TITLE: Letter from George Emlen of Philadelphia to John Bowne
DOCUMENT ID: BFP 2018.1.02-21
DATE: 18 September 1695 (Old Style) / 28 September 1695 (New Style)
George Emlen orders apple cider ("Zyder") from John Bowne. If Bowne can send some as good as a previous batch marked W.P. (William Penn?) to his agent Samuel Jennings, it will come to market in the correspondent's area by fall or early spring. He declares Bowne's cider the best that he has found, and plans to take more than 10 barrels. Because of scarce crops where he lives, the author believes the cider would go for 20 pounds a barrel locally.
Notes:
George Emlen (b. c.1657, England - d.1710, Philadelphia): prominent Philadelphia Quaker and brewer by trade.
John Bowne was a known trading partner of William Penn; his account book specifically records sale of cider to him. For his part, Penn granted Bowne 1,000 acres of land in the new colony of Pennsylvania.