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Colonel Richard Thomas papers, 1741-1919 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Richard Thomas (1744-1832) was a Revolutionary War colonel and a politician. He served in the Revolutionary War in the 5th Battalion Association despite his Quaker faith and served as an Assembly man from 1796 to 1790, as Pennsylvania Senator from 1790 to 1794, and as Congressman from 1794 to 1798. The collection dates from 1741 to 1919 with the bulk of materials dating from 1741 to 1857. The materials in the collection document the history of Chester County and the United States as well as the personal side of the Thomas family.

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith families papers, 1683-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 boxes
Abstract:
The families in the Taylor, Harris, Roman, Frazer, and Smith family papers, 1633 to 1980 (bulk 1685 to 1851) are all related by the marriage of Marianne Smith to Dr. Stephen Harris on April 14, 1833. Both sides of the lineage represented in this collection immigrated to Pennsylvania because of religious persecution in England and Ireland. As Presbyterians and Quakers, they no longer wished to live under a series of laws which forced non-Anglicans out of public office, schools and the church as well as prohibiting meetings for non-Anglican worship. These newcomers contributed to the establishment of the government and religious expression in early Chester County. The documents, covering topics such as land surveying, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, astronomy, publishing, the iron industry, and religious persecution, provide a broad picture of early Chester County and its residents as they interacted with each other at home and in Philadelphia through business, religious, and...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1820-1910 (bulk) 1798-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (5 containers)
Abstract:
Incorporated by William Wagner (1796-1885) in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum and educational institution in Philadelphia that is dedicated to providing free public education in the sciences. The Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science includes material collected by Chambers and contains correspondence; genealogical and family information; documents on William Wagner's early business career with Stephen Girard, the Lennoxville Steam Saw Mill and Snowden and Wagner; Wagner Free Instute of Science financial and operational material; and personal material from Sydney T. Skidmore, a member of the Board. This collection will almost certainly not provide a researcher with all the information needed—instead, this is an excellent starting point. Because these materials were, according to institutional memory, removed from other collections by Robert Chambers and kept close at hand due to...(see more)

Held at: Wagner Free Institute of Science [Contact Us]

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Zaccheus Collins correspondence, 1805-1827 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.25 linear feet
Abstract:
Zaccheus Collins (1764-1831) was a plant collector and herbarium owner from Philadelphia. Collins was an esteemed botanist and was often consulted by a majority of botanical writers, though he never published anything himself. He was also an avid collector and his herbarium contained a nearly complete collection of the plants from the vicinity of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His correspondents also sent him various specimens from their research in the southern states, particularly South Carolina and Georgia. The collection contains letters that are entirely botanical in nature, coming from 55 individuals, and presents a cross section of the botanists and their problems in the early 19th century. There is significant correspondence from Henry Muhlenberg (1753-1815), Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg, Stephen Elliott (1771-1830) and Dr. Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879), as well as many other important botanists of the era.

Held at: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Read family papers, 1792-1896 (bulk) 1736-1896 (inclusive)

Extent:
70.0 linear feet and
Abstract:
The Read family consistently played an important role in American government and politics from the time that George Read, a Delaware resident, signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Throughout the 17th to 19th centuries, the Reads served as lawyers, judges, politicians, generals, consul-generals and foreign ministers. This collection contains the papers of four generations of the Read family of Philadelphia, consisting of John Read, Judge John Meredith Read, General John Meredith Read, and Harmon Pumpelly Read. The materials date from 1736 to 1896, with the bulk dating from 1792 to 1896, and include extensive correspondence, bills and receipts, genealogical notes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks and ephemera. The majority of the collection consists of General John Meredith Read’s papers relating to his family history and genealogy, correspondence, and political materials. The collection is particularly valuable in illustrating...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Rush family papers, 1748-1876 (inclusive)

Extent:
34.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Rush Family papers includes material from Benjamin Rush, physician, social activist, educator, writer and patriot; his brother Jacob Rush, lawyer, Supreme Court judge, and patriot; and Benjamin’s son James Rush, physician and Treasurer of the United States Mint. These American men were “strong characters, zealous patriots during the stirring period in which they lived, tenacious of their convictions and of the high standard of individual duty which they set for others, and typified in themselves,” (Richards, page 53). The bulk of the collection is the papers of Dr. Benjamin Rush and his son Dr. James Rush. Judge Jacob, John, Richard and William are represented, but to a much lesser degree. The other Rush family members are represented in a very limited manner. The collection contains correspondence; financial records; medical notes, lectures, and case histories; writings regarding medicine, politics, and the judicial system; and observations on colonial Philadelphia, the...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Library Company of Philadelphia Shareholders records, 1732-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:
12.0 volumes
Abstract:
In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and a number of his fellow members of the Junto founded the Library Company of Philadelphia, in order to provide its members access to books that they could not afford to purchase individually, but could afford to purchase collectively. Fifty subscribers invested forty shillings each and promised to pay ten shillings a year thereafter to buy books and maintain a shareholder's library. Thus "the Mother of all American Subscription Libraries" was established. Over the years, the Library Company continues to be supported by its members who participate in a centuries-old tradition by becoming shareholders and therefore allowing the Library Company of Philadelphia to continue serving the public, free of charge. This collection consists of twelve volumes of shareholders records dating from 1742 to 2007. The volumes, Record Books A to L, document share purchases and transfers of shares. Entries include date, name of member, and occasionally brief notes on...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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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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