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Start Over Repository Historical Society of Pennsylvania Year 1798

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Brake and Wineman families papers, 1816-1889 (bulk) 1762-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.2 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 5 volumes)
Abstract:
The Brake (Brecht or Break) family owned a farm in Letterkenny Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, from the 18th century. The Brake and Wineman families came together with the marriage of Solomon Brake (1828-1919) and Sarah Belle Wineman (1855-1925). The collection documents several generations of the two families and includes correspondence, vital records, military records, copy books and other school documents, farm records including account books, property and estate records, receipts, photographs, eighteenth century currency notes, and other items. There are several Civil War letters, primarily from Private George Wineman of the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry, who was killed at Gettysburg. Most of the collection is in English, with a few items in German.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Montgomery, Scott, and Wheeler families papers, 1675-2018, bulk 1840-1995

Extent:
60.6 linear feet (; 103 boxes, 142 volumes, 11 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection from the Montgomery, Scott, and Wheeler families, spanning 60 linear feet, documents the history of Ardrossan, an estate in Villanova, Pennsylvania -- one of the largest on Philadelphia's Main Line -- and its residents over the course of more than two centuries. In 1911, local investment banker Colonel Robert Leaming Montgomery (1879-1949) hired Horace Trumbauer to design the residence on the family's 800-acre plot, complete with a dairy farm and horse stables. The son of William Woodrow Montgomery and Rebecca Waln Leaming, Robert L. Montgomery would go onto to establish what is now the investment firm of Janney Montgomery Scott. He married Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler (1881-1970) in 1902, and the couple had four children: Helen Hope, Mary Binney, Robert Alexander, and Charlotte Ives. Their eldest daughter, Helen Hope Montgomery (1904-1995), became well known in Philadelphia's social circles, and she went on to marry Edgar Scott (1899-1995), grandson of Thomas A....(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Register of German redemptioners, 1785-1831 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.28 linear feet (; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains two registers of German immigrants who became indentured as servants in Philadelphia in order to repay the cost of their trans-Atlantic voyage. These volumes cover the years 1785-1804 and 1817-1831. The registers record the names of individuals and families involved, county and state of residence, duration of service, what servants will receive upon their freedom, and occasionally further contract particulars, such as if the servant is to receive some education. Indentures are listed chronologically and both volumes are indexed.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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William Redwood account books, 1775-1790 (bulk) 1749-1814 (bulk 1775-1790) (inclusive)

Extent:
1.25 linear feet (; 10 volumes)
Abstract:
William Redwood, son of Abraham Redwood and his second wife Patience Phillips, was born in 1726 in Newport, Rhode Island. There he worked for a number of years as a merchant in partnership with Elias Bland. Redwood moved to Philadelphia 1772 where he continued business. From 1782 to 1787, Redwood lived at and helped maintain the family's plantation on the island of Antigua in the West Indies. This collection consists of ten account books (ledgers, journals, and daybooks) associated with Redwood. Most of them document his work in Philadelphia; however two volumes contain information on his Newport business and partnership, and two contain detailed financial records concerning the family's Antigua plantation.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Gilbert And Joseph Cope genealogical research materials, 1908-1968 (bulk) 1729-1979 (inclusive)

Extent:
22.4 linear feet (; 49 boxes, 11 volumes)
Abstract:
Gilbert Cope (1840-1928) was a well-known Quaker genealogist and local historian who compiled comprehensive genealogical records of Pennsylvania families. Cope was one of the founders of the Chester County Historical Society and served it as secretary, director, and honorary director. He was a member of the Friends’ Historical Association and a corresponding member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. In 1912, he was elected an honorary member of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and became one of its honorary vice presidents in 1924. Additionally, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies from 1911 to 1912, overseeing 75 historical organizations in Pennsylvania. Gilbert’s son Joseph Cope continued his father’s work, augmenting the Cope family’s genealogy and those of other prominent families. Gilbert Cope’s collections were acquired by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Smith family papers, 1680-1880 (bulk) 1660-1941 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.0 linear feet (, 14 boxes, 82 volumes)
Abstract:
The Smith family papers contain materials compiled and authored by John Jay Smith as well as several of his descendants. John Jay Smith (1798-1881) was librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia from 1829 to 1851 and founder of Laurel Hill Cemetery. As a member of an influential Quaker family, Smith was the descendant of several prominent early Philadelphians including James Logan and Richard Hill. Much of the collection consists of deeds and other land transactions as well as correspondence and diaries originating with these ancestors. Smith’s own papers document his wide range of interests as well as his personal and professional relationships through correspondence, financial records, and memorabilia. The collection also contains materials originating from the families of two of Smith’s sons: Lloyd Pearsall Smith (1822-1886) and Horace John Smith (1832-1906). This collection is particularly rich in documenting the history of two prominent Philadelphia institutions, the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania poster and broadside collection, 1777-circa 2005

Extent:
2.2 linear feet (; 7 boxes, 9 flat files)
Abstract:
HSP staff assembled this collection of broadsides, circulars, facsimiles, prints, blotters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other material largely related to Philadelphia businesses and institutions. Subjects within the collection are quite varied and include auctions, banks, insurance companies, museums, printing establishments, the Civil War, labor strikes, Washingtoniana, Lincolniana (mostly remembrances of his assassination), and transportation. In addition to items documenting Philadelphia, the collection includes materials from several other Pennsylvania counties and states along the Eastern seaboard. The collection is divided into four categories: three according to location and one solely for advertisements. It is further arranged alphabetically within each category according to subject. Oversized items have been moved to flat files. A detailed inventory is available in the Historical Society’s library.

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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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.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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