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Start Over Repository Historical Society of Pennsylvania Year 1850 to 1899

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Cox-Parrish-Wharton papers, 1740-1870 (bulk) 1700-1900 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.3 linear feet (; 19 boxes, 40 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection of papers that originated mostly from the Cox family of Oxmead, Burlington County, New Jersey, and the Parrish family of Maryland and Philadelphia, contains information on the religious, humanitarian, social, and economic influence of the Quakers in American life. Spanning two centuries from 1700 to 1900, the collection contains family and some business correspondence, personal and financial volumes, petitions, deeds, publications, prints and photographs, and materials from the Friends Association of Philadelphia.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Joshua Humphreys papers, 1660-1931, undated; bulk circa 1770 - 1931

Extent:
4.0 linear feet (; 19 volumes, 5 boxes)
Abstract:
In 1751, Joshua Humphreys was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and became the nation's most important naval architect in the post-Revolutionary era concerned with building and retrofitting military fleets. His most well-known ship is the Constitution, which is known as "Old Ironsides" and is the oldest commissioned U.S. naval vessel still afloat. In 1803, Humphreys retired, and his son Samuel continued the business. This collection consists of volumes, including daybooks and financial records; correspondence; family papers; and legal documents.

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Logan family papers, 1670-1872 (bulk) 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872) (inclusive)

Extent:
34.8 linear feet (65 boxes, 79 volumes, 12 flat files)
Abstract:
The Logan family was a prominent Philadelphia family dating back to 1699, when James Logan, the family patriarch, arrived in Philadelphia to serve as the first secretary of the Pennsylvania colony. Through work in agriculture and politics, Logan and his descendants were intimately involved in the development of the Pennsylvania colony and, later, the fledging United States. James Logan's prominence resulted in connections, both professional and familial, with other prominent colonial families, including the Norris and Dickinson families. The Logan family papers, 1638-1964 (bulk 1670-1872), documents James Logan’s personal and professional life, as well as that of several generations of his descendents. There are papers documenting the lives of his son William, his grandson George Logan, his great-grandsons Albanus Charles Logan and Algernon Sydney Logan, and the subsequent relationships with the Dickinson and Norris families. John Dickinson, who married one of James Logan's...(see more)

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Pennsylvania Abolition Society papers, 1751-1992, undated; bulk 1780-1930

Extent:
40.0 linear feet (; 81 boxes, 60 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
Growing out of egalitarian concerns of members of the Society of Friends, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, as it is now known, was founded in 1775 as the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, but the Revolution caused its early Quaker members to suspend operations until 1784, when it reorganized with a broader base. From the beginning, the Abolition Society's programs were devoted not only to the abolition of slavery, but to the social and economic improvement of Black Americans as well. This collection of records documents the Pennsylvania Abolition Society's history and its work from mid 1700s to the 1990s, and particularly during the 1800s, through minutes and reports, manumissions and indentures, correspondence, financial papers, and a significant assortment of miscellaneous papers from other anti-slavery and humanitarian organzations.

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Lavington Quick Papers, 1861-1865 (bulk) 1847-1876, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.6 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 5 flat files)
Abstract:
Lavington Quick (1819-1876) served as a U.S. Army Brigadier surgeon during the Civil War. The Lavington Quick Papers contain various documents pertaining to his medical career, as well as medicine and hospitals during the Civil War. The collection contains records of Quick's medical schooling, reports of inspections of soldiers, records of medical discharges, invoices for medical supplies received by Dr. Quick, mainly at the Army hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, special Army orders regarding Quick and others. There are a number of newspapers articles by Quick, that touch on the state of the Army and the hospitals but speak mostly to the political events and currents of the early 1860s. Additionally, there are other newspaper clippings, photographs, currency, and stock certificates. From the collection, one can gather a fair bit about the inner workings of the surgeon general's office during the Civil War, and of the state of medicine in wartime.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Herbert Welsh collection, 1898-1925 (bulk) 1759-1935, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
59.4 linear feet (; 120 boxes, 14 flat files, 145 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Herbert Welsh, noted political reformer and activist, founder of the Indian Rights Association, editor and publicist, and advocate for the conservation of the forests of Lake Sunapee. The collection also contain papers collected by Herbert Welsh, mostly by his father John Welsh, Philadelphia merchant, U.S. diplomat, and chairman of the International Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The collection spans from 1759 to 1935 with the bulk of the materials covering the years between 1898 and 1925 and includes correspondence, financial files, papers related to Welsh’s interests and activism, broadsides, pamphlets, serials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs.

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James Wilson papers, 1710-1877, undated; bulk 1775-1794

Extent:
6.4 linear feet (; 16 boxes, 4 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
James Wilson (1742-1789) was one of Pennsylvania's leading politicians during the nation's founding years. He signed the Declaration of Independence, assisted in drafting the United States Constitution, and was a member of the Continental Congress. Wilson was also one of six men apointment by George Washington to the first Supreme Court of the United States. This collection contains a variety of papers on the early federal government and on James Wilson's business and professional activities. There are copies of drafts of the Constitution and a corrected copy of the same, notes of debates and resolutions in the Constitutional Convention, items on the establishment of the national bank, Wilson's business and personal correspondence, letters of Mary Wilson Hollingsworth, and miscellaneous documents.

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George Wolf papers, 1817-1852, undated (bulk 1830-1835)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes)
Abstract:
George Wolf (1777-1840) served as Pennsylvania governor from 1829 to 1835. He worked as a lawyer and was elected America's first comptroller of the United States Treasury. This collection contains mostly his incoming correspondence and generally spans Wolf's time in office in Pennsylvania. There are letters and petitions concerning his administration and state and national politics, as well as related miscellaneous documents.

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Jasper Yeates papers, 1733-1876 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.2 linear feet (; 50 boxes)
Abstract:
Jasper Yeates (1745-1817) was a leading lawyer in Lancaster County and associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; the collection contains his notes on trials, evidence, arguments, depositions, and judicial opinions rendered in numerous legal cases. Making up a large portion of the papers is his personal correspondence with noted men such as Edward Burd, Thomas Hartley, Richard Peters, William Tilghman, and others, which deals with political events, public questions, and congressional and administrative affairs. There is also Yeates's personal correspondence with his wife Sarah Yeates. The collection also contains papers of John Yeates that relate chiefly to commerce and shipping between the Middle Atlantic colonies and Barbados, Antigua, and other islands in the West Indies. Other items include Redmond Conyngham letters and essays, Peter Grubb estate papers and accounts, Jasper Yeates Cunningham family papers, the work Chronology of the History of the...(see more)

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Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt papers, 1879-1950 (bulk) 1769-1950, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
18.2 linear feet (39 boxes, 29 volumes, 23 flat files)
Abstract:
Mary Elizabeth Hallock’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1882 at the age of eleven set into motion a forty-year career as a musician, inventor, lecturer, writer and political activist. Born in Beirut, September 8, 1871 to Sara (Tabet) Hallock, descendant of an aristocratic Syrian family, and Samuel Hallock, a U.S. consul, she was educated in Beirut and Philadelphia. A gifted musician, Hallock graduated from Philadelphia’s Musical Academy in 1893, and in 1897 studied piano in Vienna with Theodore Leschetizky. In 1898 in Johnstown, New York, Hallock married Dr. Frank L. Greenewalt, thirty-two years old and a physician-in-chief at Girard College. The Greenewalts had one son, Crawford, born in 1902. Greenewalt, a pianist noted for her interpretation of Chopin, began in the early 1900s to investigate how gradated colored lighting might enhance the emotional expression of music. By 1920 Greenewalt had obtained the first of many patents covering a color organ designed to project a sequence of...(see more)

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Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers, 1865-1923

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
Merion Cricket Club was established in 1865 outside of Philadelphia, PA as a social and athletic club and is still in operation as of 2017. Early in its history Merion was known for cricket, tennis, football (soccer), and golf, before the Merion Golf Club became its own entity. Today, the club offers a variety of athletic activities including tennis, squash, and bowling. The Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers date from 1865 to 1923 and consist of scrapbooks containing letters, announcements, photographs, menus, ephemera, clippings, and other items documenting the activities of the Merion Cricket Club and its members. There is also one box of additional (loose) printed matter relating to Merion.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902

Extent:
1.375 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was organized in 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to advance the interests of cycling and promote the riding of bicycles as a means of exercise, locomotion, and enjoyment. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was dissolved in 1902 and its assets were distributed to the Philadelphia Cycle and Field Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902, consist of administrative materials such as minutes, charter and bylaws, correspondence meeting announcements, and membership materials, as well as financial and property records, including several materials related to the construction and maintenance of the club house at 26th and Perot streets.

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North American Land Company records, 1765-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
14.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 92 volumes)
Abstract:
Robert Morris (1734-1806), James Greenleaf (1765-1843), and John Nicholson (1757-1800) founded the North American Land Company on February 20, 1795. The North American Land Company was one of the largest land trusts in American history. The land company had 30,000 shares of stock, each valued at $100, and a total of 6 million acres of land in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Some of those associated with the company include: James Greenleaf, Robert James, Tobias Lear, Robert Morris, John Nicholson, Benjamin Tilghman, and James Wilson. The North American Land Company was plagued by serious financial difficulties and all three of its founders were sent to debtors’ prison. The North American Land Company remained in existence until 1872. The North American Land Company records include financial and administrative records as well as correspondence, deeds, and shares of the company’s stock from 1793-1898. The...(see more)

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Nazareth Hall School for Boys account books, 1785-1840 (bulk) 1785-1870 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet (; 112 volumes, 5 boxes)
Abstract:
Nazareth Hall School for Boys was founded by the Moravian Church in Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1759. At first, the school only accepted the sons of Moravian clergy, but they opened their enrollment to other boys in the community by 1762. The school was forced to close temoporarily due to financial difficulty in 1779. In 1785, Nazareth Hall re-opened as a boarding school with a revised curriculum that emphasized classical education as well as vocational training and religious instruction. In 1862, students were organized into a uniformed cadet company and military drill was introduced as part of a routine of physical education. Shortly thereafter, Nazareth Hall gained a reputation as a military academy which it mainted until the school's closure in 1929. This collection documents certain aspects of the school's finances, especially the personal billing accounts for certain students and accounts with local craftsmen and laborers who provided services to the school. Also included are...(see more)

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of Civil War papers, 1861-1865 (bulk) 1830-1923 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.1 linear feet (8 boxes, 15 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
The Civil War papers contain several different types of materials including muster rolls, daily reports, order books, official government documents, personal and official correspondence, and other Civil War ephemera. The bulk of this collection is contained within Series One, which contains documents generated by the military. These provide a glimpse into the logistical planning and book-keeping which the business of war required. Also represented are several civilian organizations and individual persons.

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Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records, 1862-1863 (bulk) 1861-1887, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
9.8 linear feet (22 boxes, 13 volumes)
Abstract:
The Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records relate to an effort in Philadelphia in 1862 to encourage Union enlistments through the payments of bounties and premiums. The records include the administrative papers of the committee, as well as the enlistment and bounty records of the men who qualified for bounties under the system. Administrative papers include resolutions, committee reports, minutes, and assorted financial papers. The bulk of the collection is volunteer enlistment forms, enlistment affidavits, bounty certificates, muster forms, muster rolls, and lists and statements of bounties and premiums paid.

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Simon Gratz papers, 1838-1943 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.0 linear feet (; 19 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
Correspondence of Simon Gratz, Philadelphia lawyer, autograph collector, and member of the Philadelphia Board of Education, including letters from most of the politically prominent Philadelphians of the period. There is considerable material on the public schools of Philadelphia.

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Plumsted family papers, 1702-1890, undated

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
The Plumsted family was a distinguished and prolific Quaker family with connections to several prominent persons in early Philadelphia. The documents in this collection relate to Clement Plumsted, a wealthy Pennsylvania merchant and land owner, and his son William. Both father and son served as mayor of colonial Philadelphia. Last will and testaments, obituaries and financial papers give an outline of various family members and their offspring’s personal affairs and accomplishments. Deeds and land transfer documents describe land holdings on South Front Street, Philadelphia, Warren County, Pennsylvania, and Harrison County, Virginia. Correspondence with the Gore, Elliot and Cathcart families discuss financial, health and personal matters. The family name is spelled both as “Plumsted” and “Plumstead,” in these papers. Correspondence and documents use both spellings and no clear date can be drawn as to when one spelling is used henceforth. It is apparent, however, that the earlier...(see more)

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