"Born and raised in Philadelphia, Aspden was not a marginal figure. He was a Quaker merchant with extensive property holdings, including a home on Water Street, in what is now the Old City neighborhood, and land in Chester County outside Philadelphia. When Aspden left in 1776, he abandoned nearly everything he owned, believing he would soon return. As others celebrated independence that summer, Aspden quietly slipped away to London."
"As someone who wanted to remain loyal to the crown and the British Empire, Aspden hoped that the war would be brief. Historians estimate that at the beginning of the conflict, as many as one-third of all American colonists identified as loyalists. Aspden believed his departure would be temporary. Order would be restored, he assumed, and he would permanently return within a few years."
"The American Revolution is often told as a triumphant story of democracy and freedom. But this narrative leaves out a significant group: the loyalist men and women who remained faithful to Britain and, as a result, lost their homes, property and sometimes their sense of belonging."
"His heirs later took the government to court, arguing that the estate had been confiscated unjustly"
Matthias Aspden, a wealthy Philadelphia Quaker merchant, left for England in March 1776 as rumors of war spread. He drafted a will and appointed trusted friends to manage his property while he traveled, expecting the conflict to be brief and order to be restored. He hoped to remain loyal to the crown and the British Empire and assumed he would return within a few years. The American Revolution instead produced lasting consequences for loyalists, including loss of homes, property, and belonging. Aspden abandoned nearly everything he owned when he went to London. Later, his heirs took the government to court, arguing that the estate had been confiscated unjustly.
Read at Smithsonian Magazine
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