Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Year 1615 to 1619

Henry Charles Lea collection of Inquisition manuscripts, 1533-1866 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.8 linear feet (3 boxes)
Abstract:: Henry Charles Lea was a Philadelphian publisher, civil and public rights activist, mathematician, and and ecclesiastical historian. This collection consists of original manuscripts including trial records, correspondence, a discourse, an edict, a royal proclamation and unidentified French documents.

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

Sydney S. Keil collection of Latin Americana, 1615-1863 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.75 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: The Sydney S. Keil Collection of Latin Americana contains broadsides and other printed material from Latin America dating from the 17th to 19th centuries with the majority dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The majority of these items were printed in Mexico, but the collection also includes material printed in Spain, Peru, and Columbia. The collection is particularly strong in printed novenas and other devotional work, as well as government decrees and laws.

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

Alexander Autograph Collection, 1527-1937 (inclusive) 1775-1915 (bulk)

Extent:: 3 boxes
Abstract:: Consists of approximately 500 miscellaneous letters relating to the Alexander family of Princeton, N.J., including autograph letters collected by them.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Miscellaneous Deeds Collection, 1591-1898 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3 boxes and 2.83 linear feet
Abstract:: This is an open collection of deeds and indentures from England, Ireland, North Africa, and the United States, excluding New Jersey.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Radcliffe Family Papers, 1530-1779 (inclusive) 1699-1757 (bulk)

Extent:: 2 boxes and 0.84 linear feet
Abstract:: Consists primarily of letters and assorted documents of the Radcliffe Family of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, partly concerning trade with the Ottoman Empire. Also included are letters and legal documents pertaining to the Clarke and Evelyn families of England.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Chalfant Robinson Collection, 1198-1935 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3 boxes and 4.75 linear feet
Abstract:: Consists mainly of original manuscripts, photostats, and transcripts of German, French, and Italian Medieval and Renaissance legal documents, including papal bulls, passports, wills, deeds, petitions, wax seals, and manor rolls collected by Chalfant Robinson.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

17th-Century Italian Letters Collection, 1598-1699 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1 box and 0.4 linear feet
Abstract:: Consists of 97 letters and documents of various Italian church and political figures of the 17th century, primarily in Florence, Pisa, and Rome, chiefly in Italian but also including some in Latin, dating from 1598 to 1699.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

John Hinsdale Scheide Collection of Three Centuries of French History, 1510-1816 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10 volumes and 1.00 linear feet
Abstract:: Collection consists of 386 letters and documents of royalty, nobility, statesmen, and other celebrities of France, from the reign of Louis XII to the commencement of the French Revolution.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

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.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]