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Start Over Repository Historical Society of Pennsylvania Place Philadelphia (Pa.)--Social life and customs--20th century. Year 1890 to 1894

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William Curtis Bok and Nellie Lee Holt Bok papers, 1905-1984 (bulk) 1836-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:
26.0 linear feet (; 70 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection documents the personal and professional lives of William Curtis Bok (1897-1962) and Nellie Lee Holt Bok (1901-1984). Curtis Bok (he rarely went by "William") worked as a lawyer in Philadelphia and was elected to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and later to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. During his tenure on the Supreme Court he oversaw the famous obscenity case Commonwealth v. Gordon, which has yet to be overturned. He married twice, first to Margaret Adams Plummer in 1924, and then to Nellie Lee Holt in 1934. Nellie Lee was born in Nebraska and worked as an educator at Stephen's College, Columbia, Missouri. Between 1926 and 1927 she traveled around the world on behalf of the college interviewing various educational and religious leaders, including Mohandas Gandhi. She maintained a tradition of civic engagement throughout her life. The collection also documents to lives of their children (Curtis had three children with his first wife...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Ritter family papers, circa 1840-2004, undated

Extent:
2.2 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
This family history collection documents the Ritter family and its ancestors beginning in the late 18th century. Diaries, autobiographies, memorandum books, family photos, and legal papers comprise the bulk of the material that spans almost 200 years (1773-1962). The collection focuses heavily on James Hansell Ritter (1859-1912) and his wife, Mary LeBaron Stoddard Ritter (1867-1949), both descendants of William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony from 1622 until 1656. The couple’s lineage is documented in Series 1 which houses genealogical notes including a letter dated 25 December 1872 and an application for membership in the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Many of the ancestors appear in original or copied photographs in Series 2. Material related to ancestors and relatives of James Hansell Ritter - including his maternal great-great grandfather, Jacob Ehrenzeller, Sr. (1725-1798); his paternal grandfather, Jacob Ritter, Jr. (1784-1840); his father...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of Academy of Music programs, playbills, and scrapbooks, 1857-1972, undated

Extent:
53.6 linear feet (131 boxes, 17 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection consists of playbills and programs to the various performances and special programs staged at the Academy of Music from 1857 to 1972. Among the organizations represented in the collection are the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and various opera companies. There are also programs from out-of-state companies, such as the Boston Symphyony Orchestra. In addition to the programs there are also several scrapbooks that contain ephemera and newsclippings of reviews and announcements of performances as well as special events and programs.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Foerderer family papers, 1894-1994 (bulk) 1865-2009 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.8 linear feet (; 13 boxes, 1 volume, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Percival E. Foerderer (1884-1969) was a Philadelphia businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist, although lived most of his life in the city suburbs of Merion and Bryn Mawr. His college-age medical education was interrupted when his father, Robert H. Foerderer, became ill and could no longer run the family’s decades-old leather manufacturing business. In response, Percival quit school and, in the early 1900s, joined Robert H. Foerderer, Inc, manufacturers of “Vici Kid” leather. Later in life, Percival served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Jefferson Medical College and Hospital, and on the boards of many other companies and organizations in Philadelphia. He married Ethel Brown (1885-1981), daughter of a Philadelphia textile manufacturer, who presided over the Women's Board of Jefferson and was active in several other civic and philanthropic activities. Percival and Ethel Foerderer had three daughters, Mignon, Florence, and Shirley. This family collection spans from the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wannemacher family papers, 1880-1934 (bulk) 1879-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.7 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection relates to the Wannemacher family of Philadelphia and consists of one box of papers and ten photo albums. In 1893, Edward H. Wannemacher married Mary A. Fairbairn at St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia. The couple had at least one son, Edward Hermany Wannemacher, baptised 7 July 1895. The papers in the collection briefly describe the history of the family. In the photo albums are records of the family's activies, from causual visits to local landmarks and travels throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, to their involvement with the Socialist Sunday School and the Young People's Socialist League.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Contemporary Club (Philadelphia, Pa.) records, 1886-1952, undated (Bulk 1886-1932)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 8 boxes)
Abstract:
The Contemporary Club was organized in 1886 to hold discussions on outstanding questions of the day and to present scholarly papers by public figures. Membership was open to men and women, most of whom were distinguished in the academic, artistic, and literary worlds of Philadelphia. Correspondence dating from 1886 to 1952 makes up the bulk of the papers. It includes outgoing correspondence of club presidents, incoming correspondence of individuals invited to speak, and miscellaneous correspondence to Thornton Oakley and other club officers. Among the other papers are executive committee minutes (1894-1919), photographs, year books, lists of members and historical sketches, and other miscellaneous items.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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