- Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:: The Fenian Brotherhood, the American branch of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, was established in 1858 with the goal of establishing an independent Ireland. As well as raising money and gathering arms to send back to Ireland, the Fenians also engaged in military activity against the British, leading two failed invasions of Canada. Factionalism within the organization led to the Brotherhood's decline by the 1880s. This collection primarily contains the correspondence of Francis B. Gallagher, a Fenian Senator and district treasurer from Buffalo, NY with other senior Fenian officials. Also included are some administrative records, including circular letters, finance reports, and meeting minutes. The papers document the Brotherhood's activities, including its failed invasion of Canada, as well as the internal divisions that led to the organization's demise.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

Extent:: 10.8 linear feet (; 27 boxes)
Abstract:: Herman Joseph Heuser, D.D. (1851-1933) was a Catholic intellectual and prolific writer who influenced scholarly circles and clerical life in the United States and abroad through his literary work. Heuser edited the American Ecclesiastical Review (1889-1975) as well as published The Dolphin (1900-1908), a Catholic literary magazine. These publications reflected Heuser's varied interests from clerical subjects to the arts. He published fourteen books, eight of which appeared serially in The Dolphin. This collection includes primarily correspondence, sermons, prayers, scrapbooks, and personal writings. It also includes materials related to Patrick Augustine Sheehan.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

Extent:: 1.1 linear feet (; 3 boxes)
Abstract:: Elizabeth Sarah Kite (1864-1954) was a teacher, social scientist, historian, author, and archivist. Born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents, Kite was educated at Westtown Boarding school and the Philadelphia Friends’ Select School; and then studied extensively in Europe. In 1906, she converted to Catholicism, after her experiences with French Catholics. From 1909 to 1918, Kite was employed in the research laboratory at the Vineland Training School, and conducted research in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. She translated Development of Intelligence in Children and The Intelligence of the Feeble-Minded by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon (translation published 1916). She also researched and published on various historical topics, in particular the influence of French participation during the American Revolution, and served as the archivist for American Catholic Historical Society from 1932 to 1949. Kite became the first laywoman to receive an honorary...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

Extent:: 9.6 linear feet (, 23 document boxes)
Abstract:: The parochial school system in Philadelphia officially began in 1852 under Philadelphia's fourth bishop, John Nepomucene Neumann. However, the first Catholic schools in Philadelphia can be traced to the mid- to late-18th century under the purview of local parishes, and early expansion occurred unsystematically until the 1850s. Since few parishes had the resources to provide a K-12 education, many Catholic households chose to send their children to Philadelphia's public schools. Due to several factors (including doubts about the suitability of a public education for Catholic children and growing anti-Catholic sentiment and the nativist riots of 1844), Bishop Francis Kenrick began pushing for separate parochial schools for Philadelphia's Catholic families. By 1850, nearly every parish had a free school. By 1852, Philadelphia had a parochial school system administered by a central school board. Consistent policies were established in 1890, when the central board voted to create an...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:: This collection contains mostly incoming correspondence to Mary Brackett Willcox (1796-1866), wife of James M. Willcox (1791-1854) whose family owned one of the most significant paper mills in the country in Ivy Mills, now Glenn Mills, Pennsylvania. Along with their status in industry, the Willcox family was also one of the most prominent families within the Catholic community in the Philadelphia area. The family’s mansion became the center of Catholicity in Delaware County, and served as the beginnings of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. During the 1840s and 1850s, students and the Vincentian administrators of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary spent their summers at the Willcox estate. The letters in the collection are from Vincentians, seminarians, and other priests serving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who formed close ties with Mary and the Willcox family during this period. A majority of the letters address the topics of...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

Extent:: 8142.0 digital files
Abstract:: Fresh Air with Terry Gross is a radio talk show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and broadcast nationally on National Public Radio (NPR). Fresh Air began production in 1975 and features interviews with journalists, scholars, and experts in various fields aimed at putting current issues into a larger political, cultural, and historical framework. The Fresh Air audio archive represents more than 8,000 interviews which were recorded over the past 40 years in various audio formats—from analog reels to digital files. The digital collection contains files covering 7,000 Fresh Air episodes of the radio program’s original broadcast audio recordings.

Held at: WHYY Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 50 cubic feet and 401 of maps + 86 drawings + 13 textual material + 4 maps on rollers; 50 cubic feet
Abstract:: The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was a prominent coal mining and shipping company first established in 1820 with the merger of the Lehigh Coal Mining Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company, both of which operated in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania beginning in 1818. The Company owned and operated an extensive system of coalmines in Pennsylvania’s Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, two canals, and several railroads and railways. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company is credited with shaping the course of the American industrial revolution in Pennsylvania, as it contributed to innovation in transportation, manufacturing, and use of natural resources. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company records house the business records of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. This collection dates from 1815 to 1940, the bulk from 1826 to 1913, and consists primarily of maps and...(see more)

Held at: Lehigh University Special Collections [Contact Us]

Extent:: 4 linear feet (9 manuscript boxes, 1 trench coat)
Abstract:: The collection includes correspondence, photographs, and military coat from the Sherman Thackara family between 1854 and 1897.

Held at: Villanova University: Special Collections [Contact Us]