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Show 12 PAPERMAKIN earlyas174; BY HAN Joshuaand young T IN AMERIC Ipin were the f this noted famil to engage fn the craft of makin the paper mill on th Brandywin bega twenty-two year of age and his brothe ber operating (1787), Joshua W Thomas only eleven Thef uncle by marriage, Mfers Fisher, was forty yearsof age,and it is probabl that the two youthful brothers depended upon other's brothe r for consultatfon and adviceduring the develop The narne of Mfers Fisher, however, was never prominently fdentffi with the actual mechanical operation of the Brandywine papermaki concern The earltest contemporary reference to Delaware's first paper mi hat has been preserved fsa letter addressed toBenjamin Franklin fro Joshua Gilpfn, the senfor member of this youthfu firm. A facsimile Droduction of this letter may be found on page 125 of this monogra the letter, dated April 30,1788, reads: "Jos Giipfn begs leave to prese his Excellency Benjamin Franklin, Esq., with the Samples of Sochlan of Paperas have beenmadeat the Brandywine Manufactoryand tor tion that his uncle Miers Fisher, Esq., would be highly ndebted tob for the loan of those boolson the subject of papermaking, which he W? Following the original Joshua Gilpfn letter by about three month Benjamin Franklfn recefvedamore lengthy communication, dated A ust 5, 1788, from Miers Fisher which reads fn ftsentirety: "Miers. Fish presants hisRespect to Dr. Franklin & thanks him for the two Volu oftheTmmac!fonso]:(he French Acac!;myw ich he was so obliging u ‘thinks somewhat better than the last he sent for Dr. Franklin's fns of Letter Paper lately manufactured at Brandywine Mills which tion & begs his Acceptanc of ft hoping it may meet his Approbatfon |