DESCRIPTION:

Perhaps the largest metropolitan area immediately preceding the Revolutionary War, Philadelphia was also home to thousands of indentured individuals. This collection of indenture records was compiled by the city mayor's office between 1771 and 1773. It contains information regarding individuals bound over as apprentices, servants, etc. Information provided includes, name, date of indenture, port of immigration, occupation, term of indenture and other helpful notes. It also reveals the person sponsoring the indenture. For researchers of Philadelphian ancestors, this can be an extremely valuable collection, especially if those ancestors were immigrants bound over in the service of an established city resident.