Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Form Photographs Form School records Year 1950 to 1999

Lankenau Hospital School of Nursing records, 1871-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 52.5 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection chronicles the long history of one of Philadelphia's most respected diploma schools of nursing, that of the Lankenau Hospital. It contains records which span the entire life of the school, from its inception in 1899 (at Lankenau's institutional predecessor, the German Hospital) to its eventual close in May of 1992.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

Presbyterian School of Nursing records, 1871-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:: 152.0 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection documents the founding, flourishing and eventual closing of the Presbyterian School of Nursing, a hospital-based nursing school in Philadelphia. The hospital itself was founded in 1871 under the sponsorship of the Presbyterian Church. Its nurse training program was begun in 1889. The collection's strength is the relative completeness of student records, good documentation of the school's curricula and teaching materials. The supportive role both the Ladies Aid Society and the Alumni Association played in the growth of the School are evident in these records.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

The professional and personal papers of Edwin Wolf 2nd, 1920-1988 (bulk) 1798-1996 (inclusive)

Extent:: 20.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Edwin Wolf 2nd (1911-1991) was a librarian, bibliophile, author, historian, Franklin scholar, and a civic leader in Philadelphia. Wolf was Curator of the Library Company from 1953 to 1955, and then served as Librarian from 1955 to 1984. During those years, he led the Library Company though a period of rejuvenation, growth, and prosperity. The Edwin Wolf 2nd papers contain correspondence, research files, volumes, publications, photographs, and other records that document the education, career, and personal family life of one of Philadelphia’s most prominent bookmen during the 20th century.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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]

Holden Furber papers, 1898-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.75 linear feet (5 boxes and oversized folder)
Abstract:: Holden Furber (1903-1993) was a professor of South Asian studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1973. His papers include his correspondence to his family while traveling; records relating to his education from grammar school to graduate school; his writings; his research; and his professional papers, largely as a professor.

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

Michael Strassfeld papers, 1901-2015 (inclusive) 1968-2015 (bulk)

Extent:: 42 linear feet (70 boxes)
Abstract:: Rabbi Michael Strassfeld (born February 8, 1950) is an American Reconstructionist Rabbi. Raised in a Orthodox Jewish household, Strassfeld was profoundly influenced by the burgeoning Jewish anti-establishment movement in the Boston area in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Michael Strassfeld papers contain the records of the his education and life's work. Represented are elements of his Orthodox upbringing, traditional Jewish education, influence of the Jewish anti-establishment and countercultural movements of the 1960s and early 1970s, and his training and practice as a Reconstructionist Rabbi.

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

Jane Wright Proctor Wallis family papers, 1833-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10 linear feet (18 boxes)
Abstract:: A Philadelphia native, Jane Wright Proctor Wallis (1875-1956) was the daughter of Sarah Jane Wright and Josiah Kendall Proctor (the founder and owner of several prominent city businesses) and a mother of ten children. The Jane Wright Proctor Wallis family papers provide a glimpse into early 20th-century family life through correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia. The collection dates from 1833 to 2007, revealing a pride in the history and genealogy of the Proctor Wallis family across its many generations. In addition to familial topics, this collection features many materials documenting events of the early 20th Century as well as various Philadelphia-area social and charitable clubs.

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

Aitala family papers, 1926-2001 (inclusive) 1940-1954 (bulk)

Extent:: 5 boxes (and 1 oversized folder)
Abstract:: Documents, notebooks, and diary entries relaying the narrative of the Aitala family's migration through and immigration from Italy to the United States during and after World War II.

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

Mercy-Douglass Hospital records, 1896-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:: 26.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Mercy-Douglass Hospital was an African-American hospital and the first black nurse training school in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It existed from 1895-1960. This collection contains the institutional records of Mercy-Douglass, along with over 200 photographs of the hospital and nursing school.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

Evening College records, 1935-1988 (bulk) 1921-1993 (inclusive)

Extent:: 30.3 linear feet (31 containers)
Abstract:: The Drexel Evening College was founded in 1891, as the Department of Lectures and Evening Classes within the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, and held its first classes in 1892. A program of study geared towards working adults, it offered courses in drawing, decorative painting, modeling, woodcarving, stained glass, mathematics, bookkeeping, stenography and typewriting, chemistry, physics, shop work in wood and iron, cookery, dressmaking, millinery, physical culture, economics, English and architecture. Since its inception, the Evening College has undergone significant academic, administrative and physical transformations, adapting to accommodate an ever changing student body as well as administrative and academic agendas. This collection documents those changes as well as the more general administrative, academic, and social activities of the College from 1921 to 1993. Materials in this collection include administrative records, reports, curriculum materials, faculty...(see more)

Held at: Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections [Contact Us]