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Start Over Repository Historical Society of Pennsylvania Year 1800 to 1804

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Edward Shippen Burd papers, 1798-1858 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.16 linear feet (; 13 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Edward Shippen Burd was born in Philadelphia on December 25, 1779, and was the only son of Edward and Elizabeth (Shippen) Burd. He and his wife, Eliza Howard Simms, were involved in a number of business, legal, and real estate enterprises. Reflecting the family's participation in such endeavors, the collection include 13 volumes of Edward S. Burd's personal, business and legal records. These include receipt books, a law library catalogue, account books, an income and investment book, and related business records.

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Carpenter Family Papers, 1780-1870 (bulk) 1695-1915, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
5.3 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 18 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Carpenter family papers include Brigadier General Louis Henry Carpenter's military papers and Civil War-era correspondence, as well as more than 200 years of correspondence, genealogical material, and other papers related to the Carpenter family of New Jersey. The Carpenter family was among the first settlers of the Philadelphia area and established several towns in Salem and Gloucester counties, New Jersey. They also had ties to numerous prominent families in the Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic region during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The collection offers insights into a variety of topics, including the Revolutionary War in the Philadelphia region; the early history of Haddon Township, N.J.; medicine in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; and life as a Union soldier during the Civil War.

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Ferdinand J. Dreer autograph collection, 1492-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
105.0 linear feet (; 330 boxes, 133 volumes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
Ferdinand Julian Dreer’s chief hobby was collecting autographs. He started with two documents and over time he was able to amass more than 15,000 items from some of the world’s most prominent and intriguing public figures. Owing to this interest, Dreer became acquainted with many people in the world of arts and letters, politics, education, clergy, business, and international affairs. As he was aware of such a collection’s potential impact on scholarship and society, Dreer donated all of his holdings to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with which he had been associated for many years as the institution’s vice president.

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Dutilh and Wachsmuth papers, 1780-1800 (bulk) 1704-1859 (bulk 1780-1800) (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Étienne Dutilh emigrated from France to Philadelphia in 1783 and one year later became involved in a string of merchant firms bearing his name. In 1790, Dutilh forged a partnership with John Godfried Wachsmuth and the pair operated the mercantile house of Dutilh and Wachsmuth. Their firm was mainly engaged in the trade of coffee and sugar with the West Indies, Asia, and several European countries, such as the Netherlands and England. The Dutilh and Wachsmuth Papers span from 1704 to 1859 with the bulk of the materials dating between 1780 and 1800. The collection, which consists of four boxes, traces the activities of merchants Étienne Dutilh and John G. Wachsmuth and is rich in information about Atlantic shipping activities of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Most of the papers are bills, receipts, and shipping invoices relating to the mercantile house. These financial records as well as cargo lists, correspondence, and legal documents offer insight into the trading...(see more)

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Edward Hand papers, 1771-1798 (bulk) 1766-1907 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 3 volumes)
Abstract:
Edward Hand (1744-1802) was born in Ireland, came to America with the British Army in the 1760s, and served with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. This collection of his papers includes three bound volumes and two boxes of papers that contain correspondence, accounts and other financial papers, commissions, and a copy of his Valley Forge orderly book from 1776. There is also a group of letters dated 1775 to 1785 that Hand wrote to his wife.

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Henry Ernest Muhlenberg papers, 1781-1816 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box [15 folders])
Abstract:
This collection contains scientific letters written to Henry Ernest Muhlenberg (1753-1815). Muhlenberg, a Lutheran pastor and biologist, is considered the first botanist born in America who researched the flora and fauna of his homeland systematically. His work contributed considerably to the advancement of natural science around 1800. Some new descriptions and assignations of North American plants based on the system of Carl von Linné (also known as Carl Linnaeus, 1707-1778) go back to Muhlenberg. He discovered a type of grass of the subfamily of Chloridoideae common in Mexico and the south west of the United States, which after his discovery was named “the Muhlenbergia.” Various types of plants bear the type-epitheton “Muhlenbergii” to honor Henry Ernest Muhlenberg. He also discovered and identified the bog turtle, which got the epitheton “glyptemys muhlenbergii.” The German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812) honored Muhlenberg by naming a genus of grasses “Muhlenbergia.”...(see more)

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Penn family papers, 1629-1834 (bulk) 1592-1960 (bulk 1629-1834) (inclusive)

Extent:
56.0 linear feet (51 boxes; 222 volumes)
Abstract:
The British colony of Pennsylvania was given to William Penn (1644-1718) in 1681 by Charles II of England in repayment of a debt owed his father, Sir Admiral William Penn (1621-1670). Under Penn's directive, Pennsylvania was settled by Quakers escaping religious torment in England and other European nations. Three generations of Penn descendents held proprietorship of the colony until the American Revolution, when the family was stripped of all but its privately held shares of land. The Penn family papers house the personal and governmental records of William Penn, the proprietor of Pennsylvania, and his family. This collection, which dates from 1592 to 1960 (bulk of materials dating 1629 to 1834), consists primarily of correspondence, legal records, governmental records, surveys, deeds, grants, receipts, and account books; there are also 19th and 20th century auction catalogs and other secondary materials. This collection documents the creation of the Pennsylvania colony through...(see more)

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Richard Peters papers, 1730-1820 (bulk) 1697-1871 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 49 volumes )
Abstract:
Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), in addition to serving in various capacities with Christ Church, also held two important colonial offices: secretary of the Land Office and secretary and clerk of the Provincial Council. In these roles, Peters helped manage the growing government of the colony of Pennsylvania through the access he had to members of the Penn family. He also worked closely with notable statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin and James Logan. Peters was appointed a Council member in 1749; he also served as a state commissioner to the 1754 Albany Congress. This collection is comprised of letters and documents from Reverend Richard Peters (1704-1776), with a few folders of papers from Peters's nephew, Judge Richard Peters (1743/4-1828), and his son, attorney Richard Peters (1780-1848). The papers primarily relate to Peters's public work rather than his private life (the same is true of the papers from the other two Richard Peters.) and they especially highlight early...(see more)

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Anne Louis de Tousard papers, 1765-1888

Extent:
0.25 linear feet (1 box, 1 volume, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The papers of Anne Louis de Tousard relate to his service in the American army as a lieutenant colonel attached to George Washington's staff. The collection, which spans over 100 years, includes congressional citations; Tousard’s commissions, some bearing the signatures of Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette, and others; and scant original correspondence; and a volume of photostats of Tousard’s correspondence from 1718 to 1817. There are also papers from Anthony Eugene Stocker, Tousard’s grandson and an officer in the Civil War.

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St. David's Church (Radnor, Pa.) records, circa 1706-2008

Extent:
15.0 linear feet (; 30 boxes, 34 volumes, 15 flat files)
Abstract:
The cornerstone for St. David’s Church was laid in 1715 by a group of Welsh settlers in what is currently Radnor Township. During the Revolutionary War, the parish faced turmoil and the absence of a minister for the parishioners. By 1788, the parish once again had leadership, and in 1792, Reverend William Currie incorporated the parish and drew up a charter. The parish continued to grow as railroad lines brought urban dwellers to areas like Radnor that surrounded Philadelphia. For the next century, the parish would erect buildings to accommodate its constituency, providing the parishioners with a new rectory, chapel, parish house, and education building. Currently, the church attends to the religious needs of over one thousand families and holds many events, including an annual fair and auction. The records of St. David’s Church span from 1706 to 2006 and offer insight into the activities of the parishioners and history of the church in Radnor, Pennsylvania. This collection consists...(see more)

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Bank of North America records, 1782-1929 (bulk) 1694-1939 (inclusive)

Extent:
145.8 linear feet (; 29 boxes, 672 volumes)
Abstract:
The Bank of North America was the first chartered bank in the United States, created by the Second Continental Congress in 1781. It was established primarily to aid Congress in providing supplies and money for the continuation of the Revolutionary War. In 1916 the bank bought the assets of the National Bank of the Northern Liberties; in 1923 it merged with the Commercial Trust Company to form the Bank of North America and Trust Company; six years later the merged institution was itself absorbed by the Pennsylvania Company. The minute books are a complete run from the very beginning of the bank until its merger with the Commercial Trust Company in 1923, with brief records of meetings of the Board of Directors and some of meetings of stockholders. The loose documents (housed in boxes, as opposed to bound in volumes) include formal bank communications, memoranda, announcements, and copies of letters, financial statements, and the like. One of the most interesting documents is a long...(see more)

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Abraham H. Cassel collection, 1680-1893 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.75 linear feet (48 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains printed material from the library of Abraham Harley Cassel, a book collector and historian who acquired over 50,000 books, pamphlets, and documents about early Pennsylvania history. Cassel was a member of the Dunkard Brethren who wrote about and collected books on early Pennsylvania German religious history. His library attracted scholars and historians of Pennsylvania and German American history, and at his death was divided among archives, libraries, and private collectors. The portion of Cassel’s collection that is housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania contains forty-seven items which range in date from 1680 to 1893. Items are arranged in alphabetical order, with volumes relating to the Ephrata religious community and the Schwenkfelder Church grouped together. This collection includes hymn books, religious tracts and catechism, diaries, letters, genealogical records, and examples of Pennsylvania German folk art and fraktur.

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Arthur C. Bining collection, 1804-1878 (bulk) 1727-1949 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
Arthur C. Bining was a Philadelphia historian, worked as a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and was associated with the Pennsylvania Historical Association. This small collection contains letters, autographs, and papers he collected over time. A portion of the papers originated from the United States Customs House of Philadelphia and deal mostly with routine customs matters. There are also folders of papers from individuals that are not associated with the Customs House, such as army officer James Barker, painter Abbott H. Thayer, and inventor August F. W. Partz. Additional papers include those of Joseph R. E. Bunel, paymaster general of the French colony of Santo Domingo, Haiti; and Marie F. M. Bunel, a businesswoman in Santo Domingo.

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Charles Jared Ingersoll papers, 1812-1848 (bulk) 1801-1891 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
Philadelphian Charles Jared Ingersoll (1782-1862) was a lawyer, congressman, and writer. This collection of his papers mostly spans his career from the 1810s to the 1840s. The bulk of the materials are incoming letters, many from well-known nineteenth-century individuals, including several U. S. presidents; however, there are also drafts of his writings, clippings, a copy of his 1837 nomination to Congress, and other miscellaneous papers. While indirectly highlighting Ingersoll's work, most of the correspondence contains political, legal, or personal discussions.

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Sarah A. G. Smith collection on 18th century Philadelphia merchants, 1705/6-1937 (bulk 1713-1848)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 3 flat files )
Abstract:
The Sarah A. G. Smith collection consists of the business correspondence, accounts and records, and family papers of several prominent 18th century Philadelphia merchants. The bulk of the collection dates from 1713 to 1848. Over half of it pertains to the Wharton family, in particular Charles Wharton; his father Joseph Wharton; his brothers Thomas, Samuel, William, and Joseph; and his son Charles Wharton Jr. Highlights include Charles Wharton’s letter books, a 1770 letter from Colonel George Croghan to Joseph Wharton regarding Colonel Washington, and the will and list of assets of Joseph Wharton. About a third of the collection consists of the business papers of (Thomas) Lamar, (Henry) Hill, (Robert) Bisset & Company, a partnership of three brothers-in-law who conducted trade between Philadelphia, London, and Madeira, and consists mostly of correspondence between the partners. The remainder of the collection consists of business correspondence between John & Arthur Burrows of St....(see more)

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Wister and Butler Families Papers, 1700-2004, undated; bulk: 1848-1907

Extent:
21.5 linear feet (; 46 boxes, 55 volumes, 17 flat files)
Abstract:
The Wister and Butler families were prominent in Philadelphia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and had ties to numerous other prominent families in the Philadelphia region, Georgia, and Great Britain. The bulk of the collection concerns Pierce (Mease) Butler and his daughters Sarah Butler Wister and Frances Anne Butler Leigh. Butler's former wife Frances Anne Kemble (Butler), known as Fanny Kemble, and various other family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection is correspondence and estate papers; it also includes diaries, newspapers and newspaper clippings, business papers, real estate papers, ledgers and other financial documents, photographs, and other miscellaneous papers. The collection provides insights into a wide variety of topics, including women's history, the Civil War, African American history, family history, politics, culture, and the life of actress Fanny Kemble and her daughters. The materials concerning the Butler plantations both before...(see more)

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Morris family papers, 1676-1930 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.2 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
The Morris family papers (Collection 2000E) contain the genealogical and estate records of the Morris family of Philadelphia, prominent Quaker businessmen, brewers, and later iron manufacturers, who were also active in the political and civic life of the city. The collection follows several generations beginning with Anthony Morris (1654-1721) and his descendants through Anthony Saunders Morris (1803-1885) and Henry Morris (1802-1881). Included are early original documents pertaining to Anthony Morris and his immediate descendants, including marriage certificates, deeds, wills, and various business and personal papers. The collection also contains significant genealogical correspondence and documentation, including a manuscript of the Morris family history.

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William Redwood Wright family papers, 1752-1928

Extent:
14.0 linear feet (; 37 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains correspondence and financial papers predominantly from William Redwood Wright (1846-1914) that were collected and retained by the Wright family of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Through decent and marriage, the family became connected with the Fisher and Logan families of Philadelphia. The papers are arranged into seven series that are arranged chronologically by generation.

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Mutual Assurance Company (Green Tree) records, 1784-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:
455.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire was organized in Philadelphia in 1784, in order to make fire insurance available to those citizens who wished to have trees in front of their houses. A group of sixty-one men met on July 8, 1784 at the City (or London) Coffee House and agreed to create a new mutual fire insurance company. A deed of settlement was adopted and a green tree was selected as a symbol to appear on the company's policies and fire marks. The company archives of The Mutual Assurance Company, familiarly known as the Green Tree, consist of financial accounts and receipts, correspondence, histories, cancelled insurance surveys and policies, and miscellaneous material. The records date from the formation of the company in 1784 to 1995.

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania cartoons and caricatures collection, (1754-1975, undated; bulk 1860-1880)

Extent:
3.6 linear feet (; 12 boxes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's cartoons and caricatures collection spans almost two hundred years of imagery mostly lampooning local, national, and international political issues. Comprising the collection are reproductions of eighteenth century cartoons, prints and clippings of nineteenth and twentieth century cartoons, and a number of original drawings of cartoons that appears in newspapers during the mid 1930s. The collection is particularly strong in Civil War cartoons from 1861 to 1862 and 1864 and cartoons from the 1868 presidential campaign.

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Harold E. Cox transportation collection, 1858-1960 (bulk) 1803-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:
199.5 linear feet (160 boxes, 624 volumes, 38 rolled items)
Abstract:
Prior to the 1870s, Philadelphia's public transportation system consisted of dozens of independently owned and operated horse drawn streetcar lines. In the 1880s and 1890s steps were taken toward electrification and unification, a goal finally achieved in 1902 with the founding of Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT). PRT constructed subway and elevated train lines, and managed public transportation until 1940, when the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was established, absorbing PRT and all of its functions. The Dr. Harold E. Cox transportation collection is composed primarily of records from PTC and PRT, as well as PRT's subsidiary and predecessor rail lines. This collection dates from 1803 to 1967, with the bulk of materials ranging from 1858 to 1960. It consists of financial records, legal records, correspondence, administrative records, ephemera, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, atlases, and route maps and diagrams. The collection documents the growth and...(see more)

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Belfield papers, 1697-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:
106.0 linear feet (235 boxes and 99 volumes)
Abstract:
The Belfield papers include materials from families who lived in the Belfield mansion in Germantown, Pennsylvania from 1826 until 1984; however, the papers span the years 1679 to 1977. Featured individuals include William and Sarah Logan Fisher Wister, their son John Wister and his wife, Sarah Tyler Boas Wister, their granddaughter Sarah Logan Wister Starr and her husband, James Starr, and their great-granddaughter S. Logan Starr Blain and her husband, Dr. Daniel Blain. The collection also houses papers from related individuals in the Emlen, Fisher, Hall, Lindley, Logan, Meigs, Wister, and other families. This collection includes correspondence, financial records, ephemera, photographs, scrapbooks, pamphlets, periodicals, and other items. Topics that are particularly well documented in the Belfield papers include: Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania; Colonial Dames of America; the Sesquicentennial Exposition; stamp collecting; world travel during the Great Depression;...(see more)

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Francis Daniel Pastorius records, 1689-1910 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the Grund und Lager Buch begun by Francis Daniel Pastorius to document the founding of the Germantown area of Philadelphia and its settlement. This volume includes "Rules and regulations for settlers" (1689-1697) and a copy of the charter for Germantown granted to Pastorius. This collection also contains an English translation of the German and Latin entries in the Grund und Lager Buch made by Marion Dexter Learned for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1910.

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Leon Gardiner collection of American Negro Historical Society records, 1860-1890 (bulk) 1715-1962, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
8.5 linear feet (, 15 boxes, 35 volumes)
Abstract:
The American Negro Historical Society was founded in 1897 by a group of Philadelphia blacks to study and preserve materials documenting the American black experience. Among the founders and early members were Robert Adger, W.M. Dorsey and Jacob C. White, Jr., who donated materials to the society, some of which are present in the collection. The collection is composed of administrative records of the society and materials collected by some of its members, including correspondence, minutes, reports, financial documents, membership lists, records of lectures and debates, library catalogues, baseball lineup and scorecards, speeches, printed matter, and portraits of distinguished black leaders and abolitionists.

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Asylum Company papers, 1794-1820 (bulk) 1773-1851, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.8 linear feet (; 2 boxes (350 items))
Abstract:
Robert Morris, John Nicholson, and others organized the Asylum Company in April 1794 to develop and sell land in several unsettled areas of Pennsylvania. The land speculation venture was ultimately a failure and dissolved partially circa 1820 and fully in the 1830s. The Asylum Company papers include administrative and financial records as well as correspondence, title papers, shares of the company’s stock, and published material from 1773-1851.

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John Rutter Brooke papers, 1861-1902 (bulk) 1767-1918, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
13.9 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 37 volumes, 6 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of John Rutter Brooke include correspondence, accounts, regimental reports, military orders, and pamphlets that primarily pertain to his career in the United States Army, 1861-1902. Brooke’s military papers document the activities of the 53rd Pennsylvania volunteer regiment during the Civil War; the 3rd Infantry division and 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars; the 1st Corps of the Army during the Spanish-American War; and Brooke’s service as military governor of Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as his service in the Departments of the Missouri, the Platte, the Gulf, and the East. The collection is particularly rich in its documentation of the United States Army’s “Sioux Campaign” during 1890-1891, containing extensive correspondence during the height of the Ghost Dance on the Standing Rock and Pine Ridge reservations, and the ensuing military build-up, which escalated into the massacre at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890.

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James Buchanan papers, 1815-1868 (bulk) 1783-1895, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
35.0 linear feet (74 boxes, 25 volumes)
Abstract:
The James Buchanan papers span the entirety of Buchanan's legal, political and diplomatic career, including his service as Pennsylvania assemblyman, U.S. representative, minister to Russia, U.S. senator, secretary of state, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain, and president of the United States. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, but also includes speeches, notes, business papers, legal papers, manuscript drafts, pamphlets, books, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks. The most significant groups of materials in this collection are related to Buchanan's time as secretary of state, 1845-1849; minister to Great Britain, 1854-1856; and the growing differences between the North and South before the Civil War, 1857-1861.

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Simon Gratz autograph collection, 1343-1928

Extent:
190.0 linear feet (; 633 boxes (18 volumes in boxes))
Abstract:
The collection was assembled by Simon Gratz, Philadelphia lawyer, school board member, and trustee of the Free Library. He began collecting at age 17 and, by the time he died, amassed about 175,000 manuscripts and portrait engravings and lithographs. Many of the latter he personally commissioned. In 1916 he became a vice-president of the Historical Society. Gratz continued until the end of his life to deal with such notable American collectors as George Brinley, Louis J. Cist, Adrien Joline, Charles J. Jones, E.H. Leffingwell, and Joseph J. Mickley. The dealers with whom he dealt included Charavay in Paris, Naylor and Maggs in London, Cohn in Berlin, Benjamin in New York, and A.S.W. Rosenbach in Philadelphia. The records of his transactions survive from 1861 to 1925 in his "Autograph Journals." On January 1, 1925, Gratz noted that his collection had, because of astute sales and exchanges, "cost less than nothing." Gratz acquired his collection by exchange with and purchase from a...(see more)

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Simon Gratz autograph collection, 1517-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
130.4 linear feet (; 326 boxes)
Abstract:
This autograph collection was created by Simon Gratz, starting in his late teens. A myriad of documents are included and represent Gratz’s philosophy of collecting and the many relationships he formed with other collectors in the United States and abroad. Contained here are autographed letters, legal documents, and artifacts from many prominent and well known figures and personalities in the arts, religion, government, education, and military. While there are some non-substantive letters written to Gratz much of the collection includes correspondence between prominent women and men across classes, professions, and nationalities. The collection dates from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. Besides date range, this collection differs slightly from the Simon Gratz collection (#250A) in its alphabetical arrangement, compared to the arrangement by categories/subjects (Case) in #250A. One other distinction in this collection are the personal letters and papers of Simon...(see more)

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Henry Family papers, 1759-1914

Extent:
1.25 linear feet (; 9 volumes)
Abstract:
William Henry (1729-1786) was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but lived most of his life in Lancaster County, where he raised a family and led successful business and military ventures. Before the Revolutionary War, he ran a hardware business from 1759 to 1773, and he was a dealer in supplies to Indian traders. During the war, Henry was a strong proponent of independence and was appointed to many public offices. He served on the board of war, was named the superintendent of arms and accoutrements, and held the office of assistant commissary general to the Continental Army to help supply arms. In Lancaster, he was also the fiscal agent of Pennsylvania and the United States and later served nine years as county treasurer. After his death in 1786, his wife, Ann Wood Henry took over in his position as Lancaster County treasurer, making her the first woman in the state of Pennsylvania to hold public office. The Henry family papers contain correspondence and other documents...(see more)

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Andrew Atkinson Humphreys papers, 1850-1879 (bulk) 1708-1930, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
69.0 linear feet (120 boxes, 76 volumes, 15 flat files)
Abstract:
The papers of Andrew Atkinson Humphreys span the course of Humphreys's career, including his service in the Second Seminole War, his work as a civil engineer on surveys along the U.S. coast and the Mississippi River, as chief of staff for General George Meade; and as head of the United States Corps of Topographical Engineers. The collection consists of correspondence, orders, reports, payment vouchers, ephemera, maps, survey data, drafts and published works. The most significant groups of materials in this collection are documents from the Civil War, including muster rolls, reports, orders, and payment vouchers, which may have been collected when Humphreys served in the Army of the Potomac; and papers related to the survey of the Mississippi River in the 1850s and 1860s. Also of interest are Humphreys's later reflections on the Civil War in his notes and manuscripts for Gettysburg to the Rapidan and The Virginia Campaign. Also included in this...(see more)

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Peale family papers, 1794-1858, undated

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was a well-known Philadelphia artist, educator, and polymath in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington and other revolutionary figures, and for establishing the Philadelphia Museum, a natural history and art museum. He outlived three wives and many of his children. Several of his sons followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming artists and scientists and taking various roles in the family’s museum. Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) was a respected portrait artist, best known for his “Porthole Portrait” of George Washington. Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885), the youngest of Peale’s sons, was a scientific illustrator, naturalist, and explorer who participated in many expeditions, including the U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. Established in 1786, the Philadelphia museum displayed portraits and exhibits related to science and natural history, including a mastodon skeleton. The museum...(see more)

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Robert Proud collection, 1681-1811 (bulk) 1681-1903 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.8 linear feet (; 7 boxes and 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Robert Proud was born on May 10, 1728 in Yorkshire England, and was trained formally in a Quaker school in classical studies. He moved to Philadelphia in 1759, and by 1761 was teaching Latin at the Friends School. Proud was a staunch Loyalist. From 1775 to 1780, Proud left his teaching post and went into seclusion, where he began writing on various subjects. Most of his writings were never published. Also during these years, he worked extensively on what became his most best-known work, The History of Pennsylvania in North America. The book was highly unsuccessful, due to its Loyalist leanings, and some very strong inaccuracies. Robert Proud died in 1813 at the age of 85. The collection is arranged into two series, the first consisting mostly of handwritten copies and drafts of The History of Pennsylvania in North America, and primary source materials used in the book. The second series consists of memoranda, poetry, and other personal papers.

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Read family letters, 1716-1872 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
The Read manuscripts collection contains information on the many facets of George Read’s far-reaching lifework, and includes significant material on the development of Delaware. The correspondence dates from April 23, 1716 (predating George Read’s life) to March 9, 1872. Read’s varied career encompassed, but was not limited to, participation in the Continental Congress as a representative from Delaware (1774-1777), President of Delaware (1777-1778), and membership in the United States Senate (1789-1793). The collection gives the reader insight into Read’s participation at the 1787 Constitution Convention as a representative from Delaware. Some day-to-day details of a personal nature are also reflected in letters to friends and family.

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Reed and Forde papers, 1759-1829 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.5 linear feet (; 21 boxes, 13 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
The Reed and Forde papers consist of the manuscript records of Philadelphia merchants John Reed and Standish Forde, ranging from 1759-1829. The pair engaged in the importation of goods from various European countries and the West Indies, selling out of their Philadelphia store as well as trading west of the Ohio Valley and along the Spanish settlements of the Mississippi, including New Orleans. The documents mainly relate to foreign commerce and include accounts, receipts, invoices of goods, bills of lading, insurance policies, charters of vessels, with detailed accounts of business transacted in England, France, Spain, Holland, Portugal, the West Indies, and French and Spanish America. These materials describe the hazards of American shipping due to European wars, French and Spanish embargoes, capture by privateers and war vessels, litigations, trade and travel along the Mississippi and the prices and variety of goods traded, including grain, salt, furs, cloth, tea, metals, powder,...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Jonathan Roberts papers, 1780-1930

Extent:
3.5 linear feet (; 8 boxes)
Abstract:
These papers relate particularly to state and national political history during the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe presidential administrations. Among the subjects dealt with in the papers from 1780-1848 are: Pennsylvania legislation, political affairs at Lancaster, Republican and Adamite factions, promotion of manufacture, controversies over the charter of the United States Bank, embargoes, the British orders in council, agitation for war with England, opposition of the Federalists to government war loan; French decrees affecting American ships and commerce, foreign trade, New England political factions, land claims, Andrew Jackson's conduct in Florida and New Orleans, restoration of the Capitol, political appointments, the Missouri question, ratification of the Spanish treaty, Marquis de Lafayette's reception at Harrisburg, presidential elections, religion, Texas slavery contest, California, Roberts's appointment as collector of the Port of Philadelphia, his dismissal by President...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Charles Francis Jenkins autograph collection, 1765-1810 (bulk) 1750-1827 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 4 boxes )
Abstract:
The Charles Francis Jenkins autograph collection dates from 1750 to 1827 and consists of alphabetically-arranged letters, receipts, legal documents, portraits, and other materials containing the signatures of early members of the United States Congress. These individuals include delegates to the First and Second Continental Congresses, signers of the Delaration of Independence and Constitution as well as members of the Congress of the Confederation (under the Articles of Confederation). Also included are individuals who were elected to Congress but did not attend.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Coles Family Papers, 1819-1870 (bulk) 1760-1921, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 3 boxes, 5 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
Edward Coles was the governor of Illinois from 1822 to 1826. Prior to that position, he was private secretary to President James Madison and special envoy to Russia. Coles was a staunch abolitionist and worked against the legalization of slavery in Illinois. The Coles family papers provide insight into the private and political life of Edward Coles, as well as glimpses of the lives of several other family members, including his son Edward Coles Jr. and brother John Coles. The collection provides information about planter family life, politics in Illinois, and the politics of abolition in general, as well as the personal activities of Edward Coles throughout his life. This collection contains correspondence, land deeds, ledger books, newspapers, scrapbooks, speech notes, tax forms, tariff papers, government appointment papers, certificates, and various miscellaneous material.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wood and Bacon account books, 1773-1774, 1787-1827

Extent:
4.2 linear feet (; 19 volumes, 1 box)
Abstract:
Wood and Bacon was a general merchandise store located in Greenwich, New Jersey, that was run by Richard Wood and David Bacon. This collection consists of financial volumes kept by the store's proprietors during the late 1700s and early 1800s. The volumes are mostly daybook and ledgers, but there is also a general accounts book (Volume 7), and calculations book kept by David Wood (Volume 6), and a legal book that was used, at some point in its past, as a scrapbook (Volume 4).

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Waln family papers, 1759-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.6 linear feet (; 14 boxes)
Abstract:
The Walns were a family of prominent Quaker merchants in Philadelphia. In 1774, Richard Waln, moved the family to Crosswicks, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where he purchased "Walnford" and established a flour mill. The Waln family papers document primarily the family's business activities. Richard Waln (1737-1808) who was engaged in the milling business in Walnford, New Jersey, also was involved with financial concerns in Philadelphia. His nephew Robert (1765-1836) was the director of the Philadelphia Insurance Company from 1804 to 1813. Robert a successful merchant, joined into a partnership with his cousin Jesse, and traded with England and the West Indies, and later with East India and China. The collection consists largely of correspondence and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Parrish and Pemberton families papers, 1614-1880

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Parrish and Pemberton families were wealthy Quaker merchants living in Philadelphia during the 18th century. They shared a dedication to several benevolent causes, among them the abolition of slavery, improvement of relations with the Indians, penal reform, and the poor. This collection contains a selection of documents from and pertaining to both families. The Parrish documents focus on several noted family members, principally John Parrish (1728/29-1807), who was a Quaker minister active in promoting good relations with the Indians, and his nephew Dr. Joseph Parrish (1779-1840), a noted Philadelphia physician who was an outspoken abolitionist and crusader for penal reform. The Parrish family documents then follow Joseph Parrish’s sons Dillwyn Parrish (1809-1886), a prominent Philadelphia pharmacist who was also a dedicated abolitionist and crusader for racial equality, and his brother Samuel Parrish (1822-1872), who appears to be largely responsible for gathering much of the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Meredith Read papers, 1818-1873 (bulk) 1746-1917 (bulk 1818-1873) (inclusive)

Extent:
11.0 linear feet (; 28 boxes)
Abstract:
John Meredith Read (1794-1874) was a Philadelphia lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was a founding member of both the Free Soil and Republican parties. This collection of John Meredith Read's papers deals mostly with his legal career and covers his political career to a lesser extent. The collection spans Read life and includes some papers from his ancestors as well as his children. There is both business and personal correspondence, legal papers, financial records, estate papers, papers on the Masons, miscellaneous ephemera and printed matter, and volumes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker diaries, 1758-1807, 1975, undated

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 41 volumes)
Abstract:
The diaries of Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker highlight the life of a Quaker woman living in Philadelphia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Between 1758 and 1807, Drinker fastidiously wrote in her journals, usually about her family and their health and well being. Occassionaly, she also detailed medical practices and her own moral standards. She discussed major events insofar as they affected her family, such as the Revolutionary War and the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. As a member of the famous merchant family, the Drinkers, she also came in contact with many other well-known families, including the Shippens, Whartons, and Rawles, and such encounters are often noted. The collection includes her original diaries, as well as typescripts of excerpts from them and photocopies of the diaries from the years 1797 to 1807.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Logan family papers, 1731-1838 (bulk) 1704-1842 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 3 volumes)
Abstract:
The Logan family of Philadelphia, beginning with James Logan (1674-1751), secretary to William Penn, became one of the most prosperous and influential families in the region. This small collection contains in three volumes and one box a miscellaneous assortment of documents and letters, most of which revolve around James Logan; his son William (1717-1776), William's son George (1753-1821); and George Logan's wife, Deborah Norris Logan (1761-1839). William Logan's papers make up the bulk of the collection, and they primarily relate to business, horticulture, and estate settlement. Notably, the collection also contains an undated memorandum, initialed by William Penn, of Colonel Robery Quary's complaints against the administration of Governor William Markham.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Benjamin West drawings, circa 1765-circa 1819, undated

Extent:
0.95 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
Benjamin West was raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and worked most of his life as an artist in Pennsylvania and London, England. He created a wide variety of works during his career, from simple portraits to historical and religious scenes, and often utilized neoclassical elements in his designs. This collection consists of thirty-three original drawings and sketches by West, several of which served as studies or were made in preparation for larger paintings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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