Place: Delaware County (Pa.) - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Extent:: 20.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Stephen H. Appleton (b. 1854) of Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was editor of a local newspaper and a professional photographer around the turn of the 20th century. The Stephen H. Appleton glass plate negatives, circa 1880-1900, depict people and buildings mostly located in Media and Delaware County.

Held at: Media Historic Archives Commission [Contact Us]

Extent:: 5.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Isaiah V. Williamson (1803-1889) was born in Fallsington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. After becoming a successful merchant in Philadelphia and retiring in 1838, Williamson turned to investing and philanthropy. In 1888, Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades (now known as Williamson College of the Trades) in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania was established with an endowment from Williamson. The Isaiah V. Williamson financial papers, 1835-1898, consist of various documents and volumes relating to Isaiah Williamson's financial interests, including some legal and estate papers dating from after his death. There is also a small amount of secondary-source materials, such as newspaper clippings of Williamson's obituary and research on Williamson and his family members and associates.

Held at: Williamson College of the Trades (Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades) [Contact Us]

Extent:: 2.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Ivy Mills, located in what is now the community of Glen Mills in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was established in 1729 by Thomas Willcox and his partner Thomas Brown. One of the earliest paper mills in operation in the American colonies, Ivy Mills rose to prominence, supplying paper to Benjamin Franklin for his print shop and to the American colonies and the Continental Congress for their currency. After the establishment of the United States, Ivy Mills continued to be the leading supplier of bank note paper for the federal government and also supplied banks across the western hemisphere with paper. The mill's ownership passed down through the Willcox family until 1866 when it ceased operations. Ivy Mills financial records, 1783-1866, consist of the mill's financial records, a glass plate negative of the mill, and paper samples.

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:: This collection contains mostly incoming correspondence to Mary Brackett Willcox (1796-1866), wife of James M. Willcox (1791-1854) whose family owned one of the most significant paper mills in the country in Ivy Mills, now Glenn Mills, Pennsylvania. Along with their status in industry, the Willcox family was also one of the most prominent families within the Catholic community in the Philadelphia area. The family’s mansion became the center of Catholicity in Delaware County, and served as the beginnings of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. During the 1840s and 1850s, students and the Vincentian administrators of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary spent their summers at the Willcox estate. The letters in the collection are from Vincentians, seminarians, and other priests serving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who formed close ties with Mary and the Willcox family during this period. A majority of the letters address the topics of...(see more)

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

Extent:: 40.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society deeds and documents collection, 1681-20th century, consists of over 8,000 deeds and similar property, estate, and legal documents. It includes a large number of 19th and 18th century documents - the earliest is from 1681 - as well as several deeds from William Penn and John Morton.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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