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. In 1920, Cope left Chester County to live with his son, Herman, in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he died on December 17, 1928.
Hannah Dutton was born May 23, 1807 in Middletown, Delaware County, Pennsylvania and belonged to a Quaker family of whom Gilbert Cope published a genealogical history in 1871. Hannah herself occupies very little space in Cope’s genealogy, which reveals only that she was unmarried and living in Sugartown, Chester County, Pennsylvania when Cope was collecting his information. She might have shared Cope’s interest in history and genealogy, having owned a manuscript relevant to local history which she allowed to be transcribed after the history of her own family had been published. She died on April 14, 1892, and is buried alongside a host of Duttons at the Chichester Meeting House in Boothwyn, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Scope and Content
The volume includes records of various types collected from various sources, mostly associated with Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania, and covering the period 1770 to 1870. The first and largest is a record of deaths, notably including President John Quincy Adams and governors of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Some entries include a cause of death or the deceased’s relation to another person in the record. There are two lists of marriage records, both indicating the names of the couple and the date of their marriage, some also naming the officiating minister. The smallest records are a list of traveling Quaker ministers accompanied by a place name and a date, presumably marking their appearance at a meeting house in the given area; and three chronological lists of the following kinds of events: buildings burning down, individuals or families starting on mostly western-directed journeys, and extreme weather events in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Collection Information
Physical Description
1 item
Provenance
The manuscript of the records belonged to Hannah Dutton, and was copied and printed in 1872. Gilbert Cope held a copy of the transcript, which was published in the Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania in 1909.
Note
Gilbert Cope’s research papers have been transferred to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania currently holds only a digital copy of the Dutton Records transcript.
Indexing Terms
Genre(s)
Vital statistics.
Death registers.
Geographic Name(s)
Chester County (Pa.)
Delaware County (Pa.)
Personal Name(s)
Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928.
Dutton family.
Subject(s)
Registers of birth, etc.–Pennsylvania–Chester County.
Registers of birth, etc.–Pennsylvania–Delaware County.
Collection Overview
Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928.
1 item
Detailed Inventory
Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928.
- Dutton records of deaths, marriages, etc. 1770-1870
1872
1 item
Abstract: A single volume of records collected from various sources and covering the period 1770 to 1870. The largest record is a list of deaths of people mostly associated with Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. There are two lists of marriages, and three lists of miscellaneous events including buildings burning, individuals or families moving from the area, and extreme weather events. Finally, there is a list of traveling Quaker ministers and the places they visited.
