Talk:Samuel Powel

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Latest comment: 2 years ago2 comments1 person in discussion

Powel was the son of one Philadelphia's richest men, Samuel Powell the Elder. We know from the first source here that Powell paid more taxes than someone who was probably richer, William Allen, but the taxes were probably on property within the the city, and we know from the second source that the father's wealth came as the builder and owner of a significant number of properties. Allen, on the other hand, made his fortune from his shipping firm and then various other enterprises, including land outside the city, and there probably weren't any taxes on income.

Also not mentioned is that the younger Powel for some reason dropped the extra "l" in his name and is sometimes referred to with the suffix Junior. Nor is it mentioned that Junior not only served in the State Senate (which is noted) but was Speaker from 1792, the beginning of his first term, through his death in 1793. I'm not sure but it seems Senate terms were only for one year, or at least according to the Senate source.

I doubt anyone will notice these notes anytime soon, but I'll try to dig up some additional information for updating the article. Because Powel wasn't involved politically during the revolutionary period, he's not that important, but the family's wealth is of interest. What happened to it? Did Powel the Younger have children? I hope to find out.

I'll leave a note here if I've updated anything or find other information of interest in case anyone else gets on "the case." Allreet (talk) 15:33, 9 March 2022 (UTC)Reply

Ah, the Senate bio mentions that a nephew adopted by the sister of Powel's wife inherited the "immense fortune". Allreet (talk) 15:47, 9 March 2022 (UTC)Reply

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