Search

Start Over Form Correspondence.

Main content

Carpenter Family Papers, 1780-1870 (bulk) 1695-1915, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
5.3 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 18 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Carpenter family papers include Brigadier General Louis Henry Carpenter's military papers and Civil War-era correspondence, as well as more than 200 years of correspondence, genealogical material, and other papers related to the Carpenter family of New Jersey. The Carpenter family was among the first settlers of the Philadelphia area and established several towns in Salem and Gloucester counties, New Jersey. They also had ties to numerous prominent families in the Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic region during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The collection offers insights into a variety of topics, including the Revolutionary War in the Philadelphia region; the early history of Haddon Township, N.J.; medicine in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; and life as a Union soldier during the Civil War.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Jay Cooke papers, 1858-1874 (bulk) 1831-1906, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
43.4 linear feet (; 102 boxes, 30 volumes, 12 flat files )
Abstract:
The Jay Cooke papers are a rich source of information about the finances of the Union war efforts during the Civil War, the politics of the Union during and after the Civil War, westward expansion and the construction of railroads across the country, and banking and finance during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Cooke's correspondence documents the work of Jay Cooke & Company and contains communications with many of the era's most powerful politicians and businessmen. Cooke's connection with the Department of the Treasury provides a unique inside view of political decisions, and illustrates Cooke's influence with many leaders in positions of great authority. This collection also contains a small group of personal papers, offering a perspective on Jay Cooke's philanthropic, religious, and family orientation.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Ferdinand J. Dreer autograph collection, 1492-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
105.0 linear feet (; 330 boxes, 133 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
Ferdinand Julian Dreer’s chief hobby was collecting autographs. He started with two documents and over time he was able to amass more than 15,000 items from some of the world’s most prominent and intriguing public figures. Owing to this interest, Dreer became acquainted with many people in the world of arts and letters, politics, education, clergy, business, and international affairs. As he was aware of such a collection’s potential impact on scholarship and society, Dreer donated all of his holdings to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with which he had been associated for many years as the institution’s vice president.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Alexander H. Stephens Papers, (1858-1882) (inclusive)

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (2 boxes)
Abstract:
Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883) was a career politician who served as a United States senator and representative from Georgia, both before and after the Civil War. He also served as the vice president of the Confederate States of America. This collection contains correspondence between Stephens and William Hidell, Stephens's private secretary while he was vice president of the Confederacy. The letters provide insight into the daily business of the Confederacy, as well as information about the close of the war, attempts at peace, and Stephens's time in prison immediately after the war. The correspondence continues into Stephens's time as U.S. representative from Georgia during Reconstruction and contains entirely political commentary during that time.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

John Welsh papers, 1840-1880 (bulk) 1806-1935, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 linear feet (; 9 boxes, 45 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection contain the papers of John Welsh, president of the North Pennsylvania Railroad, financial manager for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia merchant, and American diplomat to the British mission under President Hayes. The collection spans from 1806 to 1935 and consists of correspondence, financial files, his diaries, and documents created by both Herbert Welsh and Edward Lowber Stokes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Arthur C. Bining collection, 1804-1878 (bulk) 1727-1949 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
Arthur C. Bining was a Philadelphia historian, worked as a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and was associated with the Pennsylvania Historical Association. This small collection contains letters, autographs, and papers he collected over time. A portion of the papers originated from the United States Customs House of Philadelphia and deal mostly with routine customs matters. There are also folders of papers from individuals that are not associated with the Customs House, such as army officer James Barker, painter Abbott H. Thayer, and inventor August F. W. Partz. Additional papers include those of Joseph R. E. Bunel, paymaster general of the French colony of Santo Domingo, Haiti; and Marie F. M. Bunel, a businesswoman in Santo Domingo.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Charles Jared Ingersoll papers, 1812-1848 (bulk) 1801-1891 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
Philadelphian Charles Jared Ingersoll (1782-1862) was a lawyer, congressman, and writer. This collection of his papers mostly spans his career from the 1810s to the 1840s. The bulk of the materials are incoming letters, many from well-known nineteenth-century individuals, including several U. S. presidents; however, there are also drafts of his writings, clippings, a copy of his 1837 nomination to Congress, and other miscellaneous papers. While indirectly highlighting Ingersoll's work, most of the correspondence contains political, legal, or personal discussions.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Wister and Butler Families Papers, 1700-2004, undated; bulk: 1848-1907

Extent:
21.5 linear feet (; 46 boxes, 55 volumes, 17 flat files)
Abstract:
The Wister and Butler families were prominent in Philadelphia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and had ties to numerous other prominent families in the Philadelphia region, Georgia, and Great Britain. The bulk of the collection concerns Pierce (Mease) Butler and his daughters Sarah Butler Wister and Frances Anne Butler Leigh. Butler's former wife Frances Anne Kemble (Butler), known as Fanny Kemble, and various other family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection is correspondence and estate papers; it also includes diaries, newspapers and newspaper clippings, business papers, real estate papers, ledgers and other financial documents, photographs, and other miscellaneous papers. The collection provides insights into a wide variety of topics, including women's history, the Civil War, African American history, family history, politics, culture, and the life of actress Fanny Kemble and her daughters. The materials concerning the Butler plantations both before...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania records, 1959-1987 (bulk) 1867-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:
134.6 linear feet (; 343 boxes)
Abstract:
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania was established in 1920 as a successor organization to the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, with the purpose of providing "education to increase the effectiveness of women voters and to further better government." The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania records document the history of this organization from 1867 to 1980, but the bulk of the material dates from 1959 to 1977. The majority of the materials consists of minutes, newsletters, reports and memorabilia. There is a small amount of early material, particularly relating to the suffrage movement. Of particular interest may be the photographs of the 1915 Women's Liberty Bell Tour in support of the vote.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

William Redwood Wright family papers, 1752-1928

Extent:
14.0 linear feet (; 37 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains correspondence and financial papers predominantly from William Redwood Wright (1846-1914) that were collected and retained by the Wright family of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Through decent and marriage, the family became connected with the Fisher and Logan families of Philadelphia. The papers are arranged into seven series that are arranged chronologically by generation.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

John Wanamaker collection, 1827-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
193.2 linear feet (; 316 volumes, 438 boxes)
Abstract:
John Wanamaker (1838-1922) was a well-known merchant, entrepreneur, and lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was active in the city's religious, political, and philanthropic areas, founded several Presbyterian churches and Sunday schools, and served as postmaster general under President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1893. He opened his first Philadelphia clothing store, Oak Hall, with partner Nathan Brown in 1861, and founded John Wanamaker and Co. in 1869. In 1876, he opened "A New Kind of Store" known as the Grand Depot at Thirteenth and Market Streets. This store later became the flagship store, with satellite stores eventually established in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City. Wanamaker was at the forefront in many areas of retailing including merchandising, employee relations and advertising. His sons Thomas B. Wanamaker and L. Rodman Wanamaker were also active in the business. Thomas ran John Wanamaker and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Nelson A. Diaz papers, 1967-2011

Extent:
85.6 linear feet (, 219 boxes, 7 flat files)
Abstract:
Nelson Diaz (1947- ) is a Philadelphia attorney who served on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (1981-1992) and as general counsel for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (1993-1996). In addition, he has been highly active in the Hispanic and overall Philadelphia community as an activist, businessman, and journalist. He has served on many boards and committees in the Philadelphia area, and his interests and involvement have ranged from youth groups to the Temple University Hospital to the William Penn Foundation. This extensive collection documents Diaz's activities relating to Hispanic issues, organizations, and events; his work with and for various boards and committees; his work as a judge and an attorney; and his numerous other activities. Materials include correspondence, memos, minutes, reports, transcripts, by-laws, mailing lists, financial data, petitions, clippings, personnel documents, photographs, and audio and video cassettes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

William Curtis Bok and Nellie Lee Holt Bok papers, 1905-1984 (bulk) 1836-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:
26.0 linear feet (; 70 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection documents the personal and professional lives of William Curtis Bok (1897-1962) and Nellie Lee Holt Bok (1901-1984). Curtis Bok (he rarely went by "William") worked as a lawyer in Philadelphia and was elected to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and later to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. During his tenure on the Supreme Court he oversaw the famous obscenity case Commonwealth v. Gordon, which has yet to be overturned. He married twice, first to Margaret Adams Plummer in 1924, and then to Nellie Lee Holt in 1934. Nellie Lee was born in Nebraska and worked as an educator at Stephen's College, Columbia, Missouri. Between 1926 and 1927 she traveled around the world on behalf of the college interviewing various educational and religious leaders, including Mohandas Gandhi. She maintained a tradition of civic engagement throughout her life. The collection also documents to lives of their children (Curtis had three children with his first wife...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle papers, 1938-1961 (bulk) 1912-1961, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 linear feet (; 109 boxes)
Abstract:
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. (1896-1961) was very active in Democratic politics, including serving as associate secretary of the Democratic National Convention in 1936. His activity in the political arena led to several appointments as a diplomatic officer. He served as minister to Norway, 1935-37, and ambassador to Poland, (1937-Sept. 9, 1939). After the invasion of Poland by the Germans, Biddle accompanied the Polish government to France, where he served as interim ambassador to France and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to the governments of Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Luxembourg. He resigned from diplomatic service in 1944, and then served in various positions with the U.S. Army, including as a staff member to General Dwight Eisenhower and General Matthew Ridgway. From 1955 to 1961 he was adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in 1961 served as U.S. ambassador to Spain....(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Richardson Dilworth papers, 1940-1972 (bulk) 1881-2002, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
87.7 linear feet (; 258 boxes, 19 volumes, 7 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of Richardson Dilworth include correspondence, office files, accounts, reports, political campaign materials, brochures, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and photographs that primarily pertain to the immediate years before and after he became mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962). The collection also contains papers related to Dilworth’s role on the Philadelphia Board of Education, his failed run for Pennsylvania governor, and from his law firm Dilworth Paxson LLP.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Belfield papers, 1697-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:
106.0 linear feet (235 boxes and 99 volumes)
Abstract:
The Belfield papers include materials from families who lived in the Belfield mansion in Germantown, Pennsylvania from 1826 until 1984; however, the papers span the years 1679 to 1977. Featured individuals include William and Sarah Logan Fisher Wister, their son John Wister and his wife, Sarah Tyler Boas Wister, their granddaughter Sarah Logan Wister Starr and her husband, James Starr, and their great-granddaughter S. Logan Starr Blain and her husband, Dr. Daniel Blain. The collection also houses papers from related individuals in the Emlen, Fisher, Hall, Lindley, Logan, Meigs, Wister, and other families. This collection includes correspondence, financial records, ephemera, photographs, scrapbooks, pamphlets, periodicals, and other items. Topics that are particularly well documented in the Belfield papers include: Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania; Colonial Dames of America; the Sesquicentennial Exposition; stamp collecting; world travel during the Great Depression;...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Earl Leas correspondence, 1943-1945

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes)
Abstract:
Earl Leas was born in 1920 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and lived there most of his life. The collection includes 473 letters, dated 1943-1945, that Leas wrote to his family in Reading during World War II. The letters are mostly about his activities in the army and the time he spent in Oran, Algeria and Marina Di Pisa, Italy.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Natalie Saxe Randall papers, 1960-1962 (bulk) 1923-1998, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
19.0 linear feet (; 56 boxes, 25 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Natalie Saxe (later Natalie Saxe Randall), campaign coordinator and organizer of the Democratic Party in Philadelphia, director of the Committee for Philadelphia established by Joseph Sill Clark and Richardson Dilworth, executive assistant to Richardson Dilworth during both his stints as mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) and president of the Philadelphia Board of Education (1965-1970); and lobbyist in Harrisburg for Lincoln University, the Academy of Natural Sciences, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Franklin Institute, among others. The collection is comprised of office and personal files, papers related to political campaigns in all Pennsylvania counties, and a set of her appointment books, agendas, work diaries, and travel journals.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

John Rutter Brooke papers, 1861-1902 (bulk) 1767-1918, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
13.9 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 37 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of John Rutter Brooke include correspondence, accounts, regimental reports, military orders, and pamphlets that primarily pertain to his career in the United States Army, 1861-1902. Brooke’s military papers document the activities of the 53rd Pennsylvania volunteer regiment during the Civil War; the 3rd Infantry division and 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars; the 1st Corps of the Army during the Spanish-American War; and Brooke’s service as military governor of Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as his service in the Departments of the Missouri, the Platte, the Gulf, and the East. The collection is particularly rich in its documentation of the United States Army’s “Sioux Campaign” during 1890-1891, containing extensive correspondence during the height of the Ghost Dance on the Standing Rock and Pine Ridge reservations, and the ensuing military build-up, which escalated into the massacre at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

Current results range from 1492 to 2011

View larger »