Answer: Robert Proud 

Robert Proud was born in 1728 in Yorkshire, England, and he moved to Philadelphia in 1759. In 1761 he began a teaching position at the Friends School. He left his teaching job in 1770, and attempted a business enterprise with his brother John in England, which failed.

Proud was a strong Loyalist who briefly considered becoming involved in civic affairs. To that end, he wrote several documents regarding misuse of funds in the city. But by 1774, with talk of "revolution" in the air, Proud remained staunchly loyal to the Crown.
During the 1770s, Proud became something of a recluse. He remained under the watchful eye of the patriot committees in the city, but avoided being formally addressed. Meanwhile, he began writing on various subjects that interested him. Most of his writings were never published, but one eventually was – it became his best known work, The History of Pennsylvania in North America.

The History of Pennsylvania in North America was actually Proud’s attempt to continue work begun by Quaker merchant and historian Samuel Smith, who focused on the history of New Jersey. Proud was believed that he would be compensated by members of his Quaker meeting for this project. He decided to change the focus of the book to Pennsylvania, addressing William Penn and Quakerism during the years 1681 to 1725 and 1760 to 1770. He avoided discussing The Revolutionary War, save for one paragraph in his two-volume work.

The History of Pennsylvania in North America was first published in Philadelphia by Zachariah Poulson Jr. in the late 1790s, but it found few buyers. In desperation, Proud shipped books to his brothers in England hoping they could sell them there. Proud also attempted to have his Quaker meeting support him in the sales of the remaining copies, but none was given. The book was highly unsuccessful due to its Loyalist leanings and some very strong inaccuracies. Robert Proud died in Philadelphia in 1813 at the age of 85.

HSP's Robert Proud collection (#529) consists mostly of handwritten copies and drafts of  The History of Pennsylvania in North America, and primary source materials used in the book. Additional materials include memoranda, poetry, and other personal papers. Copies of Proud's The History of Pennsylvania in North America can be found in our library (Rare UPA F 152.P96 1797), as well as in the collections of the Library Company of Philadelphia.