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John Neagle papers and related items, 1818-circa 1926, 1990, bulk 1820-1860

Extent:
1.2 linear feet (1 box, 7 volumes)
Abstract:
John Neagle (1796-1865) worked mostly as a portrait painter during the first half of the nineteenth century. Born in Boston, he worked primarily out of Philadelphia and studied under Thomas Sully. This collection of his papers and related items consists mostly of volumes and cased photographs. Among the collection items are his student notebook, personal blotter, listing of loaned items, and scrapbooks. There are also thirteen daguerreotypes and an assortment of miscellaneous engravings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Wanamaker collection, 1827-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
193.2 linear feet (; 316 volumes, 438 boxes)
Abstract:
John Wanamaker (1838-1922) was a well-known merchant, entrepreneur, and lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was active in the city's religious, political, and philanthropic areas, founded several Presbyterian churches and Sunday schools, and served as postmaster general under President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1893. He opened his first Philadelphia clothing store, Oak Hall, with partner Nathan Brown in 1861, and founded John Wanamaker and Co. in 1869. In 1876, he opened "A New Kind of Store" known as the Grand Depot at Thirteenth and Market Streets. This store later became the flagship store, with satellite stores eventually established in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City. Wanamaker was at the forefront in many areas of retailing including merchandising, employee relations and advertising. His sons Thomas B. Wanamaker and L. Rodman Wanamaker were also active in the business. Thomas ran John Wanamaker and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Mutual Assurance Company (Green Tree) records, 1784-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:
455.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire was organized in Philadelphia in 1784, in order to make fire insurance available to those citizens who wished to have trees in front of their houses. A group of sixty-one men met on July 8, 1784 at the City (or London) Coffee House and agreed to create a new mutual fire insurance company. A deed of settlement was adopted and a green tree was selected as a symbol to appear on the company's policies and fire marks. The company archives of The Mutual Assurance Company, familiarly known as the Green Tree, consist of financial accounts and receipts, correspondence, histories, cancelled insurance surveys and policies, and miscellaneous material. The records date from the formation of the company in 1784 to 1995.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia records, 1857-1984

Extent:
14.25 linear feet (; 16 boxes)
Abstract:
The records of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia document a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and collection of coins, medals, and other antiquities. The records include minutes, membership records, correspondence, inventories, information on operating expenses, preinted materails, photographs, and other items. Most of the collection is unprocessed.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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William Curtis Bok and Nellie Lee Holt Bok papers, 1905-1984 (bulk) 1836-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:
26.0 linear feet (; 70 boxes, 36 volumes)
Abstract:
This collection documents the personal and professional lives of William Curtis Bok (1897-1962) and Nellie Lee Holt Bok (1901-1984). Curtis Bok (he rarely went by "William") worked as a lawyer in Philadelphia and was elected to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and later to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. During his tenure on the Supreme Court he oversaw the famous obscenity case Commonwealth v. Gordon, which has yet to be overturned. He married twice, first to Margaret Adams Plummer in 1924, and then to Nellie Lee Holt in 1934. Nellie Lee was born in Nebraska and worked as an educator at Stephen's College, Columbia, Missouri. Between 1926 and 1927 she traveled around the world on behalf of the college interviewing various educational and religious leaders, including Mohandas Gandhi. She maintained a tradition of civic engagement throughout her life. The collection also documents to lives of their children (Curtis had three children with his first wife...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania cartoons and caricatures collection, (1754-1975, undated; bulk 1860-1880)

Extent:
3.6 linear feet (; 12 boxes, 2 flat files)
Abstract:
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's cartoons and caricatures collection spans almost two hundred years of imagery mostly lampooning local, national, and international political issues. Comprising the collection are reproductions of eighteenth century cartoons, prints and clippings of nineteenth and twentieth century cartoons, and a number of original drawings of cartoons that appears in newspapers during the mid 1930s. The collection is particularly strong in Civil War cartoons from 1861 to 1862 and 1864 and cartoons from the 1868 presidential campaign.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Harold E. Cox transportation collection, 1858-1960 (bulk) 1803-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:
199.5 linear feet (160 boxes, 624 volumes, 38 rolled items)
Abstract:
Prior to the 1870s, Philadelphia's public transportation system consisted of dozens of independently owned and operated horse drawn streetcar lines. In the 1880s and 1890s steps were taken toward electrification and unification, a goal finally achieved in 1902 with the founding of Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT). PRT constructed subway and elevated train lines, and managed public transportation until 1940, when the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was established, absorbing PRT and all of its functions. The Dr. Harold E. Cox transportation collection is composed primarily of records from PTC and PRT, as well as PRT's subsidiary and predecessor rail lines. This collection dates from 1803 to 1967, with the bulk of materials ranging from 1858 to 1960. It consists of financial records, legal records, correspondence, administrative records, ephemera, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, atlases, and route maps and diagrams. The collection documents the growth and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Belfield papers, 1697-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:
106.0 linear feet (235 boxes and 99 volumes)
Abstract:
The Belfield papers include materials from families who lived in the Belfield mansion in Germantown, Pennsylvania from 1826 until 1984; however, the papers span the years 1679 to 1977. Featured individuals include William and Sarah Logan Fisher Wister, their son John Wister and his wife, Sarah Tyler Boas Wister, their granddaughter Sarah Logan Wister Starr and her husband, James Starr, and their great-granddaughter S. Logan Starr Blain and her husband, Dr. Daniel Blain. The collection also houses papers from related individuals in the Emlen, Fisher, Hall, Lindley, Logan, Meigs, Wister, and other families. This collection includes correspondence, financial records, ephemera, photographs, scrapbooks, pamphlets, periodicals, and other items. Topics that are particularly well documented in the Belfield papers include: Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania; Colonial Dames of America; the Sesquicentennial Exposition; stamp collecting; world travel during the Great Depression;...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Frank McGlinn collection, 1950-1993 (bulk) 1835-1993 (inclusive)

Extent:
52.0 linear feet (; 51 boxes, 10 flat files)
Abstract:
The Frank McGlinn collection consists of the ephemera collection and professional materials of Frank Cresson Potts McGlinn (1914-2000) who was a Philadelphia lawyer, corporate executive, humanitarian, museum trustee, and patron of the performing arts. He earned degrees from the University of North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During World War II, he served as a naval officer on a minesweeper and was awarded the Purple Heart in 1944. After the war, he worked as a legal counselor, a marketing executive for several banks, and a consultant for over forty years. Outside of his career, McGlinn was a prominent fundraiser for the Republican Party, serving on the Executive Committee of the Republican National Finance Committee. He was also active in various community organizations, but especially those associated with theater, throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. Among other institutions, he served on the boards for Walnut Street Theatre, Theatre of the Living...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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