Mifflin's Alley - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mifflin's Alley was a tiny little alley/street in Philadelphia, near Dock Street. This alley existed until sometime between 1942 and 1962. Although the alley had been renamed several times over the years, I found it on a 1942 Land Use map that was created by the federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A). 20 years later when the W.P.A. created another Land Use map, the alley and other nearby streets had been restructured into a different layout in the city.

1810 Map of Philadelphia

Mathew Ivory (born about 1765) lived on Mifflin's Alley in 1798 when he was recorded on the U.S. Direct Tax List. He lived in a home owned by the "heirs of Jno Mifflin." This is the first document I have been able to find of Mathew in the United States.

When I visited Philadelphia in April 2018, I walked around the neighborhood to see what original buildings and streets may still exist. Although Mifflin's Alley doesn't exist anymore and there are several large buildings where it used to be, there are also a lot of old homes and brick buildings nearby.

Below is a photo of one of the large buildings that is located where Mifflin's Alley used to be. There is also a Google street view of the large buildings in the area.

Mathew Ivory
​(1765-1812)

Profile

​This is a tall building located where Mifflin's Alley used to be located. Photo credit: Tatta Riding (used with permission)

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Google street view that shows a grassy area with trees. The grassy area is very close to where Mifflin's Alley used to be.

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Below is a map showing all of the places Mathew Ivory and his family lived in Philadelphia. Mifflin's Alley is the most-northern location on the map, near Penn's Landing.

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Timeline of Residences

Below is a timeline of the residences where Mathew Ivory and his family lived in Philadelphia. Click on the street names below to learn more about those streets.

​1798	​Mifflin's Alley	​Mathew Ivory lived here in 1798 and was recorded in the 1798 Tax List.
​1799	​Mifflin's Court	Mathew moved to Mifflin's Court and was recorded in the 1799 city directory.
1802	Spafford Street	​Mathew lived on Spafford Street in 1802 and was recorded in the 1802 city directory.
1803-1804	​Grissel's Alley	​Mathew moved around the corner to Grissel's Alley and lived there for at least two years.
​1805-1809	Unknown	​Mathew's whereabouts remain unknown during these years. In 1809 Mathew (Jr.) was born in Philadelphia. He likely married Ann McNulty during this time.
1810	Moyamensing	​Mathew and family were recorded in the Moyamensing Township in the 1810 census. They were likely living on or near Grissel's Alley or Little Oak.
​1811	​Little Oak	​Mathew and his family were living on Little Oak, the street perpendicular to Grissel's Alley.
​1812	(likely) Little Oak	​Mathew (Sr.) died. Thought I cannot be sure exactly where they were living, they likely were on Little Oak.
​1814-1817	​Hurst Street	​Ann (McNulty) Ivory was found living on Hurst Street in the 1814, 1816, and 1817 city directories.

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Source for the 1810 Map of Philadelphia: John A. Paxton, New Plan of the City [Philadelphia] and its Environs (unknown place: unknown publisher, [1810]); digital image, “New Plan of the City [Philadelphia] and its Environs,” Resource Browser, Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network (http://www.philageohistory.org/geohistory/), accessed April 2018.