Subject: African Americans - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Black Coalition records, 1968 August-1969 December

Extent:: 3.5 linear feet
Abstract:: The Black Coalition was formed in response to the growing concern among certain members of the Greater Philadelphia Movement that efforts to establish a meaningful dialogue between whites and blacks in Philadelphia were failing. The reason for this was attributed to the lack of communication with the so-called “gang element” in the city. Convinced of the necessity to deal with this element, a meeting was planned for Good Friday, April 12, 1968, one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King. A broad cross section of both the white and black communities were invited to this meeting, including a number of gang leaders. It was at this meeting that the Black coalition was formed, as a vehicle to maintain an ongoing dialogue between the white business community and the gang element, as well as other segments of the black community within the city. This collection dates from April 1968 to December 1969 and the bulk of the materials cover the time during which the Black Coalition...(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church records, 1816-2016

Extent:: 50.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 6th and Lombard Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was established as Bethel Church in 1794 by Richard Allen (1760-1830). Allen was a former slave who purchased his freedom in 1783 and preached to African Americans in various Mid-Atlantic states until settling in Philadelphia in 1786, where he became a leader of the city's African American community. Bethel and other black Methodist congregations united in 1816 to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America. Allen was appointed its first bishop and Bethel Church became Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the mother church of the denomination. As of 2016, Mother Bethel remains a prominent and progressive congregation. Its current church building, dedicated in 1890, still sits on the land purchased by Allen in the 1790s, making it the oldest parcel of real estate in the United States continuously owned by African-Americans. The Mother Bethel...(see more)

Held at: Richard Allen Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Josiah H. Branson account book, 1860-1862 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.1 linear ft. (1 volume)
Abstract:: This account book records Josiah H. Branson's business transactions as a cobbler. Entries include the amount received and the work done, including making shoes, slippers, and boots; repairing shoes, slippers, and boots; and soling, heeling, and capping shoes and boots.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

James DePreist papers, 1869-2014 (inclusive) 1958-2013 (bulk)

Extent:: 98 linear feet (130 boxes, + 2 map drawer folders) and 872.0 megabytes
Abstract:: James DePreist (1936-2013) was an African-American conductor of international renown. This collection primarily documents James DePreist's conducting career, with a focus on the 1980s and 1990s with the Oregon Symphony, including organizational records, concert programs, press coverage, scores, and recordings.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Thomas H. Jones World War II scrapbooks, circa 1941-1968 1942-1945 (bulk)

Extent:: .33 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: Thomas H. (Howell) Jones (1919-2012) was a Black soldier, serving in the 4407th Quartermasters Service Company, during World War II. These two scrapbooks document his experiences in the United States Army from about 1942 to 1945, and in particular his time serving overseas in France and Germany from December 1944 to June 1945. There is limited material regarding his life following the end of World War II.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Clarence Farmer papers, 1942-1983 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Clarence Farmer (1915-2014) was a prominent African American in Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s, serving key bureaucratic posts in city government and active in supporting minority entrepreneurship and culture in the area. The Clarence Farmer papers, 1942-1983, include photographs, clippings, and ephemera from the early years of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum (later renamed the African American Museum in Philadelphia); Police Advisory Board materials, 1960s; and clippings, photographs, and property documents relating to Farmer himself.

Held at: African American Museum in Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Records of Golden Star Lodge No. 4 of Independent Order of Good Samaritans and Daughters of Samaria (Philadelphia, Pa.), 1910-1925 (bulk) 1881-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Independent Order of Good Samaritans and Daughters of Samaria was a gender-integrated temperance group and beneficial society. Predominantly African American soon after its founding in 1847, it became one of the largest African American fraternal groups. A Philadelphia branch, Golden Star Lodge, No. 4, was organized in 1880. The Records of Golden Star Lodge No. 4 of Independent Order of Good Samaritans and Daughters of Samaria (Philadelphia, Pa.), 1881-1947 (bulk 1910-1925), consist of various administrative, financial, and scattered membership records of the local lodge.

Held at: African American Museum in Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Sam Solomon boxing papers, 1965-1985 (bulk) 1945-1989 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.0 linear feet
Abstract:: "Sam" Solomon was a boxing trainer, manager, and commentator active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the 1950s into the 1980s. He coached five champions including Leon Spinks, who defeated Muhammed Ali in a famous 1978 bout with Solomon in his corner. Solomon also worked with "Lady Tiger," an early female boxer, and other athletes well known locally. The Sam Solomon boxing papers, 1945-1989 (bulk 1965-1985), consist of Sam Solomon's records of his boxing coaching business, materials he collected about boxing, and a small amount of papers from his own boxing career and about baseball. It includes a large number of photographs, newsletters and ephemera, and financial records. There are also U-matic videocassettes and boxing gear.

Held at: African American Museum in Philadelphia [Contact Us]

African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas records, 1790-2019 (inclusive)

Extent:: 50.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Established in 1792 by and for persons of African descent, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is the first African American Episcopal Church in the United States. St. Thomas' founder and first rector was Absalom Jones (1746-1818), the first African American ordained in the Episcopal Church. The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas records, 1790-2019, consist mainly of original church records, as well as some accumulated secondary-source materials. The collection also contains photographs, audio-visual materials, printed materials, and objects.

Held at: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas [Contact Us]

Smiley family papers, 1885-1983 (inclusive) 1885-1930 (bulk)

Extent:: 55 linear ft. (106 boxes, 7 packages)
Abstract:: In 1883, Quakers Albert Keith Smiley and his brother Daniel Smiley organized the first annual conference to discuss assistance to Native Americans at their estate at Lake Mohonk in New York state. These conferences were widely attended by specialists in various fields, as well as important officials. Only later were Native Americans represented. The concern to "uplift" was also directed at Filipino, Hawaiian, African American and Puerto Rican peoples, though attention at the conferences was primarily focused on Native Americans.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Search

Search Constraints

Search Results

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Main content

Limit your search

Repository

Record Source

Online Content

Subject

Organization

People

Place

Occupation

Form

Creator

Language

Year