Here’s my *new and improved* intro post because I didn’t want to unpin this :)
I’ve done it. I have created a comprehensive list of sources to find out more information about Charles Thomson even though no one asked.
*side note* this list will be constantly changing as more sources are uncovered. Anyone is allowed to add anything that might be beneficial. My notes are going to be bolded and in (parentheses)
Books
- Congress at Princeton: Being the Letters of Charles Thomson to Hannah Thomson, June-October 1783 by Charles Thomson edited by: Eugene R Sheridan and John M Murrin (one of my favorites. It has a small biography with a decent amount of information in the beginning and the letters really offer insight into Thomson and the Continental Congress while they stayed in Princeton, NJ)
- Charles Thomson: Patriot and Scholar by Lewis Reisfneider Harley (this is a small essay biography about Charles Thomson that gives a coverage of most of his life, however it does not go into great detail, especially about his tenure in Congress. This is available online for free)
- The Life of Charles Thomson: Secretary of the Continental Congress and Translator of the Bible from the Greek by Lewis Reisfneider Harley (I have yet to read this book, but according to the foreword, it is an extension of the previous book. This is also available online for free)
- An Enquiry into the Causes of the Alienation of the Delaware and Shawnee’s Indians from British Interest by Charles Thomson (I have yet to read this one but I’ve heard summaries of it. It’s a pamphlet Thomson wrote to Benjamin Franklin about his opinions on the Treaty of Easton, which he was present as Secretary, and Franklin then proceeded to publish it in England. It’s free online)
- The Bible translated by Charles Thomson (I have yet to read this book but I mean if you really want to read a loooooong book, be my guest. I believe it’s also online for free but I’m not 100% sure)
- Potter’s American Monthly (page 264) by Charles Thomson and an editor (I think this whole thing is just a collection of magazine articles BUT this particular thing, was written by Tommy about what happened between him and Henry Laurens)
Websites/Articles
- Harriton House (this is the website of Charles Thomson’s estate, which he lived in for the entirety of his retirement. It just opened up for the public but you need to reserve a spot because it is a small site. $6 for adults, students are free. The grounds are opened and free daily from dawn to dusk everyday)
- Black at Bryn Mawr (this is a website that focuses on black history in Bryn Mawr, PA. The link I have attached it the article about early history, specifically the Harriton House. It touches lightly on Charles Thomson but does go in more depth into Hannah Harrison Thomson if you’re interested in her I recommend this and it also talks about the black people who lived and worked there while Charles and Hannah lived at Harriton)
- Charles Thomson letters to Jefferson, Washington, John Jay, Madison, and Franklin ( @pub-lius here you go. These are the founders links for correspondence between some people who Thomson was fairly close with since they don’t have John Dickinson on there. I would also like to add that there are probably more correspondence—especially with Washington and Jefferson—on the Library of Congress but idk if they have the transcripts)
- Library of Congress (that is the link when you search up ‘Charles Thomson’ on the Library of Congress. There is definitely more of you go in person)
- University of Pennsylvania (this is a small article on Thomson brought to you by UPenn. He worked there as a Latin teacher when it was still called ‘The Philadelphia Academy’)
Archives (these are really good sources but it would beneficial to go to them in person since there isn’t much online)
- The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (they probably have one of the largest collections of Thomson material but most of it is either not online or it doesn’t load online for whatever reason)
- Library of Congress (same thing I mentioned beforehand)
- University of Pennsylvania Archives: John Dickinson Collection (I don’t know how much is available but there is some correspondence between the 2 of them and some stuff with Hannah—through Mary of course—that is stored here but none of it is online)
- “Charles Thomson: ‘Prime Minister’ of the United States” Essay (I have read this and I really really liked it. It goes into a good amount of detail about Tommy’s accomplishments and jobs as Secretary of Congress. If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and informative read that focuses on his career, I strongly suggest this. It doesn’t focus really at all on his personal life which is the biggest negative I have with it)
- Continental and Confederation Congressional Minutes (I haven’t read through all of them, for good reason in my opinion, but I have skimmed through and it looks like a standard set of minutes for any body that takes minutes. However, keep in mind that these minutes are not every single thing that happened in congress, just what was important enough to be in the nice clean copy)
Entertainment
- 1776 (this musical is the only thing in the entertainment industry that I have found that includes Charles Thomson—even things that show the congress such as John Adams don’t have him present)
Finally, I’d just like it to be known that if you look for “Charles Thomson” not a lot will come up. However, if you try and find sources with his friends, mainly correspondence, like Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, the Nerdy Trio, you can find a decent amount of other stuff too
Oh and another thing I’d like to add, I haven’t had much time to research this but I know Charles Thomson was friends with Patience Wright and James Rivington and knew of their spying stuff so I’d be interested to see if there’s anything between them that could be something different to the eye
