W Brooks
GAWP5 presents William Brooks of Philadelphia as a planemaker working from 1791 or before through his death in 1807.
Additional information is presented on his earlier working dates as well as including his probate's detailed inventory list.
See also the Plane Gallery entry.
W Brooks
GAWP5 presents William Brooks as a plane maker working in Philadelphia in 1791 or before until his death in 1807.
A search through online period documents has yielded additional clues, especially ones from his early working years.
The document recording his marriage to Martha Cooper in 1762 is included in Quaker records. His trade is given as a carpenter. His father David and mother Elanor are amongst the signers of the document.
In a 1774 city of Philadelphia effective tax list, William's trade is given as a joiner.
In a 1780 city of Philadelphia effective tax list, William's trade is given as a plain maker which is a good 10 years earlier than the 1791 date cited in GAWP5.
Period deeds were searched and William the plane maker was not found in Chester Co. or Philadelphia Co. grantee records.
Genealogical records provided limited additional information. 1) William was born ca 1733, 2) William and Martha had a son Isaac in 1771 and 3) William's father David was born in Ireland. Little else is known about the family.
Williams' probate inventory is insightful as it includes both finished and unfinished (new stock) planes as well as his own user planes and other assorted tools. Some of these user planes were identified as counter planes. Note that two shelves of finished and half-finished planes were located above the counter.
Included below, are representative tax lists, the marriage document and the probate inventory.
1762 marriage document for William and Martha. He's listed as a carpenter.
1774 City of Philadelphia provincial tax list.
1780 City of Philadelphia provincial tax list.
1807 probate document and probate inventory for William Brooks, plane maker. New and old planes.
