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A. M. Elder ledgers, 1830-1869 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 3 volumes, 1 folder)
Abstract:
A. M. Elder was a surveyor and farmer in Half Moon, Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Elder was evidently an accomplished surveyor and also recorded deeds and wrote contracts and agreements. Much of his work was paid for by barter; he seems to have been more of a trader of farm commodities than a working farmer, using his fees for surveys as an edge in the business. There is also a stock book of the Philipsburg and Glade Turnpike Company, 1853 - 1858, which records stock purchases and some expenses. Elder was treasurer for the company, and kept this record book. A route from Philipsburg to Glade goes across the grain of the Appalachian Mountains, a very difficult problem for transportation in 19th century Pennsylvania.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Valley Mutual Insurance Company records, 1900-1985 (bulk) 1831-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:
25.3 linear feet (; 42 boxes, 82 volumes)
Abstract:
The Valley Mutual Insurance Company was incorporated in 1963 in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and was formed as the result of the merger of five small farmers’ mutual insurance companies in the Cumberland Valley region: Centennial Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Cumberland Valley Farmer’s Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Lurgan Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Franklin County, Franklin County Mutual Insurance Company, and Friendship Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Franklin County. These companies provided property insurance to homeowners, farm owners, and rural communities in Cumberland and Franklin Counties and the surrounding region. The Valley Mutual Insurance Company records consist of the administrative and financial materials of that company as well as those of the five companies out of which it merged. This collection includes extensive information on the administrative activities and governance of the companies as well as some materials on policyholders and their properties. The...(see more)

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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Association for the Care of Colored Orphans Records, 1822-1979 (inclusive)

Extent:
9 linear ft. (15 boxes)
Abstract:
The Association for the Care of Colored Orphans, also known as "The Shelter," was founded in Philadelphia by Quaker women in 1822 to care for black orphans, both boys and girls, within a nurturing, home-like environment. In 1915, it relocated to Cheyney, Pa, and became a home for girls. In 1965, its name was changed to "Friends Shelter for Girls," and its mission evolved to serve as a home for teenaged girls. In 1981 it ceased to function as a group home and was succeeded by Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children which functioned as an emergency shelter.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Bucks Auxiliary Bible Association of Friends (Bucks County, Pa.) Records, 1830-1845 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Bucks Auxiliary Bible Association of Friends, a Quaker Bible distribution society, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was established in 2nd month, 1830, under the Bible Association of Friends in America. Its purpose was to supply "Friends and others with the Holy Scripture, "to encourage "the frequent and serious perusal of them", and to promote "a more accurate knowledge of their invaluable contents". All subscriptions collected by the Auxiliary were turned over to the parent body, which in turn provided the Auxiliary with Bibles or testaments to sell or to distribute in their vicinity. According to the Annual Reports of the Bible Association of Friends in America, the Bucks Auxiliary ceased to operate in 1857. This collection contains the minutes, correspondence, reports and financial records of the Bucks Auxiliary Bible Association of Friends, together with a manuscript genealogy of the Moon family, compiled by the donor.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Byberry School Association Records, 1837-1844 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Byberry School Association was formed in 1837 by several members of the Society of Friends, mostly members of Byberry Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) for the purpose of raising stock to buy land and erect a secondary school in Byberry, Pennsylvania. It includes minutes, financial records, and some miscellaneous papers.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, 1840-1942 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
The Central Employment Association, a women's charity, was established circa 1840 in Philadelphia by Hicksite Quakers as the Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor. The collection contains the charter and by-laws, work and financial records, and correspondence, 1840-1942.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Female Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor with Clothing Records, 1828-1978 (inclusive)

Extent:
4 linear ft. (8 boxes)
Abstract:
The Female Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor with Clothing was a Quaker charity founded in 1828 to distribute clothing and provide other assistance to the sick and poor of Philadelphia. It went out of existence in 1975.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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The Northern Association of the City and County of Philadelphia for the Relief and Employment of Poor Women records, 1841-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract:
This Hicksite Quaker women's charity was organized in 1844 and incorporated in 1856. Its mission was to provide employment in sewing for poor women. Lucretia Mott served as president until 1866. The Association went out of existence in 1926. The collection contains legal documents, financial records, membership list (1849-1872), reports, correspondence, and related papers.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton (Pa.), 1846-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Abstract:
The Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton was a largely Quaker women's society, founded in 1846 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, to provide clothing and other necessities to destitute poor. In 1907, the Ladies Benevolent Association cooperated with groups to engage a visiting nurse; this organization, known as the District Nurse Association was disbanded five years later. After World War II, the need for sewing declined, and the Ladies Benevolent Association then turned its support to the Beaver Valley General Hospital. The group was dissolved in 1977. Contains the records of the Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton, including minutes, financial records, correspondence, and other related papers, including minutes of the District Nurse Association of New Brighton, Pa., 1907-1912.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Deptford Free School Society, 1774-1893 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.21 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Deptford Free School Society was a Quaker organization which established and operated the Deptford Free School in Woodbury, New Jersey. The collection includes minutes, 1774-1893.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology, 1938-2011 [bulk: 1943-1997] (inclusive) 1843-1874 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.88 linear ft. (5 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the records of the Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology, primarily from the years 1943 to 1997. The Conference was originally founded as a way of addressing the spiritual turnmoil people were feeling after World War II. It continues to examine the ways Jungian psychology interacts with Quaker beliefs at its annual three-day conference over the Memorial Day weekend.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

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