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Chester F. Baker local history research and family papers, 1925-1960 (bulk) 1864-1960 (inclusive)

Extent:

28.5 linear feet

Abstract:

Chester F. Baker (1891-1963) was a municipal engineer and amateur historian from the city of Chester in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Among his many affiliations with historical and genealogical organizations, Baker was president of the Chester Rural Cemetery Association and director of the Delaware County Historical Society. The Chester F. Baker local history research and family papers, 1864-1960 (bulk 1925-1960), consist of well over 100 binders with research materials on history topics, papers from organizations with which Baker was involved, and papers relating to his work as a surveyor. There are also a few personal and family photograph albums and scrapbooks.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Howell family papers, 1830-1880 (bulk) 1798-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.5 linear feet

Abstract:

The Howell family were members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who resided in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Howell family papers, 1798-1929 (bulk 1830-1880), consist substantially of routine personal correspondence between several generations of the Howell family, particularly Sally R. Howell, Israel Howell, Mary Mott Howell, Joshua R. Howell, and Elizabeth Howell. The collection also includes a sizeable amount of school records, about 17 manuscript volumes from the early to mid-1800s, and drafts of poems and other writings.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Dr. Anna E. Broomall scrapbooks, 1900-1922 (bulk) 1841-1922 (inclusive)

Extent:

8.25 linear feet

Abstract:

Anna Elizabeth Broomall (1847-1931), from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was a prominent physician who established one of the first clinics for out-practice maternity care in the United States. She was chief resident physician and instructor of obstetrics at the Woman's Hospital of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Having an active interest in history, Broomall served as librarian and curator of the Delaware County Historical Society after she retired from medicine. The Dr. Anna E. Broomall scrapbooks, 1841-1922 (bulk 1900-1922) primarily consist of volumes of clippings that focus on historically-significant people, organizations, buildings, and events in Delaware County and Philadelphia. The collection also includes some glass-plate and film negatives as well as items, such as letters and ephemera, of historical and personal interest to Dr. Broomall.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Louise Deshong Woodbridge glass negatives, 1884-1905 (inclusive)

Extent:

2.0 linear feet

Abstract:

Louise Deshong Woodbridge (1848-1925), a member of the prominent Deshong family of Chester (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) was an active socialite as well as an amateur photographer and painter. Taking up photography in the early 1880s, Woodbridge had a fairly successful career with her work being exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The Louise Deshong Woodbridge glass negatives, 1884-1905, consist of approximately 200 primarily glass plate negatives with some 4x5" film negatives that document the creator's family, friends, and social activities. They also document Delaware County and the surrounding area around the turn of the 20th century, particularly historic structures, such as the Woodbridge and Deshong mansions, and landscapes. Of special interest are some photographs of the White House, including the White House conservatory, and First Lady Ida McKinley.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Lansdowne School pupil directory and report cards, 1907-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:

17.0 linear feet

Abstract:

Lansdowne School was constructed by the Upper Darby School Board in the late 1880s in Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The building was demolished in stages from 1950 to 1986. The Lansdowne School pupil directory and report cards, 1907-1925, are organized into two series. The pupil directory cards date from 1911 to 1925 and generally include student's name, parents' names, birth date, address, and date of admission. The report cards, which date from 1907 to 1914, give each student's name, teacher's name, and grades for the year.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Delaware County Historical Society vertical files, circa 1850-2013

Extent:

85.0 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 vertical files, circa 1850-2013, cover various local topics. Materials are mostly newspaper clippings, photocopies of newspaper articles, pamphlets and ephemera, research notes, narrative histories, transcripts, indexes, printed materials, copies of church and civil records, death and funeral records, and census and tax records, as well as some original documents and oral histories on audiocassette tapes and CDs.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Delaware County Historical Society map, atlas, and blueprint collection, circa 1870-2013

Extent:

15.0 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 map, atlas, and blueprint collection, circa 1870-2013, includes maps, surveys, technical drawings, and atlases, mostly for the City of Chester and Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Wilde Post No. 25 (Chester, Pa.), Grand Army of the Republic records, 1865-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:

5.0 linear feet

Abstract:

The Soldiers' Union of Chester, a non-political beneficial society for veterans in Chester (Delaware County, Pennsylvania) was formed in 1865. Slightly over a year later, it reorganized under the auspices of the national fraternal organization of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) as Wilde Post No. 25. With slightly over 1,000 members at its peak, the Post's last surviving member passed away in 1939. The Wilde Post No. 25 (Chester, Pa.), Grand Army of the Republic records, 1865-1929, consist of minute books, membership records, financial records, and publications and ephemera from Wilde Post. The records include a small amount of material from the G.A.R. Post's predecessor, the Soldiers' Union of Chester.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Delaware County Federation of Women's Clubs records, 1975-2012 (bulk) 1912-2012 (inclusive)

Extent:

6.5 linear feet

Abstract:

The first county federation of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in the country and the largest organization of volunteer women in the country, the Delaware County Federation of Women's Clubs was founded by Mary Barton Luckie in 1912. It was federated in 1915. The Delaware County Federation of Women's Clubs records, 1912-2012 (bulk 1975-2012), consist of administrative and financial records, publications, and various materials relating to events and activities run by the organization as well as materials relating to its history.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Township of Upper Providence records, 1954-1978 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.0 linear feet

Abstract:

Upper Providence Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was settled in 1682 and incorporated as a township in 1687. The Township of Upper Providence records, 1954-1978, consist of tax records, insurance policies, and real estate/building information for the township.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]