Form: Photographs and Scrapbooks - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Extent:: 70.0 linear feet and
Abstract:: The Read family consistently played an important role in American government and politics from the time that George Read, a Delaware resident, signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Throughout the 17th to 19th centuries, the Reads served as lawyers, judges, politicians, generals, consul-generals and foreign ministers. This collection contains the papers of four generations of the Read family of Philadelphia, consisting of John Read, Judge John Meredith Read, General John Meredith Read, and Harmon Pumpelly Read. The materials date from 1736 to 1896, with the bulk dating from 1792 to 1896, and include extensive correspondence, bills and receipts, genealogical notes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks and ephemera. The majority of the collection consists of General John Meredith Read’s papers relating to his family history and genealogy, correspondence, and political materials. The collection is particularly valuable in illustrating...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: The collection primarily includes records related to the Civil War service of John F. Ballier, including correspondence, guard reports, muster rolls, military orders, and other papers pertaining to the 21st and the 98th Regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteers, which Ballier commanded. Other papers of Ballier include a handwritten copy of a resolution of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, Third Regiment, acknowledging Ballier's retirement in 1876; and a personal scrapbook of correspondence, memorabilia, ephemera, and clippings documenting his Civil War service as well as other events throughout his life. Many items in the scrapbook relate to German-American societies and festivities in Philadelphia. Also included are records of discharges and payments to veterans of regiments in Pennsylvania and in other states; and a volume entitled Pennsylvania Militia Legion cashbook.

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

Extent:: 1.5 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:: Patrick Coad (1783-1872), an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia, was the first patentee of a graduated galvanic battery with insulated poles. Touting his battery among other uses as an instrument that helped cure various diseases, Coad’s invention attracted a good deal of attention within the scientific and medical communities. A teacher whose interests focused on medicine and the sciences, Coad also travelled throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding area as a lecturer on the natural sciences. The collection includes Coad’s correspondence, his lecture and medical notes, and ephemera, such as newspaper clippings, pamphlets and broadsides, publicizing his galvanic battery and lectures. Several of Coad’s family members are also documented through correspondence, ephemera, and estate items, including his son Joseph R. Coad (1829-1868), a prominent Philadelphia physician. A family scrapbook with miscellaneous materials is also included.

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