Jonathan Dickinson (1663–1722). To include:
(A) Ca.1707. Ongelukkige / Schipbreuk / en Yflyke / Reystogt, van etlyke Engelfchen, in den Jaare 1696 van / Jamaika / in West-Indien, na / Pennsylvania / t'fcheep gegaan, en in de Golf van Igeftrand, alwaar zy onder de MENSCHENEETERS vervielen, en byna ongeloofly- ke wederwaardigheden uytftonden. / In't Engelsch beschreeven door / Jonathan Dickenson, / éénen van de Reyzigers. En daaruyt vertaald door / W. Sewel. / Met Printverbeeldingen en noodig Register verrykt. First Dutch edition. 1707. 14" high x 9" wide. 50 pages.

Jonathan Dickinson’s celebrated account of his 1696 shipwreck on the coast of Spanish Florida and the survivors’ remarkable overland journey to the English colonies. The narrative follows Dickinson, a wealthy Quaker merchant who, after a series of earthquakes nearly destroyed Port Royal, Jamaica, departed with his family aboard the barkentine REFORMATION on August 23, 1696.

The REFORMATION proved ill-fated, with crew injuries and other mishaps occurring from the outset. After becoming separated from its escort vessel, the ship was blown off course by a hurricane and wrecked at what is now Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida. The passengers and crew were taken captive by local Jaega Indians from the village of Jobe and subjected to a long ordeal during which they were stripped of their possessions, beaten, fed starvation rations, and constantly mocked. Many died. Nonetheless, their pacifist Quaker values and refusal to fight the local tribesmen most likely saved the lives of many of the survivors.

The group slowly made its way northward, pretending—usually unsuccessfully, on account of their light hair—that they were Spanish, a nation with which the local tribes maintained a tentative peace. Upon reaching St. Augustine, they were treated well by the Spanish governor, who provided supplies and sent them onward to Charleston, South Carolina. From there, they obtained passage to Philadelphia, where Dickinson established himself as an important Quaker merchant and eventually became mayor.
Dickinson’s narrative ranks among the most important firsthand accounts of seventeenth-century Florida, documenting encounters with Indigenous peoples, the geography of the southeastern coast, and colonial life. It remains a cornerstone of early Florida history and American travel literature.

Illustrated with a 1706 folding engraved map of the eastern coast of America prepared by Dutch cartographer Pieter van der Aa (1659–1733). The map covers eastern North America from Lake Erie and New York southward to Jamaica and traces the route of the Reformation. Also illustrated with three engraved plates depicting scenes from the expedition.

Bound in attractive later Siegel goatskin. The covers are decoratively blind-tooled with ornamental borders and a central oval panel, with gilt lettering along the spine. The text is printed on laid paper. Housed in a clamshell box. 14" high x 9" wide.
References: Sabin 2017; Howes D317; Servaes 262.

(B) Ca. 1713. An important Philadelphia court manuscript signed during Jonathan Dickinson’s mayoral term. Large folio on laid paper. Approximately one page written on the recto, with extensive docketing and endorsements on the verso.

Entitled “Inquisition Indented,” the manuscript concerns proceedings before John Budd, Sheriff of Philadelphia County, relating to the estate of Joseph Browne, deceased, in litigation involving John Knight and Martha Browne, executrix. It records a jury inquisition concerning valuable Philadelphia real estate on the Delaware waterfront, with references to wharves, buildings, rents, and appurtenances.
Signed in the text by Jonathan Dickinson, with the sheriff’s return signed “Jno. Budd Sherrif”. The lower portion bears the names, signatures, marks, and surviving black wax seals of the jurors, including Edward Pleadwell, John Durbrow, Abraham Cox, Thomas Roberts, Peter Wishart, Thomas Redman, Josia Appleton, James Bingham, Philip Hilliard, Miles Hardin, and Jonas Potts, who signed by mark.

The verso retains the original folded filing endorsements identifying the action as John Knight v. Martha Browne, Executrix of Joseph Browne, together with additional clerk’s docketing and the original sheriff’s return. Accompanied by an early typed transcription found with the manuscript that substantially corresponds to the surviving text.

Together, the book and manuscript trace Dickinson’s journey from the Florida shipwreck to his service as mayor of Philadelphia, spanning one of the most extraordinary lives in early American history.
A frame for the manuscript is included, measuring: 22 1/2" high x 20" wide.

The lot also includes four books relating to Jonathan Dickinson:
(C) Two hardbound copies of Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal, or God’s Protecting Providence: Being the Narrative of a Journey from Port Royal in Jamaica to Philadelphia Between 1696–1697. Edited by Evangeline Walker Andrews and Charles McLean Andrews. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1945. One copy is signed by the editors. Each 252 pages and retaining its original dust jacket. Each book measures: 8" high x 5 3/4" wide.
(D) Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal, or God’s Protecting Providence: Being the Narrative of a Journey from Port Royal in Jamaica to Philadelphia Between 1696–1697. Edited by Evangeline Walker Andrews and Charles McLean Andrews. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1961. Original dust jacket. 92 pages with appendix. 8" high x 5 1/2" wide.
(E) Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal: A True Story of Shipwreck and Torture on the Florida Coast in 1696. Edited by Evangeline Walker Andrews. Florida Classic Library, 1985. Softbound with dust jacket. 88 pages with an appendix. 8" high x 5 1/2" wide.

(A) In very good restored condition following extensive professional conservation. The title page has a small 1" tear at the lower edge. The pages have wide margins and strong impressions, with light scattered foxing and minor age toning. The folding map is in very good condition.

The volume underwent conservation by Mowery Conservation, LLC, Venice, Florida. Prior to treatment, the half-leather and paper-bound volume had oversewn endpapers and showed evidence of water exposure, including staining and mold along the lower corner. Portions of the paper had become weak, tattered, and torn.

Treatment included disassembling the volume and removing the oversewing. All pages were disinfected and bathed in 70% ethanol, followed by baths in filtered, recalcified water to remove soluble acids. The first and last pages and the folding map were treated to reduce staining. All pages were leafcast to infill the tattered edges and the perforated gutters caused by the earlier oversewing. The volume was then rebound with new handmade endpapers in the archival goatskin binding described above.

The lot is accompanied by the Mowery Conservation report.
(B) Folded as originally filed, with losses along portions of the upper and right margins and some resulting loss of text. Old fold wear and edge tears. Numerous original wax seals remain intact, an uncommon survival for a working colonial court document. The accompanying frame is in good condition.
(C, D, E) Accompanying books are in good condition.

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