John Fanning Watson, historian, 1779-1860

Abstract

John Fanning Watson (1779-1860), a Germantown, Pennsylvania, banker with an avocation for antiquarian investigations, became an historian in both his aims and methods. Best-known as author of Annals of Philadelphia (1830), Watson gathered anecdotes through oral interviews, questionnaire responses from "aged persons, " archival research, and archaeological evidence as a foundation for a local mythology to be erected by authors of the caliber of Cooper or Irving. Reverence of "olden times" prompted Watson's preservation efforts. He sought to save the "Letitia Court" House, employed artists to take views of significant Philadelphia buildings, and gathered relic wood fragments associated with historic happenings. A school of local historians and antiquaries inspired by Watson followed his model in research, publication, and collecting. Despite his occasional errors of fact and judgment, Watson's works remain a primary source for study of colonial Philadelphia and New York City history.