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The Life, Studies, and Works of Benjamin West, Esq., by John Galt, in extra-illustrated form, 1792-1820 (bulk) 1682-1844 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 3 boxes; 9 flat files)
Abstract:
In 1816 and 1820, Scottish author John Galt produced a two-volume biography of Benjamin West entitled The Life, Works, and Studies of Benjamin West, Esq. This collection consists of pages from seven disbound extra-illustrated volumes of Galt's book comprising numerous original letters to and from Benjamin West, some pieces of original art by West, and many other engravings, documents, and prints.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Montgomery, Scott, and Wheeler families papers, 1675-2018, bulk 1840-1995

Extent:
60.6 linear feet (; 103 boxes, 142 volumes, 11 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection from the Montgomery, Scott, and Wheeler families, spanning 60 linear feet, documents the history of Ardrossan, an estate in Villanova, Pennsylvania -- one of the largest on Philadelphia's Main Line -- and its residents over the course of more than two centuries. In 1911, local investment banker Colonel Robert Leaming Montgomery (1879-1949) hired Horace Trumbauer to design the residence on the family's 800-acre plot, complete with a dairy farm and horse stables. The son of William Woodrow Montgomery and Rebecca Waln Leaming, Robert L. Montgomery would go onto to establish what is now the investment firm of Janney Montgomery Scott. He married Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler (1881-1970) in 1902, and the couple had four children: Helen Hope, Mary Binney, Robert Alexander, and Charlotte Ives. Their eldest daughter, Helen Hope Montgomery (1904-1995), became well known in Philadelphia's social circles, and she went on to marry Edgar Scott (1899-1995), grandson of Thomas A....(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Hughes Memorandum Book, 1704-1762

Extent:
0.08 linear feet (; 1 volume)
Abstract:
John Hughes was a yeoman from Wales who came with his family to Pennsylvania in 1698. He was among the first to settle in Gwynedd in what is now Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Hughes was a member of the Society of Friends and opened his house to worshipers until a meeting house was built. He had three children with his first wife, Martha Caimot, and two with his second wife, Ellen. He moved to Exeter, Berks County in 1731 with his son Ellis and grandson John and died there in 1736. John Hughes's memorandum book contains the records of some of his business affairs, including accounts of goods given out on credit, goods received, and money paid and received. The most substantive portions of the volume consist of entries made during conferences held in Easton, Pennsylvania, between Native Americans and Pennsylvanians during July and November 1756. The volume also includes records for travel expenses incurred in April 1757. These later entries, written after Hughes death, were made by...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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William Strahan letters, 1766-1772 (bulk) 1751-1777 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
These letters of William Strahan, London printer, bookseller, and associate of Benjamin Franklin, are addressed to David Hall, printer and merchant of Philadelphia, and to his son, William Hall. Many of the letters provide richly detailed and intelligent commentary on British politics and other current events. There are also discussions of trade, finances, and family matters.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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William Redwood account books, 1775-1790 (bulk) 1749-1814 (bulk 1775-1790) (inclusive)

Extent:
1.25 linear feet (; 10 volumes)
Abstract:
William Redwood, son of Abraham Redwood and his second wife Patience Phillips, was born in 1726 in Newport, Rhode Island. There he worked for a number of years as a merchant in partnership with Elias Bland. Redwood moved to Philadelphia 1772 where he continued business. From 1782 to 1787, Redwood lived at and helped maintain the family's plantation on the island of Antigua in the West Indies. This collection consists of ten account books (ledgers, journals, and daybooks) associated with Redwood. Most of them document his work in Philadelphia; however two volumes contain information on his Newport business and partnership, and two contain detailed financial records concerning the family's Antigua plantation.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Gilbert And Joseph Cope genealogical research materials, 1908-1968 (bulk) 1729-1979 (inclusive)

Extent:
22.4 linear feet (; 49 boxes, 11 volumes)
Abstract:
Gilbert Cope (1840-1928) was a well-known Quaker genealogist and local historian who compiled comprehensive genealogical records of Pennsylvania families. Cope was one of the founders of the Chester County Historical Society and served it as secretary, director, and honorary director. He was a member of the Friends’ Historical Association and a corresponding member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. In 1912, he was elected an honorary member of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and became one of its honorary vice presidents in 1924. Additionally, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies from 1911 to 1912, overseeing 75 historical organizations in Pennsylvania. Gilbert’s son Joseph Cope continued his father’s work, augmenting the Cope family’s genealogy and those of other prominent families. Gilbert Cope’s collections were acquired by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Smith family papers, 1680-1880 (bulk) 1660-1941 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.0 linear feet (, 14 boxes, 82 volumes)
Abstract:
The Smith family papers contain materials compiled and authored by John Jay Smith as well as several of his descendants. John Jay Smith (1798-1881) was librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia from 1829 to 1851 and founder of Laurel Hill Cemetery. As a member of an influential Quaker family, Smith was the descendant of several prominent early Philadelphians including James Logan and Richard Hill. Much of the collection consists of deeds and other land transactions as well as correspondence and diaries originating with these ancestors. Smith’s own papers document his wide range of interests as well as his personal and professional relationships through correspondence, financial records, and memorabilia. The collection also contains materials originating from the families of two of Smith’s sons: Lloyd Pearsall Smith (1822-1886) and Horace John Smith (1832-1906). This collection is particularly rich in documenting the history of two prominent Philadelphia institutions, the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Allen Family Papers, 1700-1954 (inclusive)

Extent:
2 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Abstract:
Contains the papers of the Allen Family, a Quaker family of Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, which traced its ancestry back to one of William Penn's commissioners. Includes papers relating to the Allen and related Breidenhart, Casdorp, Gibbons, Hubley, Jacobs, Matlack, and Samuel families. The Allen family papers contain extensive genealogical material, family correspondence, journals and memorials which provide excellent source material on Quaker family life in the 19th century in the Philadelphia area. Of particular interest are letters from Charles and Rebecca Allen to their children, several of whom were educated at Westtown School.

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

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Ferris Family Papers, 1737-1940 (inclusive)

Extent:
15 linear ft. (36 boxes)
Abstract:
The collection contains correspondence, journals and other writings, business and legal papers, and miscellaneous items of the Ferris family of Wilmington, Delaware, a prominent Quaker family. Of particular note are the correspondence and writings of Benjamin Ferris concerning the Separation in the Society of Friends, as well as the journals and diaries of Anna M. Ferris, David Ferris, Matilda Ferris, Benjamin Ferris, and Henry Ferris. Correspondents include William Lloyd Garrison, William Gibbons, Isaac T. Hopper, Joseph Bringhurst, Mary Gibbons, William Poole, Mary Biddle, Joseph Rakestraw, Halliday Jackson, and John Jackson. This collection includes a great variety of family correspondence that reveals much about the life of a Quaker family in Wilmington and of the reform activities of members of the Society of Friends.

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

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