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Lavington Quick Papers, 1861-1865 (bulk) 1847-1876, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.6 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 5 flat files)
Abstract:
Lavington Quick (1819-1876) served as a U.S. Army Brigadier surgeon during the Civil War. The Lavington Quick Papers contain various documents pertaining to his medical career, as well as medicine and hospitals during the Civil War. The collection contains records of Quick's medical schooling, reports of inspections of soldiers, records of medical discharges, invoices for medical supplies received by Dr. Quick, mainly at the Army hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, special Army orders regarding Quick and others. There are a number of newspapers articles by Quick, that touch on the state of the Army and the hospitals but speak mostly to the political events and currents of the early 1860s. Additionally, there are other newspaper clippings, photographs, currency, and stock certificates. From the collection, one can gather a fair bit about the inner workings of the surgeon general's office during the Civil War, and of the state of medicine in wartime.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Herbert Welsh collection, 1898-1925 (bulk) 1759-1935, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
59.4 linear feet (; 120 boxes, 14 flat files, 145 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Herbert Welsh, noted political reformer and activist, founder of the Indian Rights Association, editor and publicist, and advocate for the conservation of the forests of Lake Sunapee. The collection also contain papers collected by Herbert Welsh, mostly by his father John Welsh, Philadelphia merchant, U.S. diplomat, and chairman of the International Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The collection spans from 1759 to 1935 with the bulk of the materials covering the years between 1898 and 1925 and includes correspondence, financial files, papers related to Welsh’s interests and activism, broadsides, pamphlets, serials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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James Wilson papers, 1710-1877, undated; bulk 1775-1794

Extent:
6.4 linear feet (; 16 boxes, 4 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
James Wilson (1742-1789) was one of Pennsylvania's leading politicians during the nation's founding years. He signed the Declaration of Independence, assisted in drafting the United States Constitution, and was a member of the Continental Congress. Wilson was also one of six men apointment by George Washington to the first Supreme Court of the United States. This collection contains a variety of papers on the early federal government and on James Wilson's business and professional activities. There are copies of drafts of the Constitution and a corrected copy of the same, notes of debates and resolutions in the Constitutional Convention, items on the establishment of the national bank, Wilson's business and personal correspondence, letters of Mary Wilson Hollingsworth, and miscellaneous documents.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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George Wolf papers, 1817-1852, undated (bulk 1830-1835)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes)
Abstract:
George Wolf (1777-1840) served as Pennsylvania governor from 1829 to 1835. He worked as a lawyer and was elected America's first comptroller of the United States Treasury. This collection contains mostly his incoming correspondence and generally spans Wolf's time in office in Pennsylvania. There are letters and petitions concerning his administration and state and national politics, as well as related miscellaneous documents.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Jasper Yeates papers, 1733-1876 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.2 linear feet (; 50 boxes)
Abstract:
Jasper Yeates (1745-1817) was a leading lawyer in Lancaster County and associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; the collection contains his notes on trials, evidence, arguments, depositions, and judicial opinions rendered in numerous legal cases. Making up a large portion of the papers is his personal correspondence with noted men such as Edward Burd, Thomas Hartley, Richard Peters, William Tilghman, and others, which deals with political events, public questions, and congressional and administrative affairs. There is also Yeates's personal correspondence with his wife Sarah Yeates. The collection also contains papers of John Yeates that relate chiefly to commerce and shipping between the Middle Atlantic colonies and Barbados, Antigua, and other islands in the West Indies. Other items include Redmond Conyngham letters and essays, Peter Grubb estate papers and accounts, Jasper Yeates Cunningham family papers, the work Chronology of the History of the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt papers, 1879-1950 (bulk) 1769-1950, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
18.2 linear feet (39 boxes, 29 volumes, 23 flat files)
Abstract:
Mary Elizabeth Hallock’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1882 at the age of eleven set into motion a forty-year career as a musician, inventor, lecturer, writer and political activist. Born in Beirut, September 8, 1871 to Sara (Tabet) Hallock, descendant of an aristocratic Syrian family, and Samuel Hallock, a U.S. consul, she was educated in Beirut and Philadelphia. A gifted musician, Hallock graduated from Philadelphia’s Musical Academy in 1893, and in 1897 studied piano in Vienna with Theodore Leschetizky. In 1898 in Johnstown, New York, Hallock married Dr. Frank L. Greenewalt, thirty-two years old and a physician-in-chief at Girard College. The Greenewalts had one son, Crawford, born in 1902. Greenewalt, a pianist noted for her interpretation of Chopin, began in the early 1900s to investigate how gradated colored lighting might enhance the emotional expression of music. By 1920 Greenewalt had obtained the first of many patents covering a color organ designed to project a sequence of...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers, 1865-1923

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
Merion Cricket Club was established in 1865 outside of Philadelphia, PA as a social and athletic club and is still in operation as of 2017. Early in its history Merion was known for cricket, tennis, football (soccer), and golf, before the Merion Golf Club became its own entity. Today, the club offers a variety of athletic activities including tennis, squash, and bowling. The Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers date from 1865 to 1923 and consist of scrapbooks containing letters, announcements, photographs, menus, ephemera, clippings, and other items documenting the activities of the Merion Cricket Club and its members. There is also one box of additional (loose) printed matter relating to Merion.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902

Extent:
1.375 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was organized in 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to advance the interests of cycling and promote the riding of bicycles as a means of exercise, locomotion, and enjoyment. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was dissolved in 1902 and its assets were distributed to the Philadelphia Cycle and Field Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902, consist of administrative materials such as minutes, charter and bylaws, correspondence meeting announcements, and membership materials, as well as financial and property records, including several materials related to the construction and maintenance of the club house at 26th and Perot streets.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia County Board of Assistance records on employees dismissed for alleged Communist affiliations, 1940-1942

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia County Board of Assistance (PCBA) was created in 1937 under policies established by Pennsylvania’s Board of Public Assistance and Department of Public Welfare. These two entities supervised and regulated the county boards, which attended to the social welfare and financial needs of their respective populations. In October and November 1941, the PCBA dismissed some of its employees due to their alleged connections to and affiliations with the Communist Party. Several dozen discharged employees subsequently filed appeals—transcripts from these hearings make up the bulk of this collection. Between November 1941 and April 1942, these hearings were held before a reviewing board of the PCBA, which was chaired by W. W. Montgomery and whose members included Charles M. B. Cadwalader, Joseph E. Beck, Boyd L. Spahr, and James Edgar Gibson. Also present were William C. Ferguson, special counsel for the Department of Public Assistance, and other lawyers for various appellants....(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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North American Land Company records, 1765-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
14.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 92 volumes)
Abstract:
Robert Morris (1734-1806), James Greenleaf (1765-1843), and John Nicholson (1757-1800) founded the North American Land Company on February 20, 1795. The North American Land Company was one of the largest land trusts in American history. The land company had 30,000 shares of stock, each valued at $100, and a total of 6 million acres of land in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Some of those associated with the company include: James Greenleaf, Robert James, Tobias Lear, Robert Morris, John Nicholson, Benjamin Tilghman, and James Wilson. The North American Land Company was plagued by serious financial difficulties and all three of its founders were sent to debtors’ prison. The North American Land Company remained in existence until 1872. The North American Land Company records include financial and administrative records as well as correspondence, deeds, and shares of the company’s stock from 1793-1898. The...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Nazareth Hall School for Boys account books, 1785-1840 (bulk) 1785-1870 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet (; 112 volumes, 5 boxes)
Abstract:
Nazareth Hall School for Boys was founded by the Moravian Church in Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1759. At first, the school only accepted the sons of Moravian clergy, but they opened their enrollment to other boys in the community by 1762. The school was forced to close temoporarily due to financial difficulty in 1779. In 1785, Nazareth Hall re-opened as a boarding school with a revised curriculum that emphasized classical education as well as vocational training and religious instruction. In 1862, students were organized into a uniformed cadet company and military drill was introduced as part of a routine of physical education. Shortly thereafter, Nazareth Hall gained a reputation as a military academy which it mainted until the school's closure in 1929. This collection documents certain aspects of the school's finances, especially the personal billing accounts for certain students and accounts with local craftsmen and laborers who provided services to the school. Also included are...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of Civil War papers, 1861-1865 (bulk) 1830-1923 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.1 linear feet (8 boxes, 15 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
The Civil War papers contain several different types of materials including muster rolls, daily reports, order books, official government documents, personal and official correspondence, and other Civil War ephemera. The bulk of this collection is contained within Series One, which contains documents generated by the military. These provide a glimpse into the logistical planning and book-keeping which the business of war required. Also represented are several civilian organizations and individual persons.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records, 1862-1863 (bulk) 1861-1887, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
9.8 linear feet (22 boxes, 13 volumes)
Abstract:
The Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records relate to an effort in Philadelphia in 1862 to encourage Union enlistments through the payments of bounties and premiums. The records include the administrative papers of the committee, as well as the enlistment and bounty records of the men who qualified for bounties under the system. Administrative papers include resolutions, committee reports, minutes, and assorted financial papers. The bulk of the collection is volunteer enlistment forms, enlistment affidavits, bounty certificates, muster forms, muster rolls, and lists and statements of bounties and premiums paid.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Simon Gratz papers, 1838-1943 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.0 linear feet (; 19 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
Correspondence of Simon Gratz, Philadelphia lawyer, autograph collector, and member of the Philadelphia Board of Education, including letters from most of the politically prominent Philadelphians of the period. There is considerable material on the public schools of Philadelphia.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Plumsted family papers, 1702-1890, undated

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
The Plumsted family was a distinguished and prolific Quaker family with connections to several prominent persons in early Philadelphia. The documents in this collection relate to Clement Plumsted, a wealthy Pennsylvania merchant and land owner, and his son William. Both father and son served as mayor of colonial Philadelphia. Last will and testaments, obituaries and financial papers give an outline of various family members and their offspring’s personal affairs and accomplishments. Deeds and land transfer documents describe land holdings on South Front Street, Philadelphia, Warren County, Pennsylvania, and Harrison County, Virginia. Correspondence with the Gore, Elliot and Cathcart families discuss financial, health and personal matters. The family name is spelled both as “Plumsted” and “Plumstead,” in these papers. Correspondence and documents use both spellings and no clear date can be drawn as to when one spelling is used henceforth. It is apparent, however, that the earlier...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Claude W. Unger collection, 1790-1870 (bulk) 1647-1921 (inclusive)

Extent:
34.0 linear feet (; 40 boxes, 112 volumes)
Abstract:
Most of the Claude W. Unger collection at HSP once formed part of the extensive stock of Unger, a book and manuscript dealer in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, who was most active between 1925 and 1937. The collection contains letters and documents representing some 2,000 individuals connected to a wide range of subjects. People from the 19th century such as abolitionists, women’s suffragists, scientists, and politicians (particularly Pennsylvania politicians) are the most commonly represented individuals in the collection. In addition to the 40 document boxes, there are 112 volumes in the collection. The volumes consist of account books, court dockets, and school exercise books representing a variety of Pennsylvania Germans covering from the the late 18th to 19th centuries.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Markoe family papers, (1773-1940, undated) (inclusive)

Extent:
2.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 6 volumes, 3 flat files)
Abstract:
Abraham Markoe of St. Croix was a wealthy planter and merchant who moved to Philadelphia circa 1770. He became an active revolutionary, and founded the Philadelphia Light Horse militia, later renamed the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. The Markoe family papers are a highly miscellaneous assortment of correspondence, estate papers, deeds, photographs, and other papers from a variety of family members, including Abraham's children, Abraham Markoe, Jr., Mary Markoe Holsman, Sarah Markoe, and Peter Markoe. Also of special note in the collection are General John Markoe's Civil War correspondence and documents on his service in Virginia, his imprisonment at Richmond, 1861-1862, and his role at the battle of Fredericksburg.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Contemporary Club (Philadelphia, Pa.) records, 1886-1952, undated (Bulk 1886-1932)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 8 boxes)
Abstract:
The Contemporary Club was organized in 1886 to hold discussions on outstanding questions of the day and to present scholarly papers by public figures. Membership was open to men and women, most of whom were distinguished in the academic, artistic, and literary worlds of Philadelphia. Correspondence dating from 1886 to 1952 makes up the bulk of the papers. It includes outgoing correspondence of club presidents, incoming correspondence of individuals invited to speak, and miscellaneous correspondence to Thornton Oakley and other club officers. Among the other papers are executive committee minutes (1894-1919), photographs, year books, lists of members and historical sketches, and other miscellaneous items.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Nellie Rathbone Bright family papers, 1885-1977

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 1 volume, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
Nellie Rathbone Bright, born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1898, was the only child of the Rev. Richard Bright and his wife, Nellie (Jones) Bright. Despite segregation barriers, the African American Bright family attained educational levels surpassing those of the general population of their generation. Rev. Bright, assigned to the Episcopal diocese in Savannah, Georgia, in 1891, was appointed two decades later to a Philadelphia parish and moved his family to that city. A student of Philadelphia public schools, Nellie Rathbone Bright qualified as a grade school teacher with a special certificate for sewing in 1916. She then entered the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1923 with a B.A. in English. Single all her life, Bright spent her entire career as a teacher and then principal in the Philadelphia school system. Her efforts as an educator, spanning more than thirty years, focused not only on the schools but also on the housing and neighborhoods in which her students lived. In...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Print Club archives, 1940-1980 (bulk) 1915-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:
78.75 linear feet (; 175 boxes, 142 volumes)
Abstract:
Since its founding in 1915, The Print Club has achieved a national and international reputation and membership. Originally, its purpose was to establish in Philadelphia a medium for the dissemination, study, production and collection of works by printmakers, American and foreign. Renamed The Print Center in 1996, its mission has expanded to include appreciation and encouragement of the printed image in all forms, including photography. The membership has always included both collectors and printmakers, but the Center also strives to serve the larger community. The Print Center offers numerous educational programs and mounts between six and ten exhibitions each year. The Print Club archives consist of a variety of files covering its administrative, financial, exhibition, and general history, from the club's founding in 1915 to 1993. While the majority of the records are loose paper in format, the collection also contains several bound volumes, photographs, prints, proof sheets,...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley records, 1939-1998 (bulk) 1939-2004, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
12.3 linear feet (; 31 boxes)
Abstract:
The Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley is a regional association of museums founded in 1939 in order to promote Philadelphia museums and tourism. In addition to supporting its member institutions and their collections, the council has served as a resource and networking organization for museum professionals and as a forum to present issues of public interest. It has been especially active in promoting school-museum cooperation and the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage through collection care seminars and disaster preparedness. It has served on four occasions as host to the annual meeting of the American Association of Museums. The collection consists of 12.3 linear feet of textual and graphic documentation produced by or related to the council from 1939 to 2004, including administrative, financial and committee records, as well as documentation of various projects and affiliations with other cultural organizations in the Philadelphia region.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Links Inc. Eastern Area archival collection, 1946-2015, undated

Extent:
6.7 linear feet (; 15 boxes, 1 volume, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Founded in 1946 and incorporated as a national organization in 1951, the Links have continually developed and refined their means of effectively responding to the social, political, and financial challenges of the black community for over fifty years. Established in Philadelphia by Sarah Strictland Scott and Margaret Roselle Hawkins as a small association dedicated to the changing needs of professional African-American women, the Links today rely on the efforts of nearly ten thousand women from 274 chapters in realizing its national and international initiatives. In 1984, the Links, Inc. established an international headquarters in Washington, D.C. Initially started as a time capsule project to commemorate the new millennium, the collection has grown substantially with its reconfiguration as an archival effort, which Links members have sometimes dubbed the Eastern Area Archival Repository. As the project evolved, designated archivists and historians from each chapter contributed a...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Harrison family papers, (circa 1857-1961, undated; bulk 1869-1870)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Charles Custis Harrison (1844-1929) and Ellen Nixon (Waln) Harrison (1846-1922), members of two prominent Philadelphia families, were married in 1870. They lived for many years on Locust Street near Rittenhouse Square and kept a summer home, “Ellersleigh,” in Glenwood, Pennsylvania. They had seven children born between the years 1872 and 1886: Edward, George, Ellen, Charles Jr., Harry, Esther, and Dorothy. Charles served as provost of the University of Pennsylvania from 1894 to 1910. This collection chiefly consists of 136 pieces of family correspondence, most of which are between Charles and Ellen Harrison and date from 1869 to 1870. The collection also contains letters between Charles and his son Harry Waln Harrison, one of Charles’s notebooks from his time as a provost at the University of Pennsylvania, an 1866 partnership agreement, a photocopy of a journal, photographs, and genealogical essays and documents.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Pisano and Siciliano families papers, 1910-2009, undated

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 5 volumes)
Abstract:
Members from both the Pisano and Silciliano families of Philadelphia and Camden first arrived in the United States in the early 1900s, both from the town of Gasperina, Italy. This collection, compiled by Donna Meidt, highlights their genealogies through vital records, passports, family trees, and images (including digital images on one CD). There are also original photographs and Italian magazines, as well as a sampling of plays, operas, and poetry handwritten or transcribed in Italian by Antonio Pisano (1894-1979). Pisano was a poet, playwright, and member of the theatrical group the Philadelphia Filodramatic Circle Gasperinese.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania trade cards collection, 1800-1900 (bulk) circa 1800-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:
15.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The collection contains an extensive collection of 19th-century trade cards from Philadelphia and surrounding region, the majority of which are arranged alphabetically by name. This is an artificial collection that has been put together by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania over time and is still open for additional accruals.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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James Grier Ralston papers, 1833-1881 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
For a greater portion of his life, James Grier Ralston (1815-1880) was an educator and very much concerned with the religious/spiritual life of his pupils. His interests in religious affairs and education led to the founding of a seminary for women and missionary activities in Wisconsin. Privy to the needs of his community, he gave considerably of his time to community affairs in Norristown, for which he was most honored and respected. Ralston was also a mineralist and collector. This collection consists of four volumes that contain Ralston’s notes about religion, natural sciences, a trip to Europe, and his activities as a student and teacher, as well as news clippings related to his death.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Shee family papers, 1775-2009, undated; bulk 1775-1785

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box [5 folders])
Abstract:
Cecelia (circa 1750-1779) and John Parke (1755-1780) were the children of Thomas Parke of Kent County, Delaware. Around 1770, Cecelia married Bertles Shee. Cecelia lived in Philadelphia and Dover, Delaware. Both John Parke and Bertles Shee served in the Continental Army. This small collection of papers from the Shee family mostly consists of detailed letters Cecelia wrote to John in the army between July 1775 and February 1777. There are also genealogical notes, a copy of Bertles Shee's will, a letter concerning property in Ireland, a letter from John Chew concering Bertles Shee's debts, and a set of typed transciptions of most of the documents in the collection.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Mary Bye papers, 1974-1991 (bulk) 1969-1992, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
5.6 linear feet (; 15 boxes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
Mary Bye (1913-2002) was a Quaker activist who lived in rural Bucks County. She became involved in the anti-war movement during the 1960s. She was also active in causes relating to social justice and the environment. During the 1970s she became involved with anti-nuclear activism, and was a principal opponent of efforts to expand the nuclear facilities at Limerick, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Late in life she became increasingly concerned with environmental protection, famously attempting to save a stand of oak trees near her home from destruction. Her other major causes included Native American rights and a continuing devotion to the anti-war movement. She was a Convener of the Friends Environmental Working Group, a leading figure in the Central Bucks Clean Energy Collective and the Movement for a New Society, and a supporter of numerous local and national activist organizations. The Mary Bye papers consist of 5.6 linear feet of textual documents recording Mary Bye’s activist...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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South Asian Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area Oral History Project, 1996

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains records produced by the Balch Institute's South Asian Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area Oral History Project. The project was conducted in the summer of 1996, when project staff interviewed sixteen individuals about their heritage, country of origin, and experiences in the United States. The records in this collection are audiocassette recordings of the interviews and eight text transcripts.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Life, Studies, and Works of Benjamin West, Esq., by John Galt, in extra-illustrated form, 1792-1820 (bulk) 1682-1844 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 3 boxes; 9 flat files)
Abstract:
In 1816 and 1820, Scottish author John Galt produced a two-volume biography of Benjamin West entitled The Life, Works, and Studies of Benjamin West, Esq. This collection consists of pages from seven disbound extra-illustrated volumes of Galt's book comprising numerous original letters to and from Benjamin West, some pieces of original art by West, and many other engravings, documents, and prints.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania records, 1889-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
70.8 linear feet (; 137 boxes, 34 volumes, 3 unboxed items)
Abstract:
Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania is a women’s volunteer organization that was founded by eight Philadelphia women in 1914. Its early efforts included foreign relief during World Wars I and II, combatting the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, and providing help to people in the Philadelphia region experiencing poverty, unemployment, illness, or disability. The Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania records date from 1889 to 1984, with bulk dates of 1914 to 1978, and document the organization’s evolution from war-time relief efforts to philanthropic community service and grant-giving.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Albert H. Gerberich diaries, 1911-1965 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.2 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 13 volumes)
Abstract:
Dr. Albert Horwell Gerberich (1898-1965) was an educator, foreign service diplomat, and genealogist. He was one of the foremost authorities on the Pennsylvania Germans, and was the author of several books and articles in this field. From 1911 until shortly before his death in 1965, he kept diaries in which he recorded his daily life and activities, and more importantly, his observations and opinions on politics, world events, and the changing cultural and moral values of his time. The diaries consist of thirteen ledger-sized volumes, with entries from a single line to several pages. They also include entries inserted from the diaries of his wife, Gisela Margit Gerberich (1898-1953). Ephemera inserted into the diaries have been removed and separated to boxes and folders.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Gibbon family correspondence, 1890-1930 (bulk) 1784-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.2 linear feet (; 16 boxes)
Abstract:
The Gibbon family correspondence dates from 1808 to 1987 and contains the letters, postcards, and related material of the family of Dr. John Heysham Gibbon. Dr. Gibbon was a Philadelphia surgeon and professor at Jefferson Medical College, who also served as an Army surgeon in France during World War I. He was the son of Dr. Robert Gibbon of Charlotte, North Carolina and the grandson of John Heysham Gibbon and Catherine Lardner Gibbon, originally of Philadelphia. Through Catherine, the Gibbon family was related to the Biddle family of Philadelphia. Dr. John Gibbon was also the nephew of Civil War general John Gibbon and the son-in-law of another, Samuel Baldwin Marks Young. The majority of the collection consists of loose handwritten correspondence to and from members of the immediate Gibbon family as well as some of their extended relations. Included with these letters are a number of photographs, postcards, pencil drawings, and other assorted ephemera. This collection documents...(see more)

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Wannemacher family papers, 1880-1934 (bulk) 1879-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.7 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection relates to the Wannemacher family of Philadelphia and consists of one box of papers and ten photo albums. In 1893, Edward H. Wannemacher married Mary A. Fairbairn at St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia. The couple had at least one son, Edward Hermany Wannemacher, baptised 7 July 1895. The papers in the collection briefly describe the history of the family. In the photo albums are records of the family's activies, from causual visits to local landmarks and travels throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, to their involvement with the Socialist Sunday School and the Young People's Socialist League.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Women's Way of Philadelphia records, 1977-1997 (bulk) 1966-1997 (inclusive)

Extent:
62.4 linear feet (; 157 boxes)
Abstract:
In 1975, a group of Philadelphia area women’s organizations formed the Philadelphia Women’s Coalition to provide health, wellness, education, legal, and cultural resources to women and their children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1977, members of the coalition formed Women’s Way of Philadelphia to be a fundraising umbrella organization for each of the member groups and, eventually, for other organizations dedicated to helping women and children in the surrounding region. The Women’s Way of Philadelphia records house the organizational records of Women’s Way, a women’s advocacy fundraising group serving the Philadelphia region. This collection, which dates from 1966 to 1997, with bulk dates of 1977 to 1997, consists of reports, correspondence, minutes, financial records, and planning materials created as a result of the fundraising and grant-giving activities of Women’s Way. Aside from evidencing the organization’s functions, this collection provides a unique perspective of...(see more)

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Frederick M. Yost collection on John Wanamaker's department store publicity, 1949-1980 (bulk) 1863-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
22.0 linear feet (; 45 boxes, 11 volumes, 94 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection chronicles several decades of displays and promotions at John Wanamaker's department store, much of it under the supervision of Frederick M. Yost. Yost began working at Wanamaker's in 1948. From 1952 to 1965 he was in charge of sales promotions, and in 1965 became the corporate vice president. Yost's background included theater and lighting design. The collection includes papers and scrapbooks documenting public relations, advertising, special events, and store design and display. Also included are internal office memos, photographs of displays and their construction, architectural drawings and blue prints, news clippings, and many materials pertaining to the elaborate Christmas displays and light shows that were a tradition at Wanamaker's.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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A History of Philadelphia (scrapbooks) by Thompson Westcott, circa 1867-circa 1884

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 5 volumes)
Abstract:
Full title: A History of Philadelphia, From the Time of the First Settlements on the Delaware to the Consolidation of the City and Districts in 1854. A scarce and virtually unique presentation of the first appearance of Westcott's History of Philadelphia, pasted in its original newsprint form into five scrapbooks of approx. 250 pages each. Five scrapbooks, each containing in triple-column form the original text as published in the Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch between 1867 and 1884. Westcott completed the history to circa 1826.

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John Fryer papers, 1950-2000 (bulk) 1876-2004, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
76.0 linear feet (; 219 boxes; 36 volumes; 10 flat files)
Abstract:
John Fryer was a groundbreaking gay psychiatrist best-known for his appearance in full disguise at the 1972 American Psychiatric Association (APA) convention. His speech at the convention is credited with convincing the APA to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973. As a psychiatrist Fryer worked largely with gay men, lesbians, people who abused drug and alcohol, and those who were coping with death. He was also a professor at Temple University School of Medicine, and organist and choirmaster at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Germantown. The John Fryer collection consists of his personal and professional papers from 1876 to 2003 and is divided into five series: General files, Patient records (restricted to researchers until 2078), Photographs and audio-visual materials, Printed matter, and Miscellaneous papers.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Mrs. Stacy B. Lloyd papers on the American Red Cross’s Allied Prisoners of War Food Packing Service, 1940-1945, undated; bulk 1943-1945

Extent:
0.7 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
Mrs. Stacy B. (Eleanor Morris) Lloyd, who lived in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, served as the chairman of the Red Cross Prisoner of War Food Packaging Center in Philadelphia during World War II. This small yet remarkable collection of papers relates to her work overseeing the local Red Cross facility that produced hundreds of care packages over several years for Allied prisoners of war in Europe and Japan. Comprising the collection are Lloyd's letters and notes, dozens of photographs showing everything from the women workers to the contents of the care packages, and many clippings pertaining to the Red Cross and its relief efforts, particularly the food packing service. There are also a few letters from overseas prisoners, examples of war camp newspapers, and other miscellaneous documents and ephemera concerning war relief.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Maria SS.ma del Soccorso di Sciacca Lodge of Norristown records, 1904-1983 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 13 volumes, 1 folder)
Abstract:
The Maria SS.ma del Soccorso di Sciacca Lodge of Norristown, Pa., founded in 1904, is a beneficial organization that provides sick and death benefits to its members. Membership is open to people belonging to the Roman Catholic Church who are either Sicilian or of Sicilian descent. The collection contains thirteen volumes including financial records, sick benefit records, and minutes of the society during the years of 1904 to 1983. There is also one folder of miscellaneous records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wuanda M. T. Walls family papers, c.1860-2007

Extent:
2.07 linear feet (4 boxes, 10 volumes, 3 flat file items)
Abstract:
Wuanda M. T. Walls is a writer who was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but raised in nearby Delaware County. She graduated from Chester High School in 1961 and Lincoln University in 1980. The Walls family was one of the core families of Hinsonville, Pennsylvania, a small African American community in Chester County that became the site of Lincoln University, the oldest black college in the United States. The collection documents the history of the Wallses and related families, Hinsonville, and Lincoln University Village. It includes family photos, correspondence, clippings, legal papers, diplomas and yearbooks, ephemera, an oral history audiocassette and transcript, a published essay (by Wuanda Walls) and two books on the history of Hinsonville, and other items. There is also some of Walls's own memorabilia, such as autographed photographs and programs, airplane tickets, and a program from the 1966 Newport Jazz festival.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Frank Gordon Bradley World War II correspondence, 1942-1945 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 3 boxes)
Abstract:
Frank Gordon Bradley was born in Branford, Connecticut, and served with the United States Army during World War II. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in the 1930s where he majored in journalism. In the 1950s he moved to Philadelphia, first to Germantown and then to Mount Airy. This collection consists of approximately three hundred letters written by Bradley to his family in Connecticut during World War II. His letters originated from various army bases throughout the country including Fort George Gordon Meade, Maryland; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Fort Riley, Kansas; and Camp Crowder, Missouri. In his letters, Bradley talked about family and friends, requested supplies, and discussed what he could about his daily life in the army. There are also a few scattered letters to Bradley from his family.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Weeders records, 1907-2006, undated; bulk 1920-1995

Extent:
9.7 linear feet (; 22 boxes )
Abstract:
The Weeders, a non-profit garden society and member of the Garden Club of America, was founded in the early 1900s under the motto "Learn to labor and to wait." Since then, its membership has included many notable local women, such as Mrs. Nathan Hayward, Mrs. John Cadwalader, Mrs. C. Jared Ingersoll, Mrs. Stacy B. Lloyd and Mrs. Charles J. Biddle. In 1965, The Weeders joined the Garden Club of Philadelphia, the Planters Garden Club, and other local garden societies to form the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America. The Weeders' mission was to provide "a community which offers friendship and the opportunity to participate in horticultural, artistic, environmental, and civic endeavors." This collection contains the organizational records of the Weeders, a ladies' gardening club. The records include admission committee records, 1934-2004; committee minutes and treasurer's reports, 1914-2004; flower show records, 1932-1989; horticultural essays presented by members;...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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