Deborah Norris Logan
Deborah Norris Logan was a notable figure born on October 19, 1761, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Growing up near the Pennsylvania State House, she was exposed to significant historical events, including hearing the Declaration of Independence at the age of fourteen. Educated at the Friends Girls' School, Logan crafted her own reading curriculum, focusing particularly on history. In 1781, she married George Logan, a Quaker physician who later transitioned to gentleman farming and became involved in political diplomacy during tense relations between the United States and France. Despite her husband's political pursuits, Deborah Logan maintained a deep interest in history rather than current affairs. She notably discovered letters from historical figures like William Penn and his land agent James Logan in her attic, leading her to create valuable transcripts that were eventually published. After George's death in 1821, she wrote a memoir celebrating his life, gathering correspondence from prominent individuals, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Logan's lifelong commitment to documenting history culminated in her diaries and writings before her death on February 2, 1839.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Deborah Norris Logan
Collector
- Born: October 19, 1761
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: February 2, 1839
Biography
Deborah Norris Logan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 19, 1761. Her family lived two houses away from the Pennsylvania State House and at the age of fourteen, Logan heard the Declaration of Independence announced to the public on July 8, 1776. She went to school at the Friends Girls’ School, but made her education more challenging by making up her own reading curriculum, which emphasized history.
She married George Logan, a Quaker doctor, on September 6, 1781. The couple moved to Stenton, the Logan family estate north of Philadelphia. George gave up his career as a doctor and became a gentleman farmer, leaving Deborah to manage the household and raise their three children. However, George soon took an interest in politics and took on a diplomatic role when relationships between the United States and France soured in 1798.
Deborah Logan was never enthusiastic about current affairs but took great interest in history. In the attic of the house on the Stenton estate, she found letters from William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, and James Logan, her husband’s grandfather and Penn’s land agent in Philadelphia. In 1814, Logan began to create transcripts of the correspondence between the elder Logan and Penn. These transcripts were later published by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
George Logan died in 1821, and after his death Logan wrote a memoir about him, commemorating her husband’s life. For this memoir, she obtained letters and personal accounts from many important people, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Randolph. She began a diary in 1815, which included the memoirs of Charles Thomson, the secretary to the Continental Congress. Logan died on February 2, 1839.