Revolutionary Family

This new special exhibition, timed to coincide with the nation’s semiquincentennial, will present historical art and documents exploring the lives of the extended Biddle family during the 1770s, marking the first time this important moment in history has been explored at Andalusia.

The exhibition will consider the influential roles that Biddle family members played during the Revolution, the impact of the Revolution on family members whose descendants later lived at Andalusia, and wartime activities at or near the pre-Andalusia site. By emphasizing personal stories and the relationships that bond families, the display will bring intimate, relatable perspectives to this critical moment in American history through fascinating manuscripts and objects from both Andalusia’s archives and partner institutions across Philadelphia.

Revolutionary Family will spotlight at least eight family members—all siblings, first cousins, spouses, or parents—active in early American government, military, science, and society. One branch of the family includes Clement, Deputy Quartermaster General for the Continental Army and a close advisor to George Washington; his wife, Rebekah, who accompanied him to Valley Forge, Brandywine, and other army encampments; and his brother Owen, a scientist and active member of the Committee of Safety. Another branch includes brothers Edward, a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress; James, an active Committee of Safety member and Justice of the Peace; Nicholas, a Captain in the Continental Navy; Charles, a Captain in the Merchant Service and later Vice President of Pennsylvania; and John, a surveyor exiled to Nova Scotia for his Loyalist ties. Mary, the matriarch of the large Biddle family line that included James, John, Edward, Charles, and Nicholas, was an editor and seller of early map of the Philadelphia region.

This exhibition will also explore what happened at the Andalusia site during the time of the Revolution. Although Andalusia was not established as an estate until the 1790s, the tract of land was farmed throughout the 1770s and abutted the old King’s Highway along its north border, which was a major thoroughfare for Continental and British troop movements throughout the war, while Andalusia’s southern border, the Delaware River, saw significant naval activity.