Coates' Alley ran from Front to 2nd between Race and Vine, just to the south of the Northern Liberties. Curiously, though, though both directories have listings for Coates' Alley, there are no matchups! Some subsequent investigation, based on matching up listings, revealed the fact that John MacPherson referred to this street in his directory as South Coates' Alley; comparing these listings with White's Coates' Alley listings (below) proves this.
What, then, were MacPherson's listings for regular Coates' Alley referring to? There is a remarkable lack of overlap in house numbers between those listings and those MacPherson gave for Coates' Street, up in the Northern Liberties and now known as Fairmount Avenue. From these facts the strong case can be made that MacPherson's listings for the Northern Liberties street were sometimes designated as being on Coates' Street and sometimes (more rarely) on Coates' Alley. This, if true, would be the "North" Coates' Alley to which the "South" in South Coates' Alley referred to. Why this was done may never be explained; the most likely possibilities are that either two name-takers worked that street, one calling it an alley and one calling it a street, or that the first block of the street was then so narrow that alley was a more accurate description. The latter explanation ignores the fact that the highest numbers of this thoroughfare (however one describes it) would also have been listed as being on Coates' Alley, and they were not.
The alignments are relatively few, and so the numbering system that Biddle used is not certain. He seems to have used the odd-numbers-north-even-numbers-south system that he supposedly used everywhere, but on these small alleys he did not always do that.
(1785) #11, Fentham, William
(1785) Fentham, William, schoolmaster, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1785) #12, Brett, Widow
(1785) Britts, Mary, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #40 Coates’ Alley, Smith, Thomas, sail maker
(1796 Prospect) #40, Jacob Nice, House Carpenter
(1785) #13, Fitz, Peter
(1785) #13, Frits, Peter
(1785) Fietz, Peter, baker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1785) Fritz, Peter, baker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #38 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) #38, Madam Berni, French Lady
(1785) #14, Parker, John
(1785) Parker, John, shoemaker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #36 Coates’ Alley, Parker, John, stuff shoe maker
(1796 Prospect) #36, Isaac Marks, Watch Dealer
(1785) #15, Crawford, Samuel
(1785) Crawford, Samuel, captain, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #34 Coates’ Alley, Norton, George, cooper
(1796 Prospect) #34, George Norton, Cooper; William Chadwick, Scrivener
(1785) #16, Hyde, John
(1785) Hieyd, John, taylor, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #32 Coates’ Alley, Smith, Mary, midwife
(1791) #32 Coates’ Alley, Keene, John, house carpenter, probably #32, but unclear; possibly #33
(1796 Prospect) #32, Ezekial Cox, Taylor
(1785) #18, Warner, John
(1791) #30 Coates’ Alley, Burkelow, Jacob, labourer
(1791) #30 Coates’ Alley, Jackaway, William, shallopman
(1791) #30 Coates’ Alley, Rush, Mary, widow
(1796 Prospect) #30, Jacob Burkellow [no profession specified]
(1785) #20, Kerman, Thomas
(1785) Kearham, Thomas, stocking weaver, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
NORTH SIDE
(1785) #21, Huttman, Peter
(1791) #1 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #23, Robins, John
(1785) Robbins, John, bricklayer, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #3 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #24, McIntire, John
(1791) #5 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #25, Gleeson, Caleb
(1785) Leston, Caleb, taylor, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #7 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #26, Abington, Widow
(1791) #9 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #27, Valence, Adam
(1791) #11 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #28, Gibbs, Parnall
(1785) Gibbs, Parnell, fire-engine maker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #13 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1785) #29, Woodside, Archibald
(1785) Woodside, Archibald, carpenter, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #15 Coates’ Alley, Chamberlain, Richard, house carpenter
(1796 Prospect) #15, John Weaver, Ship Joiner
(1785) #33, Crispin, Samuel
(1785) Crispin, Samuel, boatbuilder, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #17 Coates’ Alley, Crispin, Samuel, boat builder, also at 69 N. Water St.
(1791) #17 Coates’ Alley, Lawrence, Charles, boat builder
(1796 Prospect) #17, William Level, French Schoolmaster
(1785) #35, Weaver, John
(1785) Weaver, John, carpenter, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #19 Coates’ Alley, Weaver, John, joiner
(1796 Prospect) [no number then affixed to house] Edward Smith, Taylor. Note that John
Weaver seems to have moved to #15 by 1796; short moves were not uncommon then.
(1785) #36, Colliday, Widow
(1785) Colliday, Susannah, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1791) #21 Coates’ Alley, no listing
(1796 Prospect) no listing
Susannah Colliday was at #35 in 1791.
(1785) #37, Lake, William
(1785) Lake, William, ship carver, Coate’s Alley between Front and Chestnut
(1791) #23 Coates’ Alley, Lloyd, William, house carpenter
(1796 Prospect) #23, Christopher Johnson, Sea Captain
The 1785 and 1791 entries may well refer to the same man, given the woodworking profession,
the first name and the similar last name.
(1791) #29 Coates’ Alley, Wright, George, labourer
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1791) #31 Coates’ Alley, Coleman, Kitty, mantua maker
(1791) #31 Coates’ Alley, Zeller, Mary, schoolmistress
(1796 Prospect) #31, James Leonard Sentelx, French Merchant
(1791) #33 Coates’ Alley, Valck, Caspar, sea captain
(1796 Prospect) #33, William Glenn, Bricklayer
(1791) #35 Coates’ Alley, Colladay, Susannah, mantua maker
(1791) #35 Coates’ Alley, Gill, John, cordwainer
(1796 Prospect) #35, Peter Force, Shoemaker
(1791) #37 Coates’ Alley, Hartman, Peter, chair maker
(1791) #37 Coates’ Alley, Hyde, Curtis, bricklayer
(1796 Prospect) #37, Peter Hortman, Rush-bottom Chair-maker
(1791) #41 Coates’ Alley, Wood, Sarah, widow
(1796 Prospect) no listing
(1791) #43 Coates’ Alley, Limrick, James, blacksmith
(1796 Prospect) #43, William Jackaway, Fur Cutter
(1791) #45 Coates’ Alley, Dawson, Michael, pilot
(1796 Prospect) #45, Samuel Skin, Bricklayer
(1791) #49 Coates’ Alley, Brunner, Adam, skindresser
(1791) #49 Coates’ Alley, Horner, Sarah, seamstress
(1796 Prospect) #49, Jacob Duey, Hatter; Adam Bruner, Skinner; Samuel Grey, Blacksmith
Brunner seems to have been either the owner or the holder of what we would today call the primary lease
(as opposed to a sublease) and to have supplemented his income by renting out rooms.
COATES’ ALLEY, UNKNOWN LOCATION IN 1785
(1785) Cohen, Jacob, merchant, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1785) Cunningham, James, captain of a vessel, Coate’s Alley between Race and Vine
(1785) Dennis, John, shoemaker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1785) Hargey, Edward, cabinetmaker, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd
(1785) Henry, Mary, Coate’s Alley between 2nd and 3rd
(1785) Marteau, George, cordwainer, Coate’s Alley between Front and 2nd