Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Year 1616

History of the Book and Illustrations collection, circa 1250-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.46 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection contains material that shows the history of the book. The majority of the examples of manuscripts are illustrations but there are a few letters and other documents. The printed material in this collection spans the 13th to the late 16th centuries and contains examples of different printing techniques.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

Historical manuscripts collection, 1775-1885 (bulk) 1347-1969 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.5 linear feet
Abstract:: This is a varied collection of historical manuscripts obtained by the Free Library of Philadelphia over the course of its history. The collection dates from 1347 to 1969 and is primarily an autograph collection. The collection includes American, British, and European materials; the majority of the items are American. There are typewritten transcriptions of some of the letters in the collection.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

Henry Charles Lea collection of Inquisition manuscripts, 1533-1866 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.8 linear feet (3 boxes)
Abstract:: Henry Charles Lea was a Philadelphian publisher, civil and public rights activist, mathematician, and and ecclesiastical historian. This collection consists of original manuscripts including trial records, correspondence, a discourse, an edict, a royal proclamation and unidentified French documents.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Sydney S. Keil collection of Latin Americana, 1615-1863 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.75 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: The Sydney S. Keil Collection of Latin Americana contains broadsides and other printed material from Latin America dating from the 17th to 19th centuries with the majority dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The majority of these items were printed in Mexico, but the collection also includes material printed in Spain, Peru, and Columbia. The collection is particularly strong in printed novenas and other devotional work, as well as government decrees and laws.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Bruce C. Willsie Collection of British Sigillography, 0100-1900 (inclusive)

Extent:: 126 boxes
Abstract:: An open collection of examples of British sigillography (matrices, royal charters with seals, seal impressions, and related material), collected by Bruce C. Willsie, Class of 1986.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Gilbert Chinard Collection of French Historical Material, 1494-1905 (inclusive) 1761-1885 (bulk)

Extent:: 4 boxes and 1.7 linear feet
Abstract:: Contains historical and literary manuscripts collected by Gilbert Chinard (1881-1972), a Franco-American scholar who was associated with the Institut Français de Washington from 1928 and was Pyne Professor of French at Princeton University, 1937-50. His published work was on French literature and the history of Franco-American relations.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

John Ingram and John Godfrey Collection, 1557-1839 (inclusive) 1819-1834 (bulk)

Extent:: 2 boxes and 1.4 linear feet
Abstract:: Little is known of the nineteenth-century lives of John Ingram and his son-in-law, John Godfrey, other than that Ingram spent much of his time traveling in Italy and was a patron of Francesco Guardi. The collection includes letters to Ingram as well as notes, maps, and building plans by Ingram and Godfrey, and travel documents collected by Ingram.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

John Hinsdale Scheide Collection, 1007-1873 (inclusive) 1200-1650 (bulk)

Extent:: 253 boxes and 229 items
Abstract:: Consists of 7,935 Western European documents and other manuscript materials collected by William T. Scheide (1847-1907) and his son, American businessman John Hinsdale Scheide (Princeton Class of 1896).

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Princeton Collection of Syriac Manuscripts, 1239-1900 (inclusive) 1600s-1700s (bulk)

Extent:: 7 volumes and 1.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Consists of an open collection of manuscripts written in the Syriac alphabet.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

New Jersey Documents Collection, 1750-1890 (bulk) 1601-1983 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4 boxes and 1.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Westfield, New Jersey, was part of Elizabethtown from the time it was settled in late 1664 until 1794, when the Township of Westfield was created. The New Jersey Documents Collections, 1601 to 1983, consists of New Jersey legal documents, the bulk of which are from the town of Westfield, Union County, and include land records, financial records, estate records, and court records, many of which were created by various members of the Baker, Downer, Hetfield, Johnson, Miller, Pierson, Ripley, Ross, and Woodruff families. The majority of the collection material dates from 1750 to 1890.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]