Search

Start Over Form Business records Form Financial records Year 1950 to 1999

Main content

Friends Neighborhood Guild records, 1903-2004 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.0 linear feet (24 containers)
Abstract:
The Friends Neighborhood Guild social settlement was founded by Quakers in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia in 1879; its mission, “...to serve and respond to the needs of the people in its community, particularly those people who are less able to help themselves,” (FNG, p.3). Throughout its more-than-hundred-year history, this mission has guided the Guild’s programs, which have evolved to meet its ever-changing constituents’ needs. At different times, its work has focused on education, Americanization, recreation, housing, community organization and other areas of social need. The Friends Neighborhood Guild records date from 1903 to 2004, with the bulk of materials dating from the second half of the twentieth-century. The records evidence the social programs and activities of the Guild, as well as its relationships with other agencies, such as the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, Philadelphia Housing Authority and the United Way. In addition to general...(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

Main content

Leary and Company (Leary's Bookstore) archives, 1840s-1969

Extent:
21.0 boxes and and 91 volumes
Abstract:
William A. Leary, was a small-time book seller in 1836 when he journeyed to Philadelphia to establish a sidewalk book stall on North Second Street. As business prospered, Leary moved to several different locations, finally settling at 138 North Second Street which was right next door to the Camel Tavern, a landmark in Philadelphia. Leary’s Book Store specialized in selling inexpensive, second—hand books. Because of its large inventory and cheap prices, Leary’s developed a national reputation. In addition to selling and buying books, Leary expanded his base of operations by venturing into the publishing business in the 1850s. William A. Leary, Jr. took over the book store in 1865. Stuart and Charles Mann purchased the store from the Leary Estate in 1876. Under the Stuart’s management, Leary’s became one of the largest old book dealers in the world. As more people moved to and shopped in the suburbs, Leary’s customer base declined. Leary’s went out of business on November 20, 1968....(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

Main content

Biddle family papers, 1709-2017 (inclusive) 1776-1952 (bulk)

Extent:
14.5 linear feet (32 boxes)
Abstract:
The Biddle family has a long history on American land with Quaker ancestors emigrating in 1681 and settling in Philadelphia around 1725. This collection documents the family relationships, and to a lesser extent, the work and military service of six generations of one branch of that family, starting with Clement Biddle (1740-1814), and following the descendants of two of his sons: Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857) and Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855). These papers tell the stories, to varying degrees, of more than 30 individual Biddle family members through correspondence, financial records, professional papers, diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs.

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

Main content

American publishing, printing, and book-related ephemera collection, 1827-1961 (inclusive) 1852-1961 (bulk)

Extent:
0.4 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:
This is a collection of Book-of-the-Month club news, mailings, and offers along with a few examples of other book-seller related materials such as advertisements, catalogs, lists, and financial and business documents, mostly receipts. The bulk of the collection is from the years 1850 to 1961 with a few outlying documents from the 1820s to 1840s.

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

Main content

Joseph B. Smith and Sons Funeral Home records, 1872-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Joseph B. Smith and Sons Funeral Home in West Chester, Pennsylvania was established in 1870, when Joseph B. Smith purchased the existing Hoffman Undertaking and Furniture Business. Smith’s firm, which was in business until 1994, was owned and operated by four successive generations of Smith men: Joseph B. Smith; his son, William B. Smith; his grandson, Ashton B.T. Smith; and his great-grandson, Ashton B.T. Smith, Jr. It ranked as one of the oldest funeral home businesses in Chester County. The Joseph B. Smith and Son Funeral Directors records houses the records produced by that funeral home from 1876 to 1946. In addition, there is a small cache of Smith family papers dating from 1883 to 1975. The bulk of the collection is made up of funeral home records. Included in the funeral home records are account books, funeral registries, bills, funeral home ephemera, and undertaker and coroner licenses. The Smith family papers section of the collection has very little to do with the...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith families papers, 1683-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 boxes
Abstract:
The families in the Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith family papers, 1633 to 1980 (bulk 1685 to 1851) are all related by the marriage of Marianne Smith to Dr. Stephen Harris on April 14, 1833. Both sides of the lineage represented in this collection immigrated to Pennsylvania because of religious persecution in England and Ireland. As Presbyterians and Quakers, they no longer wished to live under a series of laws which forced non-Anglicans out of public office, schools and the church as well as prohibiting meetings for non-Anglican worship. These newcomers contributed to the establishment of the government and religious expression in early Chester County. The documents, covering topics such as land surveying, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, astronomy, publishing, the iron industry, and religious persecution, provide a broad picture of early Chester County and its residents as they interacted with each other at home and in Philadelphia through business, religious, and...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Joseph W. Thomas and Sons nursery records, 1884-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Joseph W. Thomas and Sons Nursery in Chester County was one of the oldest and longest running horticultural enterprises in the state of Pennsylvania. It operated from 1853 to 1990, and was owned by three successive generations of the Thomas family. The Thomas nursery actually began in 1828 as a small farm and orchard called “Maple Farm,” which was owned by Charles and Ruth Thomas. It was their son, Joseph Williams Thomas, who formally established the nursery on a small portion of the farm around 1853. He named his burgeoning business, Chester Valley Nursery. Later, he changed the company’s name to Joseph W. Thomas and Company. Around 1888, Joseph’s sons, Edwin and Charles Lincoln, joined him in business and the name of the firm was changed once more to Joseph W. Thomas and Sons, reflecting the new partnership. The Joseph W. Thomas and Sons Nursery records contains documents created by that business from 1884 to 1993. Researchers will find financial records; general business...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Main content

Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1820-1910 (bulk) 1798-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (5 containers)
Abstract:
Incorporated by William Wagner (1796-1885) in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum and educational institution in Philadelphia that is dedicated to providing free public education in the sciences. The Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science includes material collected by Chambers and contains correspondence; genealogical and family information; documents on William Wagner's early business career with Stephen Girard, the Lennoxville Steam Saw Mill and Snowden and Wagner; Wagner Free Instute of Science financial and operational material; and personal material from Sydney T. Skidmore, a member of the Board. This collection will almost certainly not provide a researcher with all the information needed—instead, this is an excellent starting point. Because these materials were, according to institutional memory, removed from other collections by Robert Chambers and kept close at hand due to...(see more)

Held at: Wagner Free Institute of Science [Contact Us]

Main content

RTC Shipbuilding Company records, 1921-1965 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.8 linear feet (21 containers)
Abstract:
In 1940, Leroy M. Robinson (President), George R. Taylor (Vice-president), and John P. Carson (Secretary and Treasurer) formed RTC Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey. Their initials are the basis for the name of the company. All three men were former executives at J. H. Mathis Company. Subsequent to the death of Robinson and the retirement of Taylor in 1946, Carson became the firm's president and assumed sole ownership. The RTC Shipbuilding Company records evidence the shipbuilding and repairs conducted by this company from 1934 to 1965. The collection also includes an impressive photographic documentation of the daily work performed on the RTC Shipyard. Heavily involved in ships designed for the Navy in World War II, as well as in building fishing vessels in subsequent years, one of the strengths of this collection lies in the hundreds of records found in the “Shipbuilding records” series. The “Photographs” series is also a strength of the collection, with many images of...(see more)

Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Germantown Settlement records, 1946-1994 (inclusive)

Extent:
62.3 linear feet (63 containers)
Abstract:
Germantown Settlement was founded in 1934, when two existing social welfare agencies, Morton Street Day Nursery and Working People's Aid, Inc. and Germantown Community Center merged. Like most settlements, it provided wide-ranging services to its community, including child care, educational and vocational instruction, and classes in art and music. In the 1950s and 1960s, it also worked closely with city agencies to facilitate urban renewal in the Morton neighborhood, while at the same time encouraging community participation and empowerment. The Germantown Settlement collection houses the records of this social welfare organization from 1946 to 1994, with a majority of the material dating from 1970 to the early 1990s. The collection contains business records, correspondence, financial documents and program files. Taken together, the records evidence Germantown Settlement’s efforts to assist and generally improve the lives of Germantown residents, particularly the youth and elderly...(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

Current results range from 1683 to 2017

View larger »