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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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James Gibson papers, 1770-1800 (bulk) 1712-1849 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.5 linear feet (7 boxes, 1 volume, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The James Gibson papers relate to Pennsylvania's colonial and early national periods, with particular emphasis on the work of the Pennsylvania Population Company, which sought to settle lands in the western part of the state. James Gibson (1769-1856) was a lawyer from Philadelphia who worked with the Pennsylvania Population Company and other similar organizations. The collection spans from the early 1700s to the mid 1800s and contains an assortment of papers such as family materials, correspondence, adminstrative papers, accounts, mortgages, powers of attorney, minutes, maps, and surveys.

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.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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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)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Francis Daniel Pastorius papers, 1693-1719 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 10 volumes, 1 folder)
Abstract:
This collection contains the personal papers of Francis Daniel Pastorius, a German immigrant who founded the settlement of Germantown, which would later be incorporated into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pastorius was trained as a lawyer, and in 1683 purchased land in Pennsylvania on behalf of members of the German Frankfort Company. He is also known for his anti-slavery stance, joining the Pennsylvania Quakers in signing a protest against slavery in 1688 (the first anti-slavery document written in the United States). This collection dates from 1683-1719 and contains ten bound volumes and one folder of loose manuscripts of Pastorius’ personal papers. This includes his writings on farming and beekeeping, poetry, the beginnings of a German dictionary, a commonplace book, letters, and a book of medical ailments and remedies.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Pennsylvania Population Company papers, 1792-1821 (bulk) 1785-1838, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
2.4 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
The Pennsylvania Population Company was established in 1792 by several prominent east coast entrepreneurs, who believed they could profit from land speculation in the western area of Pennsylvania. Due to arguments over title rights between settlers and land speculation companies in various courts, the company's sales slowed and profits declined, leading to its liquidation in 1812. The Pennsylvania Population Company papers (1785-1838) contain stock certificates and transfers, deeds, and applications for land. There are also some patents signed by Governor Thomas Mifflin, administrative and financial records, lists of land tracts, a catalog of the company’s sales from 1812, miscellaneous accounts, agreements, and contracts.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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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.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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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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