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Viri Viginti (Twenty Gentlemen) Club of Philadelphia records, 1980-1985 (bulk) 1962-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Latin for "twenty gentlemen," Viri Viginti is an African American social club founded in 1914 in Philadelphia. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the city. This small collection of its records includes by-laws, membership lists, minutes, photographs, correspondence, clippings, and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Volksverein of Philadelphia records, 1886-1949 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.1 linear feet (; 1 box, 12 volumes)
Abstract:
Now defunct, the Volksverein of Philadelphia was a local unit of the Catholic Central Union of America, which is a national Catholic social action and social welfare organization. The collection contains minutes of the meetings of the Volksverein, and job, financial, and subscription records of the organization's official organs, Philadelphia Volksblatt and Nord Amerika. The collection includes eleven ledgers recording cash transactions, subscriptions, and advertising. Also included is one book of minutes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Harry E. Adamson papers, 1880-2021 (inclusive)

Extent:
11.1 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 6 volumes)
Abstract:
Harry Egan Adamson Jr. (1949-2021) was a Philadelphia AIDS and gay rights activist and restaurant manager. Infected in 1982, Adamson lived with HIV for nearly 40 years. He moved to Philadelphia in 1981 with his partner David Yontz. The couple stayed with Dr. John E. Fryer (1937-2003), who became one of Adamson’s lifelong friends. Yontz returned to Chicago in 1982, but Adamson remained in Philadelphia. Many of his friends and former lovers succumbed to AIDS between 1984 and 2000, but Adamson was a slow progressor and did not need to start medication for his disease until 1998. Though his HIV disease was under good control, neuropathy in his extremities became disabling in 1993. Adamson remained as active as he could, completing a master’s degree in pastoral counseling at La Salle University in 2002, acting as agent executor for Dr. John Fryer’s estate after his death in 2003, and serving on the board of Philly AIDSThrift from 2010-2013. Nonetheless, medical problems and depression...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Thomas Cole Wright diaries, 1850-1864 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear feet (; 1 box, 7 volumes)
Abstract:
Thomas Cole Wright was a young glove and hosiery shopkeeper in Philadelphia. The diaries trace his courtship and marriage to Emma Butler, the birth of their daughter, the death of both daughter and mother in close succession, his remarriage several years later, his service in the Pennsylvania militia during the Civil War, and the decline of his health which eventually led to his death in November 1864. Entries also discuss the weather, his glove shop, church attendance, purchases, social activities, and charitable contributions. There are seven volumes, with entries for approximately 2,500 days, plus ca. 100 pages of miscellaneous loose papers.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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George Subers Broadbent diaries, 1861-1898 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.48 linear feet (; 6 volumes)
Abstract:
George Subers Broadbent (b. 1839) was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church in several Pennsylvania towns and cities. The diaries detail his work as a preacher and Sunday school teacher, family life, and finances. The first volume is a recording of the events in his and his siblings’ early lives in Montgomery, Berks and other Pennsylvania counties. While this volume begins with a discussion of the events that occurred in 1852, it is actually dated in 1861 which most likely indicates that the volume is a retelling (or reflection) of those experiences.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Rapid Transit scrapbooks, 1928-1929 (bulk) 1928-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (; 3 volumes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT) was incorporated on May 1, 1902, and began construction of electric streetcar lines going into West Philadelphia, which was at the time a rapidly developing suburb. Within the year, PRT organized initiatives for the city’s first subway line, which ran under Market Street and was a predecessor to the current Market-Frankford Line. Despite many financial hardships the PRT grew rapidly rates in the early 20th century, but its management was inefficient, secretive, and grossly unpopular with the public and employees until Thomas E. Mitten became president. Around the time that the Market Street line was finished, PRT was almost bankrupt. In spite of its many hardships the PRT and would continue shaping the Philadelphia transit landscape until the early 1930s. The collection includes three volumes of newspaper clippings from the four prominent newspapers at the time. The clippings primarily center on the climate of the Philadelphia transit...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Judith Shuman Eden papers on Philadelphia urban affairs, 1983-2005, undated

Extent:
2.9 linear feet (; 8 boxes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Philadelphia resident Judith Schuman Eden, who died 8 August 2008, devoted much of her life to Philadelphia activism and politics. She was appointed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment by Mayor John Street and later appointed to the Zoning Code Commission by Mayor Michael Nutter. She claimed a wide range of interests involving everything from the arts and Jewish community issues, to city improvements and land-use rights. This collection of publications and printed matter from various Philadelphia and Pennsylvania organizations dates from the 1990s and 2000s and covers many topics such as homelessness, graffiti, parking, transportation, zoning, Broad Street revitalization, parks/public lands, and vacant lots/property. Organizations represented include the City Planning Commission, Project Housing Opportunity Medical Education, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the John F. Street Transition Team. There is also a group of Polaroid photographs showing various...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Joseph F. Lockard papers, 1928-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:
13.3 linear feet (; 30 boxes)
Abstract:
Joseph F. Lockard worked in Philadelphia for the Democratic City Committee during the 1950s and 1960s. By signing up non-registered voters as Democrats, Lockard was instrumental in building the Democratic "machine" that assisted party leaders get elected during the 1960s. Lockard worked as administrative assistant to U.S. Representative William J. Green Jr. and maintained ties to many political players, such as Joseph S. Clark, Richardson Dilworth, Natalie Saxe Randall, Judge Charles Weiner, and Congressman Joshua Eilberg. Lockard later obtained a political science degree from Temple University and formed his own political consulting firm, Lockard Associates. The Joseph F. Lockard papers are primarily composed of papers describing his involvement in Pennsylvania politics, with particular attention to Philadelphia. Materials include correspondence, memos, reports, and clippings. There are numerous subject files that contain a wealth of information on city issues, politicians, and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Ritter family papers, circa 1840-2004, undated

Extent:
2.2 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
This family history collection documents the Ritter family and its ancestors beginning in the late 18th century. Diaries, autobiographies, memorandum books, family photos, and legal papers comprise the bulk of the material that spans almost 200 years (1773-1962). The collection focuses heavily on James Hansell Ritter (1859-1912) and his wife, Mary LeBaron Stoddard Ritter (1867-1949), both descendants of William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony from 1622 until 1656. The couple’s lineage is documented in Series 1 which houses genealogical notes including a letter dated 25 December 1872 and an application for membership in the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Many of the ancestors appear in original or copied photographs in Series 2. Material related to ancestors and relatives of James Hansell Ritter - including his maternal great-great grandfather, Jacob Ehrenzeller, Sr. (1725-1798); his paternal grandfather, Jacob Ritter, Jr. (1784-1840); his father...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Saunders House records, 1862-1940 (bulk) 1853-2011, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
3.6 linear feet (; 8 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Old Man's Home of Philadelphia was chartered in 1860 and opened its doors in 1864 in West Philadelphia, as a residence for old men in indigent circumstances. The home evolved to be Saunders House and began admitting women in 1960. In 1973, it moved to its current location adjacent to Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Today Saunders House provides long-term care and rehabilitation services to up to 180 older adult residents. The collection includes the original Old Man's Home minute book; admission records; record of inmates; annual reports; financial reports; deeds and other property-related documents; newsletters; court records from an inheritance dispute involving the Old Man's Home; a program from the organization's 125th anniversary celebration; a Christian Endeavor hymn book, typescripts, and clippings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Paul collection of Civil War papers and related ephemera, 1860-1894, undated

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (, 1 box)
Abstract:
The Paul collection of Civil War papers and related ephemera, housed in seven folders in one box, primarily consists of over 100 transcribed letters from and concerning Richard Henry Morris, who served with the 9th New York Infantry during the Civil War. Along with a few other items, additional materials in the collection include a biography and memorial of Ulric Dahlgren and a handwritten account from 1888 of the assassination of President Lincoln titled "A Story of a Great Crime."

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Price family papers, 1840-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:
8.0 linear feet (8 boxes; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of various members of the Price family, as separated from the Woodlands Cemetery Company papers (collection 3661). The main family members documented in this collection are Eli Kirk Price (1797-1884), John Sergeant Price (1831-1897), Eli Kirk Price II (1860-1933), Philip Price (1898-1989), Eli Kirk Price III (April 25, 1904-1976), and Philip Price Jr. (1934- ). Most of the members of this family were lawyers, and all were very involved in Philadelphia civic, cultural, and charity organizations. The personal materials in this collection favor the civic and charity work of the Price family members, especially work done with the Fairmount Park Commission. Aside from the Fairmount Park materials, this collection is mostly estate information, documenting the administration of the Price family estates.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Susan Parry volumes, 1849-1911 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.3 linear feet (; 1 box, 2 volume)
Abstract:
Dr. Susan Parry was born December 10, 1826, to Charles Parry (1785-1842) and Phebe Fell (1807-1872) in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Susan Parry was raised as a Quaker member of the Society of Friends, and she taught in Lumberville, Pennsylvania, at the Lumberville School in the late 1840s. In 1858, she graduated from the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (renamed the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania around 1867), the first medical school in the world established to train women and offer them the M.D., which was founded in 1850. While finishing up medical school she wrote a thesis “A Disquisition on Hygiene.” She practiced medicine in Bucks County until she died in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on February 12, 1890, at the age of 63.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Tony Reese papers, 1955-1970 (bulk) 1946-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.1 linear feet (; 11 boxes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
Tony Reese, born Attilio Resci in Foggia, Italy in 1919, was a popular performer both in Philadelphia and nationally. He was raised in South Philadelphia, attended South Philadelphia High School, and served with the U. S. Army during World War II. He developed a partnership and comedy act with Pepper Davis, whose real name was David Asner, and the duo performed across the United States and Canada. Together they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and other televised variety shows of the mid 20th century. They also performed overseas and gave a command performance for Prince Ranier and Princess Grace of Monaco. Reese died in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in 2013. This collection of Reese's papers mostly covers his career as a performer and includes numerous transcripts of comedy routines, clippings and programs, and musical arrangements. There are also a few personal papers including his obituary, biographical material, photographs, and audio-visual items.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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DeForest Porter Willard diaries, 1884-1957, undated; bulk 1917-1919

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
DeForest P. Willard (1884-1957) was an orthopedic surgeon from Philadelphia. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and served in both London and France during the First World War treating casualties at several medical facilities and at the front. After his return to Philadelphia, Willard became a prominent physician in his field, married in 1926, and maintained a long and distinguished medical practice. The collection consists of four diaries: the first a collection of brief personal and professional entries that Willard maintained throughout his life, the other three (1917-1919) recording in much more detail his wartime service. A complete set of photocopies of the diaries is included with the original volumes. Researchers are encouraged to make use of these photocopies before consulting the original diaries.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Record World War II servicemen photographs, 1943-1944 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.5 linear feet (; 11 boxes)
Abstract:
After the entry of the United States into World War II (1941-1945), the Philadelphia Record newspaper began publishing photographs of and articles about servicemen from Philadelphia and the surrounding regions. The resultant collection is comprised of these photographs and any accompanying information originally used for publication, and later, reference purposes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Charles S. Cox letters and printed matter, 1926-1983 (bulk 1926-1929, 1944-1945)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 6 boxes)
Abstract:
The Charles S. Cox letters and printed matter consist of over 600 letters, postcards, and a few telegrams from Cox to his wife during their courtship and first years of marriage in the late 1920s, as well as during Cox's time in the Navy during World War II. During the war Charles served in the United States Navy as a motor machinist's mate on the USS Mona Island. The USS Mona Island was one of many ships anchored in Buckner Bay, Japan, in 1945. There are also some letters from Cox's wife and friends, newspaper clippings, and other printed matter in the collection. Charles Stanley Cox (1906-1992) was born April 18, 1906, in Eaglesmere, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. Charles married Margaret Elizabeth Strauser (1907-1985) on March 17, 1928. Prior to enlisting in World War II, Charles worked at a lumber company and a rubber company. He died on April 22, 1992.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Peter Adolph Grotjan memoirs, 1844-1846 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.33 linear feet (; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the memoirs and autobiographical notes of Peter Adolph Grotjan, a German merchant who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1796 and became an important figure in area commerce and politics. He served as Philadelphia County Auditor twice (once from 1828 to 1836 and again from 1841 to 1844) and published a commercial newspaper, Grotjan's Philadelphia Public Sale Reports. Volume 1 of the collection is a bound book of "preparatory notes and memoranda" used in writing his memoir, which is Volume 2. The memoir is a detailed account of Grotjan's life to 1817, briefly covering his childhood in Germany and focusing on his adult life in and around Philadelphia. It provides a detailed description of the cholera and yellow fever epidemics in Philadelphia, Albert Gallatin's visit to Reading, Pennsylvania in 1798 and the ensuing riot, and encounters with political figures including Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and James Buchanan. There are also descriptions of...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Ida Kaplan Langman scrapbook, 1919-1920 (bulk) 1919-1956 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.3 linear feet (; 1 volume)
Abstract:
Ida Kaplan was born in Ukraine in 1904. While still an infant, Ida and her parents, Hyman and Dora, immigrated to the United States and settled in South Philadelphia. Ida graduated from the South Philadelphia High School for Girls (SPHS) in 1920. She went on to receive a teaching certificate from the Philadelphia Normal School, and eventually earned a Master’s degree in botany from the University of Pennsylvania in 1945. She continued her career as a teacher, botanist, and bibliographer. Ida married Oscar Langman in 1928. They had no children and Ida died in 1991. Her scrapbook documents her last year at SPHS and includes photographs of classmates, faculty, and field trips, as well as newspaper clippings about SPHS; programs for school plays and local events and performances; speeches, including two that she delivered; and a history of her class.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Archibald Hunter Graham papers, 1898, 1927-1929, undated

Extent:
0.75 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
Archibald Hunter Graham (1875-1943) was a physician and amateur sportsman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College, graduating in 1895 and 1898 respectively. He worked as a physician in West Philadelphia and married Grace Darling Watson in 1911. They had four children: Harry, John "Jack," Rhea, and Grace. Dr. Graham and several of his brothers were well-known cricket players in Philadelphia. Archibald toured the eastern part of the United States and Canada with a Philadelphia Cricket team and was associated with the Belmont Cricket Club. He also wrote articles about the history of cricket in Philadelphia and a book titled, "Cricket at the University of Pennsylvania" in 1930. Although some sources state that Graham wrote a book titled "The History of Cricket in Philadelphia" published by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, it is unclear whether or not it was finished or if the Historical Society of...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Francis Daniel Pastorius records, 1689-1910 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 2 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection contains the Grund und Lager Buch begun by Francis Daniel Pastorius to document the founding of the Germantown area of Philadelphia and its settlement. This volume includes "Rules and regulations for settlers" (1689-1697) and a copy of the charter for Germantown granted to Pastorius. This collection also contains an English translation of the German and Latin entries in the Grund und Lager Buch made by Marion Dexter Learned for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1910.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Eugene S. Richardson, Jr., genealogical research materials, 1807-1980

Extent:
7.0 linear feet (7 linear feet, 10 boxes, )
Abstract:
Eugene S. Richardson, Jr., was the Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. The collection consists of genealogical research files on the Richardson family and allied families. There is also a significant amount of research on the Netherlands Antilles and family members who settled there. Materials include: photocopies of newspapers articles, correspondence regarding the research (and some personal correspondence), printed materials, family charts, photocopies of 18th and 19th century documents, calling cards and invitations from the 19th century, photographs, and a very detailed card file of information on various family members. Two significant older items are "Richardson's journal, 1807," which has been photocopied and transcribed, and a notebook titled "Records" that describes family-related events in the 18th and 19th centuries. There is a separate card file documenting the chronology of the Netherlands Antilles, as well...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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E. D. Buckman genealogical collection on the Buckman and allied families, circa 1850-circa 1892, undated

Extent:
5.4 linear feet (; 47 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection, compiled mostly by Edwin D. Buckman of Philadelphia, contains genealogical records pertaining to the Buckman family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and many related families, such as the Blakers, Burgesses, and Hestons. The majority of the material consists of handwritten notes which trace the family from its roots in England and Edward Buckman (1623-1670), a Quaker of Sussex County. The Buckmans eventually settled near Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, approximately thirty miles north of Philadelphia. This collection consists of forty-seven volumes, all in modern library bindings. The volumes’ contents vary from histories of the Buckmans to papers on related families to abstracts of minutes from Friends' meetings. There are also notes and charts on the Buckman family by generation, newspaper clippings, and a few family papers such as deeds and correspondence. A few of the volumes contain indexes of other volumes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Shigezo and Sonoko Iwata papers, 1942-1991

Extent:
0.6 linear feet (0.6 linear feet, 2 boxes)
Abstract:
Shigezo Iwata was born in Japan and immigrated to the United States in 1924. Sonoko U. Iwata was born in Los Angeles. The couple made their home in Thermal, California where they farmed and Shigezo was secretary of the Thermal Farmers' Cooperative Association. Separated in the initial part of World War II when Shigezo was arrested and detained by the FBI at the Lordsburg Internment Camp (New Mexico), the Iwatas were reunited in 1943 at the Colorado River Relocation Center near Poston, Arizona. The collection contains letters between the Iwatas and their friends detailing life in the relocation center and the internment camp. There are also personal documents and biographical materials.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue, 1920-1945 (bulk) circa 1900-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
390.0 linear feet (936 boxes)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Record, which was established in 1897 and closed in 1947, was for a time one of the leading newspapers in the United States. The Philadelphia Record photograph morgue is comprised of black and white photographs dating primarily from 1920-1945, though some date from as early as 1900. The collection is divided into two series: Subject (approximately 20%) and Alphabetical (approximately 80%) with the former covering events and the latter focusing on individuals and families.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania war posters collection, 1914-1945

Extent:
2.4 linear feet (; 136 flat files)
Abstract:
This collection includes over 500 original World War I and World War II posters. The World War I section includes a number of Liberty Loan, American National Red Cross, and the U.S. Food Administration posters, while the World War II group includes American home front posters, many of which were published by the Office of War Information. Other organizations represented in the collection include the War Production Board, U.S. Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve ("Spars"), the Y.W.C.A., Women’s Land Army, as well as branches of the U.S. military. War bonds, rationing, enlistment, vigilance, and conservation of resources are all topics treated by these artworks. The collection includes posters by such famous artists as Albert Dorne, James Montgomery Flagg, E. McKnight Kauffer, David Stone Martin, Norman Rockwell, Ben Shahn, and Frederick Siebel. The collection is arranged into three series: Series 1 (World War I), Series 2...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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