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Shee family papers, 1775-2009, undated; bulk 1775-1785

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (; 1 box [5 folders])

Abstract:

Cecelia (circa 1750-1779) and John Parke (1755-1780) were the children of Thomas Parke of Kent County, Delaware. Around 1770, Cecelia married Bertles Shee. Cecelia lived in Philadelphia and Dover, Delaware. Both John Parke and Bertles Shee served in the Continental Army. This small collection of papers from the Shee family mostly consists of detailed letters Cecelia wrote to John in the army between July 1775 and February 1777. There are also genealogical notes, a copy of Bertles Shee's will, a letter concerning property in Ireland, a letter from John Chew concering Bertles Shee's debts, and a set of typed transciptions of most of the documents in the collection.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Charles A. Tracy collection of Hardie family papers, 1777-1902 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)

Abstract:

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Mary Bye papers, 1974-1991 (bulk) 1969-1992, undated (inclusive)

Extent:

5.6 linear feet (; 15 boxes, 4 flat files)

Abstract:

Mary Bye (1913-2002) was a Quaker activist who lived in rural Bucks County. She became involved in the anti-war movement during the 1960s. She was also active in causes relating to social justice and the environment. During the 1970s she became involved with anti-nuclear activism, and was a principal opponent of efforts to expand the nuclear facilities at Limerick, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Late in life she became increasingly concerned with environmental protection, famously attempting to save a stand of oak trees near her home from destruction. Her other major causes included Native American rights and a continuing devotion to the anti-war movement. She was a Convener of the Friends Environmental Working Group, a leading figure in the Central Bucks Clean Energy Collective and the Movement for a New Society, and a supporter of numerous local and national activist organizations. The Mary Bye papers consist of 5.6 linear feet of textual documents recording Mary Bye’s activist...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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South Asian Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area Oral History Project, 1996

Extent:

1.0 linear feet (; 6 boxes)

Abstract:

This collection contains records produced by the Balch Institute's South Asian Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area Oral History Project. The project was conducted in the summer of 1996, when project staff interviewed sixteen individuals about their heritage, country of origin, and experiences in the United States. The records in this collection are audiocassette recordings of the interviews and eight text transcripts.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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The Life, Studies, and Works of Benjamin West, Esq., by John Galt, in extra-illustrated form, 1792-1820 (bulk) 1682-1844 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.2 linear feet (; 3 boxes; 9 flat files)

Abstract:

In 1816 and 1820, Scottish author John Galt produced a two-volume biography of Benjamin West entitled The Life, Works, and Studies of Benjamin West, Esq. This collection consists of pages from seven disbound extra-illustrated volumes of Galt's book comprising numerous original letters to and from Benjamin West, some pieces of original art by West, and many other engravings, documents, and prints.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania records, 1889-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:

70.8 linear feet (; 137 boxes, 34 volumes, 3 unboxed items)

Abstract:

Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania is a women’s volunteer organization that was founded by eight Philadelphia women in 1914. Its early efforts included foreign relief during World Wars I and II, combatting the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, and providing help to people in the Philadelphia region experiencing poverty, unemployment, illness, or disability. The Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania records date from 1889 to 1984, with bulk dates of 1914 to 1978, and document the organization’s evolution from war-time relief efforts to philanthropic community service and grant-giving.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Albert H. Gerberich diaries, 1911-1965 (inclusive)

Extent:

2.2 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 13 volumes)

Abstract:

Dr. Albert Horwell Gerberich (1898-1965) was an educator, foreign service diplomat, and genealogist. He was one of the foremost authorities on the Pennsylvania Germans, and was the author of several books and articles in this field. From 1911 until shortly before his death in 1965, he kept diaries in which he recorded his daily life and activities, and more importantly, his observations and opinions on politics, world events, and the changing cultural and moral values of his time. The diaries consist of thirteen ledger-sized volumes, with entries from a single line to several pages. They also include entries inserted from the diaries of his wife, Gisela Margit Gerberich (1898-1953). Ephemera inserted into the diaries have been removed and separated to boxes and folders.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Gibbon family correspondence, 1890-1930 (bulk) 1784-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:

9.2 linear feet (; 16 boxes)

Abstract:

The Gibbon family correspondence dates from 1808 to 1987 and contains the letters, postcards, and related material of the family of Dr. John Heysham Gibbon. Dr. Gibbon was a Philadelphia surgeon and professor at Jefferson Medical College, who also served as an Army surgeon in France during World War I. He was the son of Dr. Robert Gibbon of Charlotte, North Carolina and the grandson of John Heysham Gibbon and Catherine Lardner Gibbon, originally of Philadelphia. Through Catherine, the Gibbon family was related to the Biddle family of Philadelphia. Dr. John Gibbon was also the nephew of Civil War general John Gibbon and the son-in-law of another, Samuel Baldwin Marks Young. The majority of the collection consists of loose handwritten correspondence to and from members of the immediate Gibbon family as well as some of their extended relations. Included with these letters are a number of photographs, postcards, pencil drawings, and other assorted ephemera. This collection documents...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wannemacher family papers, 1880-1934 (bulk) 1879-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:

1.7 linear feet (; 1 box, 10 volumes)

Abstract:

This collection relates to the Wannemacher family of Philadelphia and consists of one box of papers and ten photo albums. In 1893, Edward H. Wannemacher married Mary A. Fairbairn at St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia. The couple had at least one son, Edward Hermany Wannemacher, baptised 7 July 1895. The papers in the collection briefly describe the history of the family. In the photo albums are records of the family's activies, from causual visits to local landmarks and travels throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, to their involvement with the Socialist Sunday School and the Young People's Socialist League.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Women's Way of Philadelphia records, 1977-1997 (bulk) 1966-1997 (inclusive)

Extent:

62.4 linear feet (; 157 boxes)

Abstract:

In 1975, a group of Philadelphia area women’s organizations formed the Philadelphia Women’s Coalition to provide health, wellness, education, legal, and cultural resources to women and their children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1977, members of the coalition formed Women’s Way of Philadelphia to be a fundraising umbrella organization for each of the member groups and, eventually, for other organizations dedicated to helping women and children in the surrounding region. The Women’s Way of Philadelphia records house the organizational records of Women’s Way, a women’s advocacy fundraising group serving the Philadelphia region. This collection, which dates from 1966 to 1997, with bulk dates of 1977 to 1997, consists of reports, correspondence, minutes, financial records, and planning materials created as a result of the fundraising and grant-giving activities of Women’s Way. Aside from evidencing the organization’s functions, this collection provides a unique perspective of...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]