Robert Turner was a close friend of Penn, and at one time a merchant of Dublin, Ireland. Penn was in frequent correspondence with him and, among other things, wrote him on May 5, 1681, how and why the name of Pennsylvania was selected. He was also a member of the Free Society of Traders.
John Goodson was a prominent man in the early days of the settlement of Pennsylvania, and like Markham, Lloyd, Claypoole, Turner and others empowered to sell land for Penn.
The Pennsylvania Land Company held possession until December 26, 1758, when Francis Rawle, acting as its attorney, transferred a parcel containing part of the mint lots to Daniel Roberdeau, he being the highest bidder at a public sale.
This piece of land was described as a “certain piece of ground situate on the east side of the Seventh Street from the Delaware, City of Philadelphia, containing in breadth on the said street 50 feet, and in length or depth 198 feet, or thereabouts, be the same more or less, to the middle or half way between Sixth Street and Seventh Street,” bounded on the south by the back ends of High Street (now Market) and on the north by land of Rebecca Cooper.
On December 26, 1758 (the same date as the Roberdeau deed) Francis Rawle, attorney for Thomas Hyam, merchant; Thomas Reynolds, clothworker, and Thomas How, goldsmith, only surviving feoffees in trust of the Pennsylvania Land Company, sold to Rebecca Cooper, spinster, as the highest bidder at public sale, “a certain piece of ground situate on the east side of the Seventh Street from Delaware in the said City of Philadelphia, containing in breadth on the same street 50 feet.”
This lot was also 198 feet deep and bounded on the east by land conveyed to Richard Farmer, as was the ground sold to Daniel Roberdeau. Joshua Howell and William Govett were witnesses on both the deeds and both were acknowledged before Isaac Jones, Justice.
Daniel Roberdeau, by deed dated February 27, 1759, conveyed to Richard Farmer, practitioner in physics, the same piece of ground he purchased at auction of the Pennsylvania Land Company. Deed witnessed by H. W. Dovey and John Reily.
Rebecca Cooper, by deed dated April 3, 1759, also sold to Richard Farmer the ground she purchased at auction of the Pennsylvania Land Company. Her lot was bounded on the south by ground late of Daniel Roberdeau.
These two pieces of ground of 50 feet each on Seventh Street, each contained part of what afterwards became the mint lot, which faced Seventh Street, and which was, and now is, 36 feet 10 inches front, with another lot making an outlet on Filbert Street, now covered by a four-story concrete and steel-frame building occupied by the Frank H. Stewart Electric Company, and connected by openings with the building on the northeast corner of Seventh and Filbert Streets, also occupied by the same concern.