Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Organization American Friends Service Committee Year 1974

Allan Solomonow papers, 1944-2016 (inclusive) 1960-2009 (bulk)

Extent:: 35 linear feet (37 boxes)
Abstract:: Allan Wayne Solomonow (1937-2020) was a Jewish peace activist who was active in New York City and the San Francisco Bay area from the 1970s through the 2010s. His particular concern was Middle East peace, especially the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This collection documents Solomonow's life's work and primarily comprise his professional papers related to the Jewish peace community as well as collected secondary material that informed his thinking.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

S. Francis Nicholson Family Papers, 1900-2005 (inclusive)

Extent:: 11 linear ft. (22 boxes)
Abstract:: S. Francis Nicholson was a prominent Quaker investment banker, longtime officer of Provident National Bank, Philadelphia, and active in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, A.F.S.C., and Friends Fiduciary Corporation. The collection contains correspondence, financial records, memorabilia, and other papers reflecting his career and life with his wife, Evelyn Haworth Nicholson.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

Rebecca Timbres Clark photographs, 1853-1999 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1 cubic ft. (3 boxes plus 2 oversized photographs)
Abstract:: Rebecca Timbres Clark (1896-2000) was a Quaker nurse and social worker. She and her first husband, Harry Garland Timbres (1899-1937), performed relief work under the auspices of the AFSC in Eastern Europe in 1921-22 and worked with Rabindranath Tagore in Bengal, India, in 1931-34. In 1936-1937, the couple worked in the malaria unit in Soviet Russia. After Harry Timbres' death, Rebecca returned to the U.S. She married Edgar Sydenham Clark (1885-1961) on July 2, 1943, and the couple moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1947, where Rebecca worked as a medical social worker. This collection includes photographs of family and friends as well as snapshots of Russia and Poland.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

Elizabeth Mossell Anderson Papers, 1905-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:: 8 cubic feet
Abstract:: Elizabeth Mossell Anderson was Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander's elder sister. The Elizabeth Anderson Papers document aspects of her personal and professional life.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center [Contact Us]

Vaux Family papers, 1708-1995 (inclusive) 1912-1932 (bulk)

Extent:: 12.5 linear ft. (24 boxes and 2 rolled documents in 1 tube)
Abstract:: The Vaux family was deeply involved with Quaker and Native American affairs throughout much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. George Vaux, Sr. was involved in Quaker activity through the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and other Quaker meetings throughout the world (including Antigua and London). Both George Vaux, Jr. and Mary Morris Vaux Walcott, his sister, served as commissioners for the U.S. Board of Indian Commissioners. This organization was established by the United States Congress in 1869 to watch over federal policies regarding Native Americans and to make certain that treaty obligations were fulfilled, especially in reference to supply deliveries. George Vaux, III also worked as the treasurer of the Indian Committee of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Within the collection are letters, reports, photographs, land surveys, and administrative records. This collection may be of special interest to researchers who are studying both the history and recent state of affairs of...(see more)

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Douglas V. and Dorothy M. Steere papers, 1896-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:: 128.75 linear ft. (257 boxes, 2 packages, 1 tube with 2 rolled items) and 257 containers and loose materials
Abstract:: Douglas and Dorothy Steere were prominent figures of the Quaker movement in the twentieth century, and deeply committed to the causes of peace and spiritual enrichment. This commitment is evident in their involvement with Quaker-led relief work after World War II, Quaker spiritual retreats, international diplomacy, and Dorothy's work with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Douglas taught philosophy at several institutions including Haverford College, and published extensively on topics in Quaker philosophy and history. This collection contains considerable material related to Douglas's work as a writer, professor, and diplomat. Given his role as a distinguished figure within 20th century Quakerism, this material is also relevant to researchers interested in recent Quaker history as a whole. There is also some fascinating material produced and collected by Dorothy related to the Civil Rights movement, including a letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Theodore Brinton Hetzel papers and graphics, 1866-1987 (inclusive) 1930-1987 (bulk)

Extent:: 13 linear ft. (26 boxes)
Abstract:: Theodore Hetzel (1906-1990) was a Quaker professor of engineering at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, whose interests led him to involvement with Native American and Quaker issues. An avid photographer, the materials in this collection are primarily photographic, as well as correspondence and documents.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Addition to Henry J. Cadbury papers, 1866-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5 linear ft. (10 boxes)
Abstract:: Henry Joel Cadbury (1883-1974) was one of the foremost American Quaker scholars of the 20th century. He published in the fields of Quaker and biblical history, and served as a teacher and philanthropist. This addition to the papers of Henry Cadbury includes biographical materials, correspondence, diaries, writings, such as his The Book of Acts in History and photographs of Cadbury and his family.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Elizabeth Marsh Jensen papers, 1912-1989 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.5 linear ft. (11 boxes)
Abstract:: Papers of Quaker Elizabeth Marsh Jensen, who worked for the American Friends Service Committee in several capacities, notably in Mexico to assist Spanish Civil War refugees from 1940 to 1941. She was also a businesswoman who successfully ran a ranch in Colorado.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Darlington Family Papers, 1831-2012 (inclusive)

Extent:: 28 linear ft. (57 boxes (and photographs))
Abstract:: This collection contains the papers of the Darlington family of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Woodstown, New Jersey. Quakers with strong ties to Swarthmore College, the family was involved in education, social and peace concerns, and businesses in the Philadelphia area. Charles J. Darlington (1894-1966) served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends during the reunification of the two Philadelphia Yearly Meetings. The collection includes family correspondence relating to the Darlington, Shortlidge, Gause, and Palmer families as well as genealogical research and 20th century Quaker activities.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]