Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Repository University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Record Source University of Pennsylvania Place United States -- History -- 1783-1865 Year 1800 to 1849

Biddle family papers, 1709-2017 (inclusive) 1776-1952 (bulk)

Extent:: 14.5 linear feet (32 boxes)
Abstract:: The Biddle family has a long history on American land with Quaker ancestors emigrating in 1681 and settling in Philadelphia around 1725. This collection documents the family relationships, and to a lesser extent, the work and military service of six generations of one branch of that family, starting with Clement Biddle (1740-1814), and following the descendants of two of his sons: Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857) and Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855). These papers tell the stories, to varying degrees, of more than 30 individual Biddle family members through correspondence, financial records, professional papers, diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

J.G. Rosengarten collection, 1712-1914 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes, 1 slip-case)
Abstract:: J.G. Rosengarten (1835-1921) was a Philadelphia lawyer, philanthropist, and history enthusiast with special interests in the role of German and French individuals in the development of and early wars of the United States. He wrote several books and articles on these subjects, and in the course of his research assembled the eponymous collection. The collection will likely be of interest to scholars, particularly those studying the American Revolutionary War and German involvement on both the British and American sides, and French and German foreign relations at the end of the 18th century.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Samuel D. Ingham correspondence, 1734-1910 (inclusive)

Extent:: 6 boxes
Abstract:: The Samuel D. Ingham correspondence comprises letters predominantly as well as other papers relating to Ingham and his life. The majority of the collection is correspondence either written by Ingham, to him, or to and from other political figures. Important subsets of the correspondence addressed to Ingham include letters regarding the Peggy Eaton Affair, a 1831 scandal that led to the resignation of President Jackson's entire cabinent (including then Secretary of the Treasury Ingham), as well as a series of letters from President Jackson to his Secretary of the Treasury. There are two letterbooks containing copies of letters from Ingham to others, particularly centered on but not limited to his time as Secretary of the Treasury. Other materials include postcards of Ingham's home and grave, published speeches by Ingham, a biography written by his son William Armstrong Ingham, and newspapers with articles regarding him.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

John Mills Hale collection of letters, autographs, and images of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1736-1824 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.66 linear_foot (2 boxes)
Abstract:: This collection consists of a complete set of autographs of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Gordon Block collection of Lincolniana, 1760-1963 (inclusive) 1840-1950 (bulk)

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet (13 boxes)
Abstract:: Gordon Alexander Block (1885-1964) was a Philadelphia lawyer and collector of Lincoln documents and memorabilia. The collection includes twenty-three documents either signed by Lincoln or in his hand including a number of pleadings and court documents from his years as a lawyer in Illinois. The collection also contains a variety of ephemera from the Civil War era, including campaign ribbons and songbooks from 1860 and 1864 as well as broadsides, ribbons, and mourning cards issued after Lincoln's assassination. In addition, researchers will find a rich selection of visual representations of Lincoln in the collection, including lithographs, prints, photographs, and engravings of the sixteenth president.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Hopkinson and Dale family collection, 1779-1870 (inclusive)

Extent:: .2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:: The Hopkinson and Dale families are tied to the colonial and early American history of the Mid-Atlantic, to the medical field, and to the University of Pennsylvania for at least four generations. The families joined when Edward Hopkinson (1850-1935) and Abigail Dale (1859-1887) married, probably in the early 1880s. This collection provides small glimpses into the lives of four generations of the families. Each individual is represented by only a few documents; however, this scant group of documents addresses important issues in early American politics, including George Clinton and Aaron Burr as vice presidential candidates and the Burr conspiracy; life as a sailor in the United States Navy in the 1820s; the Siege of Paris in 1870; and the importance of family.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons records, 1787-1883 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.8 linear feet (2 boxes)
Abstract:: The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (later the Pennsylvania Prison Society) was formed in 1787 to correct the issues of the city jail where prisoners were held together with little to no regard for age, gender, or nature of crime. This collection includes the Society's administrative records, case reports, and visiting reports.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Antoine Prudence Lalouette papers, 1813-1884 (inclusive) 1821-1823 (bulk)

Extent:: .2 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: Antoine Prudence Lalouette (1775/1777-1855) was a French Army officer who purchased land in Baldwin County (Fish River or Rivière Poissons), Alabama, and spent two years settling the land, with the goal of farming fruits and vegetable from his native country. After two years, he returned to his family, but retained the land in Alabama, ownership of which was contested in 1884. This collection consists of material (largely letters) from the time that Lalouette was working in Alabama, as well as material produced afterward, much of which may have been used in the 1884 efforts by Lalouette's heirs to prove ownership of the land.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]