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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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Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt papers, 1879-1950 (bulk) 1769-1950, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
18.2 linear feet (39 boxes, 29 volumes, 23 flat files)
Abstract:
Mary Elizabeth Hallock’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1882 at the age of eleven set into motion a forty-year career as a musician, inventor, lecturer, writer and political activist. Born in Beirut, September 8, 1871 to Sara (Tabet) Hallock, descendant of an aristocratic Syrian family, and Samuel Hallock, a U.S. consul, she was educated in Beirut and Philadelphia. A gifted musician, Hallock graduated from Philadelphia’s Musical Academy in 1893, and in 1897 studied piano in Vienna with Theodore Leschetizky. In 1898 in Johnstown, New York, Hallock married Dr. Frank L. Greenewalt, thirty-two years old and a physician-in-chief at Girard College. The Greenewalts had one son, Crawford, born in 1902. Greenewalt, a pianist noted for her interpretation of Chopin, began in the early 1900s to investigate how gradated colored lighting might enhance the emotional expression of music. By 1920 Greenewalt had obtained the first of many patents covering a color organ designed to project a sequence of...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers, 1865-1923

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
Merion Cricket Club was established in 1865 outside of Philadelphia, PA as a social and athletic club and is still in operation as of 2017. Early in its history Merion was known for cricket, tennis, football (soccer), and golf, before the Merion Golf Club became its own entity. Today, the club offers a variety of athletic activities including tennis, squash, and bowling. The Merion Cricket Club (Haverford, Pa.) papers date from 1865 to 1923 and consist of scrapbooks containing letters, announcements, photographs, menus, ephemera, clippings, and other items documenting the activities of the Merion Cricket Club and its members. There is also one box of additional (loose) printed matter relating to Merion.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902

Extent:
1.375 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was organized in 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to advance the interests of cycling and promote the riding of bicycles as a means of exercise, locomotion, and enjoyment. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club was dissolved in 1902 and its assets were distributed to the Philadelphia Cycle and Field Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Bicycle Club records, 1879-1902, consist of administrative materials such as minutes, charter and bylaws, correspondence meeting announcements, and membership materials, as well as financial and property records, including several materials related to the construction and maintenance of the club house at 26th and Perot streets.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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North American Land Company records, 1765-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
14.0 linear feet (; 5 boxes, 92 volumes)
Abstract:
Robert Morris (1734-1806), James Greenleaf (1765-1843), and John Nicholson (1757-1800) founded the North American Land Company on February 20, 1795. The North American Land Company was one of the largest land trusts in American history. The land company had 30,000 shares of stock, each valued at $100, and a total of 6 million acres of land in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Some of those associated with the company include: James Greenleaf, Robert James, Tobias Lear, Robert Morris, John Nicholson, Benjamin Tilghman, and James Wilson. The North American Land Company was plagued by serious financial difficulties and all three of its founders were sent to debtors’ prison. The North American Land Company remained in existence until 1872. The North American Land Company records include financial and administrative records as well as correspondence, deeds, and shares of the company’s stock from 1793-1898. The...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of Civil War papers, 1861-1865 (bulk) 1830-1923 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.1 linear feet (8 boxes, 15 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
The Civil War papers contain several different types of materials including muster rolls, daily reports, order books, official government documents, personal and official correspondence, and other Civil War ephemera. The bulk of this collection is contained within Series One, which contains documents generated by the military. These provide a glimpse into the logistical planning and book-keeping which the business of war required. Also represented are several civilian organizations and individual persons.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records, 1862-1863 (bulk) 1861-1887, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
9.8 linear feet (22 boxes, 13 volumes)
Abstract:
The Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records relate to an effort in Philadelphia in 1862 to encourage Union enlistments through the payments of bounties and premiums. The records include the administrative papers of the committee, as well as the enlistment and bounty records of the men who qualified for bounties under the system. Administrative papers include resolutions, committee reports, minutes, and assorted financial papers. The bulk of the collection is volunteer enlistment forms, enlistment affidavits, bounty certificates, muster forms, muster rolls, and lists and statements of bounties and premiums paid.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Simon Gratz papers, 1838-1943 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.0 linear feet (; 19 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
Correspondence of Simon Gratz, Philadelphia lawyer, autograph collector, and member of the Philadelphia Board of Education, including letters from most of the politically prominent Philadelphians of the period. There is considerable material on the public schools of Philadelphia.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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