{"id":795810,"date":"2026-05-14T12:38:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795810\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:38:25","slug":"born-and-raised-in-philadelphia-this-loyalist-fled-to-england-during-the-american-revolution-in-his-absence-the-patriots-declared-him-a-traitor-and-seized-his-property","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795810\/","title":{"rendered":"Born and Raised in Philadelphia, This Loyalist Fled to England During the American Revolution. In His Absence, the Patriots Declared Him a Traitor and Seized His Property"},"content":{"rendered":"

America’s 250th Anniversary<\/a><\/p>\n

A Smithsonian magazine special report<\/p>\n

Matthias Aspden spent his time abroad yearning for his \u201cnative country.\u201d His heirs later took the government to court, arguing that the estate had been confiscated unjustly<\/p>\n

\n

Kimberly Nath, The Conversation<\/a><\/p>\n

May 14, 2026 7:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Benjamin West painting of the reception of American loyalists by Great Britain in 1783
\n Public domain via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/p>\n

On the eve of the American Revolution, Matthias Aspden<\/a> made a decision that would change the trajectory of his life. A wealthy merchant from Philadelphia, Aspden carefully prepared to leave his home in March 1776 as rumors of war<\/a> circulated. He drafted a will and appointed trusted friends to manage his property while he traveled to England.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> of all American colonists identified as loyalists<\/a>. Aspden believed his departure would be temporary. Order would be restored, he assumed, and he would permanently return within a few years.<\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t turn out to be the case.<\/p>\n

The American Revolution is often told as a triumphant story of democracy and freedom. But this narrative leaves out a significant group<\/a>: the loyalist men and women who remained faithful to Britain and, as a result, lost their homes, property<\/a> and sometimes their sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

As a historian of the American Revolution who studies Philadelphia loyalists<\/a>, I believe Aspden\u2019s story offers a glimpse into an overlooked experience of the war.<\/p>\n

A wealthy Philly merchant exiled in England<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Aspden<\/a> was not a marginal figure. He was a Quaker merchant<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Did you know? Quakers during the American Revolution<\/p>\n