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Biddle family papers, 1747-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:
70.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844) was one of the most prominent men in early 19th century America, best known as President of the Second National Bank of the United States. Many of his family members were also prominent to their contemporaries and to history, including Nicholas's brother, Commodore James Biddle (1783-1848), who served in the Navy for decades and worked to open up trade with Asia. The Biddle family papers, 1747-2011, consist largely of original manuscript documents from a number of Biddle family members, notably Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844), Commodore James Biddle (1783-1848), Letitia Glenn Biddle (1864-1950), Charles J. Biddle (1890-1972) and Katharine Legendre Biddle (1893-1973), and Nicholas Biddle, Jr. (1917-2013). In addition, there are some secondary-source materials pertaining to the Biddle family and the administration of Andalusia, the family's ancestral home.

Held at: Andalusia Foundation [Contact Us]

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Delaware County Historical Society miscellaneous manuscripts, 1728-1997 (inclusive)

Extent:
134.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society miscellaneous manuscripts, 1728-1997, consist of miscellaneous original manuscript and printed/ephemera materials relating to local people, organizations, and businesses in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Types of materials include: ledgers, diaries, correspondence, ephemera, pamphlets, and scrapbooks.

Held at: Delaware County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Reference collection, 1874-2000 (bulk) 1690-2010 (inclusive)

Extent:
86.0 linear feet
Abstract:
In the early part of the nineteenth century, Philadelphia City Council took action to protect the purity of public water. This involved the acquisition of property on the banks of the Schuylkill River in order to eliminate polluting waste that had previously been generated by various industrial sites along the river. The City’s newly acquired property was dedicated to the health and enjoyment of the citizens of Philadelphia, and became known as Fairmount Park. The Fairmount Park Commission (FPC) was established by Act of the Assembly, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, March 26, 1867. Over the course of this organization’s history (1867 to 2010) the FPC continued to acquire land for the people of Philadelphia, and operated with a single continuous mission: to preserve and protect its open space; provide opportunities for recreation; maintain the landscapes and structures, streams and woodlands that exist within the Fairmount Park System. This collection contains various materials that...(see more)

Held at: Fairmount Park Historic Resource Archives [Contact Us]

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Gloria Dei records, 1636-1927 (inclusive)

Extent:
14 manuscripts
Abstract:
Gloria Dei, founded by 17th century Swedish settlers, is Pennsylvania’s oldest congregation. The archives of Gloria Dei include journal entries, correspondence, financial records, vestry minutes, and records of marriages, births and deaths.

Held at: Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) [Contact Us]

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Historic Fallsington, Inc. manuscript collection, 1729-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
15.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Settled by English Quakers in the late 17th century, the village of Fallsington in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania became significant as a religious, social and commercial center for the surrounding community. It served as a popular stopover point for travelers due to its location along several major transportation systems. Fallsington became the first historic district in Bucks County (1955) and was subsequently placed on the National Register of Historic Places (1971). The Historic Fallsington, Inc. manuscript collection includes the papers of numerous Fallsington families and individuals, as well as other materials that document the history of the village. Items include personal papers, account books and other financial papers, diaries, photographs, deeds, maps, and genealogy research.

Held at: Historic Fallsington, Inc. [Contact Us]

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Melanie Atherton Updegraff Collection, 1910s-1980s (bulk) 1685-2020 (inclusive)

Extent:
4 linear ft. (4 boxes and 10 folders)
Abstract:
Melanie Atherton Updegraff (1886-1973) was a 1908 graduate of Bryn Mawr who went on to do missionary work for the Presbyterian Mission Board alongside her husband, Reverend David Benjamin Updegraff. The two were primarily stationed in Kolhapur and later Nipani, in West India. The collection includes correspondence between Updegraff and her sisters, children, and sister-in-law, among other family members, photographs of the Atherton and Updegraff families, an autograph collection, and brochures, pamphlets, and official documentation pertaining to Updegraff's missionary work. Updegraff's four sisters and three daughters all went to Bryn Mawr, and we hear about entrance exams, musical productions, and other campus activities in their letters.

Held at: Bryn Mawr College [Contact Us]

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Allen Family Papers, 1700-1954 (inclusive)

Extent:
2 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Abstract:
Contains the papers of the Allen Family, a Quaker family of Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, which traced its ancestry back to one of William Penn's commissioners. Includes papers relating to the Allen and related Breidenhart, Casdorp, Gibbons, Hubley, Jacobs, Matlack, and Samuel families. The Allen family papers contain extensive genealogical material, family correspondence, journals and memorials which provide excellent source material on Quaker family life in the 19th century in the Philadelphia area. Of particular interest are letters from Charles and Rebecca Allen to their children, several of whom were educated at Westtown School.

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

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Ferris Family Papers, 1737-1940 (inclusive)

Extent:
15 linear ft. (36 boxes)
Abstract:
The collection contains correspondence, journals and other writings, business and legal papers, and miscellaneous items of the Ferris family of Wilmington, Delaware, a prominent Quaker family. Of particular note are the correspondence and writings of Benjamin Ferris concerning the Separation in the Society of Friends, as well as the journals and diaries of Anna M. Ferris, David Ferris, Matilda Ferris, Benjamin Ferris, and Henry Ferris. Correspondents include William Lloyd Garrison, William Gibbons, Isaac T. Hopper, Joseph Bringhurst, Mary Gibbons, William Poole, Mary Biddle, Joseph Rakestraw, Halliday Jackson, and John Jackson. This collection includes a great variety of family correspondence that reveals much about the life of a Quaker family in Wilmington and of the reform activities of members of the Society of Friends.

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

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Griffith Family Papers, 1754-1890 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
The Griffith family were Quakers involved in the textile industry in the area of Winchester, Virginia before the Civil War. Aaron H. Griffith was active in the Orthodox branch of Hopewell Monthly Meeting and was an Elder and Clerk of that Meeting. The collection includes family correspondence and miscellaneous manuscripts of the Griffith family, as assembled by Sylvia Dannett who was writing a novel about Aaron H. Griffith's daughter, Harriet Griffith Ellis. Of particular interest are the letters and journal of the latter while she was attending Westtown School in the mid-1850's. Also includes some typescript copies of the same.

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

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