Radnor Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was founded in 1682, shortly after Welsh Quakers arrived on the lands previously home to the original inhabitants, the Lenni Lenape Indians. Development in the area increased when new transportation routes passed through the area, first the Lancaster Turnpike (the first toll road in America) in 1794, and then the Columbia (later Pennsylvania) Railroad in 1832. The township's population doubled between 1880 and 1890 with the birth of one of the country's first planned suburban developments, Wayne. Development and population boomed again in the wake of World War II and has continued to grow in the 21st century. The Radnor Historical Society manuscript collection, 1702-circa 2010, consists of a variety of original manuscript materials relating to the people, businesses, and organizations of Radnor Township and its vicinity. It includes photographs (prints, albums, and glass plate and film negatives), scrapbooks, financial records,...(see more)
Frances Hughs Sausser (1882-1963) was one of the founders of the Radnor Historical Society in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Married twice but with no children, Sausser was active in her church and in researching her family genealogy. The Frances Sausser papers, 1846-1962 (bulk 1931-1962), include a large amount of Mrs. Sausser's correspondence and genealogy research notes, and a small amount of family papers including photographs. The collection documents the life of an early to mid-twentieth century upper-middle class woman, her family genealogy, and the genealogy research process.