Year: <span class="from" data-blrl-begin="1750">1750</span> to <span class="to" data-blrl-end="1799">1799</span> - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Ferris-Wetherald Family Papers, 1773-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:: Contains correspondence, legal papers, deeds, and memorabilia of the Ferris and Wetherald families, who were Quakers of Wilmington, Delaware, and Lancashire, England. Persons represented include Benjamin Ferris (1780-1867), of Wilmington, Del., and his daughters, Deborah (1813-1897) and Anna M. Ferris (1815-1890), and Joseph Wetherald (1787-1842), of Wilmington, and his brother, James Wetherald, of Wakefield, England.

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

Foulke Family Papers, ca. 1654-1999 (bulk ca. 1750-1860) (inclusive)

Extent:: 5 linear ft. (10 boxes)
Abstract:: The Foulke family was a prominent Quaker family of Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, descended from Edward (1651-1741) and Eleanor (Hugh) Foulke (d. 1733) who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1698. Their descendents married into the Roberts, Mather, Morris, and other Quaker families and were active in Quaker and Bucks County affairs. The Foulke Family Papers contain correspondence, business and legal papers, surveys, genealogical notes, and memorabilia of the Foulke, Roberts, and Mather, and related families. Of particular interest is a letter from Reubens Peale to Jane Roberts concerning silhouettes and correspondence between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, between Joseph Foulke and George Hatton, a cousin in Indiana, about the Hicksite controversy.

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

Elizabeth Pearsall Frazier Family Papers, 1769-1914 (bulk 1807-1848) (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:: This small collection of Quaker family papers appears to have been collected and preserved by Elizabeth Pearsall Frazier (1869-1957) and her daughter, Elizabeth P. Frazier (b. 1902). They include family genealogy, some correspondence, manuscript writings, financial papers, two wills, and reference material. The Pearsall side and its allied families, especially Parrish, were Quakers of long standing. Prior to 1800 the Pearsalls were a New York family, but after that they intermarried with Philadelphia Friends and made their homes in the Philadelphia area. There were strong ties with Burlington, NJ, and some of its Quaker families, including the Dillwyns and their relations. The bulk of this collection dates between 1807 and 1848. Included in the miscellaneous papers collected by the family are printed materials from the American Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. the Friends Boarding School Association, and the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, Philadelphia,...(see more)

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

Thornton Family Research Papers (copies), 1673-1963 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:: This group of papers relating to the Thornton family, all copies, were made available to Harriet Frorer Durham, a Quaker writer who was working on a biography of Dr. William Thornton (1759-1828) of Philadelphia. William Thornton of England, Dr. Thorton's descendent, provided the papers. The collection contains genealogical material compiled for Dr. William Thornton and photocopies of business and legal papers (1673-1802).

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

James Wilson Documents, 1779-1796 (inclusive)

Extent:: 12 items
Abstract:: Born on September 14, 1742 in Carskerdo, Fife, Scotland. Although James Wilson attended numerous universities while living Scotland, he never attained a degree. It was Wilson's pursuit of studying law that helped pave become a significant figure in American history. Wilson began studying law at the law office of John Dickinson. By 1766, Wilson attained the bar in Philadelphia and soon after opened his own practice in Reading. Wilson was fairly successful as a lawyer and he managed to amass a small fortune during this time. Wilson's greatest achievement in public life was his part in the establishment of the United States Constitution. He regularly advocated the idea that sovereignty resided in the people, that the President and members of both houses of Congress should be popularly elected. This small yet historically significant collection contains a select number of original documents that highlight the political and professional activities of James Wilson. The documents...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Herbert T. Pratt Papers, 1793-2013 (inclusive) 1945-2000 (bulk)

Extent:: 9.0 linear feet (5 record boxes, 1 hollinger box, 2 half hollinger boxes, and 1 oversized box. )
Abstract:: Research files, printed materials, manuals, sample cards and sample books, notebooks, and signed items of Herbert T. Pratt, an American chemical engineer, chemistry historian, and collector of rare chemistry books, chemistry memorabilia, and textiles memorabilia.

Held at: Science History Institute Archives [Contact Us]

Seymour Adelman Letters and Documents Collection, 1667-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:: 21 linear ft. (27 boxes)
Abstract:

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

Miller-Dickey Family papers, 1786-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.0 boxes
Abstract:: This collection consists of papers of the Cross, Dickey, and Miller families of Chester County, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. John Miller and his wife, Margaret, emigrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania with their young daughter, Jane, in 1786. Miller, who was trained as a stone cutter in Scotland, developed a thriving marble business in Philadelphia; he also owned a farm in Great Valley, Pennsylvania. John was active in the Philadelphia community; he was an early member of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, and a supporter of the Magdalene and Missionary Societies. The papers in this collection consist primarily of personal correspondence, business records, genealogical notes, diaries, and family photographs, of the Cross, Dickey and Miller families. The collection is particularly strong on relationships between women, family health, Presbyterian church, the history of Oxford, Pennsylvania, marble cutting business, and the genealogy of the Miller, Dickey,...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Jacob Cist correspondence and documents, 1794-1829 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.5 cubic feet
Abstract:: Jacob Cist (1782-1825) was an American naturalist, artist, inventor, businessman, author, treasurer and United States Postmaster. He was also one of the most important pioneers in the marketing of anthracite coal and a leading authority on its economic potential. This collection includes personal and business letters, documents, agreements, memorabilia, clippings and records of Cist's service as United States Postmaster of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His accounts as treasurer of the Wilkes-Barre Bridge Co. are included, as are records of his activities as a co-founder and officer of the Luzerne County Agricultural Society and his service as a Commissioner from his county to the Pennsylvania Commission for Internal Improvement. His tax accounts as County Treasurer, with supplementary letters give details of the procedures in vogue during that era. The collection also includes some typescript and some facsimile copies.

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

John Dickinson papers, 1753-1808 (bulk) 1676-1885 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.2 linear feet and 13 containers, 5 volumes
Abstract:: John Dickinson (1732-1808), a Philadelphia lawyer and politician, was a major figure in colonial Delaware and Pennsylvania governments and during the early national period. He was an active presence and prolific writer during the American Revolution and early Republic from the passage of the Sugar Act (1764) until the Jefferson presidency (1801 to 1809). He also served in the military as colonel, private, and brigadier general. He married Mary Norris in 1770. John Dickinson died in Delaware in 1808. The John Dickinson papers contains incoming and outgoing correspondence; drafts and original manuscript documents from the revolutionary and early national government, Revolutionary War, Delaware and Pennsylvania government; land papers; legal papers; bills and receipts; collected essays, notes and commonplace books; and estate material. The papers provide a clear picture of the way in which colonists envisioned their new country and how these new Americans worked, compromised and...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Pierre Eugène du Simitière collection, 1492-1784 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.8 linear feet and 12 containers, 4 volumes
Abstract:: Pierre Eugène Du Simitière (1737-1784) was a collector, artist, and historian, who opened the first public museum, the American Museum, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the American Musuem, Du Simitière presented his many materials collected during his travels and from his collections. The Library Company of Philadelphia purchased many of the manuscript materials at an auction in 1785 following Du Simitière’s death and the closing of the American Museum. The following collection is Du Simitière’s manuscript collection purchased at this auction. The collection reflects his interests and his lifestyle and includes poetry, sketches, watercolors, newspaper excerpts and clippings, treatise, correspondence, lists of nature, historical chronologies, bibliographies, and copies and originals of historical documents. The collection includes compiled information on places such as the West Indies, Pennsylvania, New England, New York, and the Carolinas in the form of historical chronologies,...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Library Company of Philadelphia minute books, 1731-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:: 46.0 volumes
Abstract:: In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and a group of intellectual Philadelphians established the Library Company of Philadelphia, a subscription library supported by its shareholders. The Library Company flourished because it adopted a purchasing policy responsive to the needs of its intellectually alert, economically ambitious, but non-elite membership. The Library Company of Philadelphia is now an independent research library specializing in American society and culture from the 17th to 19th centuries. The history of this organization is best documented by its minute books dating from 1731 to 2000. The collection consists of minute books documenting the meetings of the Directors (both the final approved version of the minutes and the rough drafts of the minutes), 1731 to 2000; the Trustees of the Loganian Library, 1853 to 1876; and the Committee for Fixing the Value of Lost Books, 1785 to 1848. In addition to meeting minutes, the minute books include financial reports, and supporting...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]