The early directors of the Philadelphia Contributionship adopted the English custom of inspecting and appraising a property to determine its value before accepting it for insurance. At the Board's second meeting, the directors appointed two of their own members, Joseph Fox and Samuel Rhoads, as surveyors for the year, stipulating that at least one of them survey each house proposed for insurance. The surveyor was to make "a report in writing to the Clerk." These reports or surveys would then be discussed by the entire Board at its next meeting, which would determine the extent and rates of insurance. As compensation, the Board allowed the surveyor 2 shillings and sixpence for "Surveying and reporting the state of the Buildings to be Insured in one Policy."

Benjamin Franklin's Wine Store 1752 Survey

Archbishop's Residence, Philadelphia 1932 Survey

Early surveys contained a minimum of information: name of the owner (and often the tenant), the location, dimensions, and number of stories, building materials and a broad architectural description of the property. As the directors' and surveyors' experience with losses grew the surveys became somewhat more detailed. By the early nineteenth century the surveyors began to list various rooms in the houses, methods of construction and to describe in detail specific architectural features. Owners signed the survey, attesting to its veracity. As years passed, sketches or maps of the area often accompanied the surveys. The rise of photography in the late nineteenth century added a new facet to surveys. Photographs could show in detail those features, which were often so difficult to describe, and by 1910 these were a standard part of every survey. The twentieth century heralded in the era of standardized forms. Although surveys had always followed a set format, now all the surveyor needed to do in making his report was to list the dimensions, location, and underline the appropriate features. Together with a photograph these forms provided all the data needed to estimate the desirability of the risk, and the rates and amount of insurance needed.

For more information about the Philadelphia Contributionship, visit the Contributionship Digital Archives. Early materials documenting the company are available online, including the 1752 Deed of Settlement, and minutes of the Board of Directors from 1752 through the early 1800s.

To view records of holdings in this collection, click the Holdings tab.

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