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Sarah Wistar Rhoads family papers

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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

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The Sarah Wistar Rhoads family papers indicate strong relationships and family ties that spanned the 19th and 20th centuries. Sarah Wistar (1839-1920) married William Gibbons Rhoads (1838-1880) on November 28, 1866. It was that event that joined three Quaker families, the Rhoads, Gibbons and Wistars, beginning a long correspondence between them all, and resulting in an outstanding collection illustrating family support, friendship and love for more than three generations.

The Rhoads family included in this collection begins with Samuel Rhoads, Jr. (1806-1868) who was born on September 19, 1806, the son of Samuel and Sarah (Garrett) Rhoads. Samuel Rhoads, Jr. was a manager of Haverford College and the publisher and editor of the Friends Review from 1853 to 1867. On March 15, 1837, he married Anne Gibbons (1809-1890). Gibbons was born on September 28, 1809, and as evidenced in the collection, maintained a very close relationship with her mother Hannah and her Aunt Jane Gibbons throughout her life. Anne Gibbons died on February 16, 1890 at the age of 81, and Samuel Rhoads Jr. died on July 14, 1868. They had at least four children: Jane, Edward, Sophia and William Rhoads.

Jane Gibbons Rhoads died on February 25, 1860 at age 20.

Edward was born on September 29, 1841 and obtained his education at Haverford College from 1855 to 1859, graduating at the head of his class in 1859. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, studying medicine and graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1863. He began his work as Resident Physician in the Philadelphia Hospital located in West Philadelphia and in 1864, became Resident Physician at the Pennsylvania Hospital. At this point, he suffered from a relapse of articular rheumatism which first affected him in 1859 and 1860. After recovering from his illness in 1865, Edward traveled to Europe for an eight month period of time. Upon his return, Edward became Visiting Physician to the Philadelphia Hospital in 1866 and also taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania where, in 1870, he was appointed lecturer on Physical Diagnosis. His memberships included the Philosophical Society; the Philadelphia College of Physicians, serving as Recording Secretary; the Academy of Natural Sciences; and the Pathological Society. He died on January 15, 1871 at the age of 29. According to an obituary notice written and read before the American Philosophical Society by Henry Hartshorne, M.D., Dr. Edward Rhoads' "intellectual endowments, though great, were always perceived to be subordinated to moral qualities more rare and admirable," (Hartshorne, Box 15).

Sophia Rhoads was born in 1850 and married Asa Shove Wing, President of the Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia, on April 30, 1873. Sophia died on March 16, 1901.

William Gibbons Rhoads was born on March 26, 1838 and obtained his education at Haverford where he "gained the respect and esteem of his instructors and fellow students," ( Friends' Review, page 681). Because Haverford did not have a Scientific Department until 1858, he never received his degree. William G. Rhoads worked with a shipbuilding firm until he discovered that the company was involved in war work at which point he resigned his post. He then became involved in the plumbing business, in which his "knowledge and successful application of the laws of hydraulics gave him a high standing, both with the trade and those who had occasion to employ him," ( The Haverfordian, pages 8-9). He died on April 28, 1880 from inflammatory rheumatism at the age of 42.

William G. Rhoads and Sarah Wistar Rhoads had six children: Lydia Wistar Rhoads, born June 29, 1868; Jane Gibbons Rhoads, born May 1, 1870; Ethel Rhoads, born June 18, 1871; Edward Rhoads, born October 8, 1873; William Rhoads, born July 10, 1876; and Samuel, born on February 16, 1878. Jane Gibbons Rhoads married Marriott C. Morris on June 8, 1897 and died on March 24, 1950. Edward Rhoads graduated from Haverford College in 1893 with second honors in physics as a Bachelor of Science. He attended John Hopkins University from 1896-1898 where he earned his Ph.D. He then became an instructor in physics at the Worcester Polyclinic Institute from 1898 to 1901. In 1901, he became an instructor of physics at Haverford College. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He died on July 4, 1903 following an attempt to run the Susquehanna rapids near Columbia, Pennsylvania at the age of 30.

Bibliography:

Friends Review. Vox. XXXIII, No. 43 (Box 15).

Hartshorne, Henry, M.D. "Obituary Notice of Eward Rhoads, M.D.," Read before the American Philosophical Society (Box 15).

The Haverfordian. Vol. 1, No. 9, 1880 (Box 15).

The Sarah Wistar Rhoads family papers include correspondence; financial records; diaries and journals; memorabilia; class work and notes; copied poems, prayers, sermons and verses; memorials; genealogical research; Quaker material; and photographs.

The largest component of this collection is family correspondence and it is arranged alphabetically by recipient and chronologically within each group. The collection includes extensive correspondence of Sarah Wistar Rhoads; her husband William G. Rhoads; his mother and father, Anne and Samuel Rhoads; his brother Edward Rhoads; his aunt Jane Gibbons; and his grandmother Hannah Gibbons. The correspondence also includes correspondence to the Wistar family, especially to Caspar Wistar, Lydia Jones Wistar, and Thomas Wistar. Sarah Wistar and William G. Rhoads corresponded regularly with their children, most extensively with Edward G. Rhoads, Ethel Rhoads (later Potts), Lydia Wistar Rhoads, Sophia Rhoads (later Wing), and Jane Gibbons Rhoads. The "Correspondence" series also includes the correspondence of Sarah and William G. Rhoads' children to each other and their friends. This series indicates the depth of extended family relationships in the Rhoads family.

The "Financial Records" included in this collection consist mainly of account books and estate information which is arranged chronologically. Interestingly, this series includes Sarah Wistar Rhoads' account books as guardian of her minor children after her husband William G. Rhoads died on April 28, 1880. The account books include information on education, allowances, doctors' bills and general expenses. Also included in this series is information regarding deeds for Rhoads family land and homes.

Included in the "Diaries and Journals" series are an autobiographical account of experiences by Samuel Rhoads as well as his travel diaries from a trip to England in 1834. Other authors of diaries in the collection are Jane Gibbons Rhoads, Anne Rhoads, and Sarah Wistar Rhoads. Dr. Edward Rhoads kept a diary of his trip to Europe in 1865 to 1866. This series is arranged chronologically.

Family "Memorabilia" includes hair clippings from the Rhoads family and pressed flower mementos.

William G. Rhoads, his brother Edward G. Rhoads and his son Edward G. Rhoads attended Haverford College. Included in the "Class Work and Notes" series are class books, papers and addresses and notes. It is unclear if these are all related to Haverford College.

This collection contains a large number of "Copied Poems, Prayers, Sermons and Verses" that were important to the family members. Jane Gibbons Rhoads and Sophia Rhoads Wing copied and collected these passages. In addition, there are four folders whose collectors are unknown.

Written "Memorials" for many members of the Rhoads, Gibbon and Wistar family are available in this collection. In most cases, newspaper clippings and obituaries are available. In some cases, there are memorials or poems written about the deceased. There are also copious notes on the illnesses of several family members, especially Hannah Gibbons, Dr. Edward Rhoads and William G. Rhoads. The memorials are arranged chronologically.

The Rhoads family appeared to have great interest in their genealogy and included in this collection is extensive research resulting from correspondence to and from extended family. The most commonly found names in the "Genealogical Research Conducted by Rhoads Family" series are: Garat, Gibbons, Jones, Pusey, Preston, Rhoads, Sellars and Wistar.

The Rhoads family was a Quaker family and their faith is evident in nearly every series in this collection. However, there is some material that is focused entirely on their involvement with the Society of Friends. These materials, found in the "Quaker Material" series, include Samuel Rhoads editing the Friends' Review and participating in yearly meetings, documentation from a Quaker Theological Discussion Group, an essay entitled "Considerations, Etc." regarding abolition, and newspaper clippings regarding Quakerism.

The final series in this collection consists of family "Photographs." Nearly every member of the family is represented in this series.

This collection is an outstanding resource for those researching Quaker family dynamics, social life, and customs. These materials provide an intimate glimpse into 19th century Philadelphia through the eyes of an active and socially involved family. Because a large percentage of the correspondence is written by women, this collection also provides insight into Quaker women and their role in society throughout much of the 19th century.

Gift of Lydia Wistar Rhoads.

Contents of a box forming part of this collection came from the desk of Sarah Wistar and passed to her daughter Lydia W. Rhoads and then to the latter's daughter Sarah Rhoads Potts Benson.

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.

This collection was minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.

Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article, More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.

Publisher
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Holly Mengel
Finding Aid Date
October, 2009
Sponsor
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.
Access Restrictions

This collection is available for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Law applies (U.S. Title 17)

Collection Inventory

To Hannah Gibbons, 1836-1871.
Box 1
To Hannah Gibbons and Jane Gibbons from Anne and William Rhoads, 1847-1896.
Box 1
To Jane Gibbons from Anne Rhoads, Edward Rhoads, Asa Wing and Sophia Rhoads Wing, 1859-1897.
Box 1
To Jane Gibbons from family, 1869-1898.
Box 1
To Samuel J. Jones from his family, circa 1826.
Box 1
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads from Samuel Rhoads, 1936-1937.
Box 1
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads from Samuel Rhoads, 1843-1851.
Box 1
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads and Jane Gibbons from William G., Edward, Jane and Sophia Rhoads, 1847-1859.
Box 1
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads from friends, 1870-1872.
Box 2
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads from Sarah Wistar Rhoads, 1871-1888.
Box 2
To Anne Gibbons Rhoads from Sarah Wistar Rhoads regarding the illness of William G. Rhoads, 1880.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1860-1866.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads from William G. Rhoads, 1860-1866.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1860-1870.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads from Dr. William Pepper, 1861-1870.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads from Samuel Rhoads during Edward's trip to Europe, 1865-1866.
Box 2
From Dr. Edward Rhoads regarding his European Tour (3 folders), 1865-1866.
Box 2
To Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1866-1869.
Box 3
To Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1866-1870.
Box 3
Calling Cards to Dr. Edward Rhoads, undated.
Box 3
To Edward Rhoads, 1893-1903.
Box 3
From Ethel Rhoads to her family during her Mediterranean Cruise, 1904.
Box 3
From Ethel Rhoads to Michael Doyle, undated.
Box 3
To Ethel Rhoads Potts from her daughter Florrie, 1936.
Box 3
To Jane Gibbons Rhoads from William G. Rhoads, 1857.
Box 3
To Jane Gibbons Rhoads from her family, 1857-1858.
Box 3
Letters from Jane Gibbons Rhoads to Louisa Oliver, 1857-1859.
Box 3
From Jane Gibbons Rhoads before her death in 1860, 1858-1860.
Box 3
To Lydia Wistar Rhoads from her family and friends, 1885-1899.
Box 4
To Lydia Wistar Rhoads from family and friends, 1869-1909.
Box 4
To Lydia Wistar Rhoads during her trip to England, 1907.
Box 4
To Lydia Wistar Rhoads, 1900-1920.
Box 4
From Samuel Rhoads to his parents, Sarah Evans, Benjamin Valentine and Joseph Warrington, circa 1834.
Box 4
From Samuel Rhoads, 1834-1835.
Box 4
From Samuel Rhoads to the Pease family, 1835-1860.
Box 5
To Samuel and Anne Rhoads, 1837-1850.
Box 5
Funeral Announcements sent to Samuel and Anne Rhoads, 1838-1859.
Box 5
To Samuel Rhoads from his friends, 1847-1865.
Box 5
To Samuel and Anne Rhoads after the death of Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1860.
Box 5
Invitations sent to Samuel and Anne Rhoads, 1860-1878.
Box 5
Calling Cards for Samuel and Anne Rhoads, undated.
Box 5
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads at the time of her wedding.
Box 5
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1860-1870.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads, 1861-1907.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from family, 1860-1871.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from William G. Rhoads, 1867.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from William G. Rhoads, 1876.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from Hannah Gibbons, Jane Gibbons and Anne Rhoads, 1877-1883.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from her children, 1879-1907.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoades following the death of William G. Rhoads, 1880.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads, 1880-1906.
Box 6
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from Edward Rhoads, 1889-1901.
Box 7
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from Edward G. Rhoads, 1889-1901.
Box 7
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads following the death of Edward G. Rhoads, 1903 July.
Box 7
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads following the death of Edward G. Rhoads, 1903 July.
Box 7
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from Thomas Wistar, 1910.
Box 7
To Sarah Wistar Rhoads from William Rhoads, 1920.
Box 7
To William G. Rhoads from Hannah Gibbons, Jane Gibbons and Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1848-1861.
Box 8
To William Rhoads from Hannah Gibbons, Jane Gibbons and Anne and Samuel Rhoads, 1856-1861.
Box 8
To William G. Gibbons from Anne and Samuel Rhoads, 1856-1869.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1857.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from friends, 1859-1863.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from Anne Rhoads and Dr. Edward Rhoads, 1860-1862.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from William Hilles, Samuel and Anne Rhoads and Hannah Gibbons, 1862-1869.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from Wilberforce Wistar, 1863.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from Sarah Wistar Rhoads, 1865-1866.
Box 8
To William G. Rhoads from family, 1865-1876.
Box 8
To Sophia Rhoads Wing following the death of Anne Rhoads, 1890.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing from Sophie Pease and Jane Gibbons, 1893-1895.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing from Asa Wing, 1893-1897.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing from Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1895-1899.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing, 1895-1897.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing from Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1895-1896.
Box 9
To Sophia Rhoads Wing from Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1896-1897.
Box 10
To Sophia Rhoads Wing regarding the illness and death of Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1897.
Box 10
To Caspar Wistar from Thomas Wistar, 1824.
Box 10
To Caspar Wistar, circa 1826.
Box 10
To and from Lydia J. Wistar, 1867-1871.
Box 10
To Thomas Wistar from William Rhoads, 1858.
Box 10
To Thomas Wistar from Edward G. Rhoads, 1869.
Box 10
Unidentified Correspondence, undated.
Box 10

William Gibbons' shares in Columbia Water Company, 1827.
Box 10
Anne Gibbons Accounts and Bills, 1836-1837.
Box 10
Free Produce Association of Friends Constitution and Finances, 1846.
Box 10
Samuel Rhoads' shares in the Haverford Plank Road Company, 1852.
Box 10
Brief of Title to Blockley, land owned by Samuel Rhoads, 1854.
Box 10
Samuel Rhoads' receipts for debts, 1862-1864.
Box 10
Samuel Rhoads Estate, 1868.
Box 10
William Rhoads Account Book, 1868-1911.
Box 11
Lydia J. Wistar Estate, 1878.
Box 11
Anne Rhoads Estate, 1890.
Box 11
Account Book of Sarah Wistar Rhoads, Guardian, 1880-1891.
Box 11
Account Book of Sarah Wistar Rhoads, Guardian, 1890-1899.
Box 11
William F. Jones Estate, 1897.
Box 11
Contract making Lydia Wistar Rhoads attorney of Rhoads family land, 1901 April 12.
Box 11
Katherine J. Wistar Estate, 1903.
Box 11
Jane Gibbons' Will (copy), circa 1897.
Box 11
Ethel Rhoads Potts Account Book, 1910-1935.
Box 11
First Cash Book (creator unknown), 1911-1929.
Box 12
Account Book (creator unknown), 1914-1920.
Box 12
Deed for Rhoads Land (copy), 1922.
Box 12

An Account of Experiences of Samuel Rhoads by Samuel Rhoads, circa 1827.
Box 12
Samuel Rhoads' Travel Diary from Trip to England, 1834.
Box 12
Jane Gibbons Rhoads Diaries, 1852, 1857.
Box 12
Anne Rhoads Memorandum and Notes, 1856-1899.
Box 12
Dr. Edward Rhoads Travel Diary from Trip to Europe, 1865-1866.
Box 12
Sarah Wistar Rhoads' Diary, 1866.
Box 12
Sarah Wistar Rhoads' Mother's Book, 1869-1877.
Box 13
Sarah Wistar Rhoads' Diary, 1899.
Box 13
Journal of Telephone Calls, 1953-1962.
Box 13
Sketchbook with Sketch of Lydia (creator unknown), undated.
Box 13
Unidentified Travel Diary, undated.
Box 13
Unidentified Diaries, undated.
Box 13

Hair Clippings of Rhoads family, 1852-1853.
Box 13
Pressed Flower Mementos, undated.
Box 13

William G. Rhoads Class Books, 1854-1855.
Box 14
Dr. Edward G. Rhoads Papers and Addresses, 1857-1858.
Box 14
Dr. Edward G. Rhoads Notes, undated.
Box 14

Collected by Jane Gibbons Rhoads, undated.
Box 14
Collected by Sophia Rhoads Wing, undated.
Box 14
Unknown Collectors (four folders), undated.
Box 14

Notes regarding the illness and death of Hannah Gibbons, 1857-1868.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Jane Gibbons Rhoads, 1860.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Isaac Cooper Jones, 1865.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Hannah Gibbons, 1868.
Box 15
Notes regarding the illness and death of Dr. Edward G. Rhoads, 1870.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Dr. Edward G. Rhoads, 1871.
Box 15
Notes regarding the illness and death of William G. Rhoads, 1880.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for William G. Rhoads, 1880.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Anne Rhoads, 1890.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Edward G. Rhoads, 1904.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Isaac J. Wistar, 1905.
Box 15
Obituaries and Memorials for Caspar Wistar, undated.
Box 15
Obituaries, undated.
Box 15

Family Trees, undated.
Box 16
Information regarding the Gibbons, Jones, Pusey, Preston, Rhoads and Wistar families, undated.
Box 16
Information regarding the Garat, Gibbons and Pusey families, undated.
Box 16
Information regarding the Pusey family, undated.
Box 16
Information regarding the Rhoads and Sellars families, undated.
Box 16
Germantown and Wistar family history, undated.
Box 16
Chain of Colonial Houses, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia and other Philadelphia family histories, undated.
Box 16

Samuel Rhoads material, 1836-1838.
Box 17
Quaker Theological Discussion Group, 1958-1973.
Box 17
Considerations, Etc. by Brown (regarding, in part, abolition), undated.
Box 17
Newspaper Clippings regarding Quakerism, undated.
Box 17

Hannah Firth Jones, undated.
Box 17
Isaac Cooper Jones, undated.
Box 17
Isaac Cooper Jones, Jr., circa 1875.
Box 17
William Jones, 1891 July 14.
Box 17
Edward H. Kendall, undated.
Box 17
Edward Kendall, Jr., undated.
Box 17
Sarah Rhoads Potts, undated.
Box 17
Potts Children with Sarah Wistar Rhoads and Ethel Rhoads Potts, undated.
Box 17
Anne Rhoads, circa 1889.
Box 17
Beulah M. Rhoads, undated.
Box 17
Edward Rhoads, circa 1870.
Box 17
Ethel Rhoads, circa 1891.
Box 17
Lydia Wistar Rhoads, 1870-1906.
Box 17
Samuel Rhoads, undated.
Box 18
Sarah Wistar Rhoads and Children at Eaglesmere, 1889.
Box 18
Sarah Wistar Rhoads and Margaret W. [unreadable], 1916.
Box 18
Sarah Wistar Rhoads family album, undated.
Box 18
Sophia Rhoads, undated.
Box 18
William G. Rhoads with Haverford Class, undated.
Box 18
William G. Rhoads with son Edward, undated.
Box 18
William G. Rhoads and Sarah Wistar Rhoads, undated.
Box 18
Rhoads Children, circa 1875-1882.
Box 18
William Silver and Edith Wistar Stokes Silver, circa 1897.
Box 18
Sophia Rhoads Wing, circa 1891.
Box 18
Caspar Wistar, circa 1826.
Box 18
Isaac Wistar, undated.
Box 18
Katherine J. Wistar, undated.
Box 18
Lydia Jones Wistar, 1876-1877.
Box 18
Thomas Wistar, undated.
Box 18
Thomas Wistar, undated.
Box 18
Dr. Thomas Wistar, Sarah Wistar Rhoads, Lydia Wistar Kendall, Margaret Wistar Haines and Hannah Wistar Hacker, undated.
Box 19
Travel Album to Granada, Algiers, Egypt, Greece, etc. (creator unknown), 1904.
Box 19
Unidentified, undated.
Box 19

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