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Elfreth 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.
Overview and metadata sections
The Elfreth family was a notable Philadelphia Quaker family during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Jacob R. Elfreth Sr. (1789-1870), son of Jeremiah and Mary Taylor Elfreth, was initially apprenticed to enter into the hardware trade, but left to become a teacher, first in New Jersey, and later at Westtown School. He later became a bookkeeper for the Leigh Navigation Company, which was his occupation until he retired. Elfreth Sr. married Abigail Pierce, daughter of Caleb and Jane Pierce, in 1821, and the couple had ten children: Joseph (1824-1898), Jane (1826-1826), Jane P. (1827-1912), Caleb P. (1828-1908), Sarah (1830-1885), James (1833-1907), Rebecca P. (1835-1906), Jacob R. Jr. (1837-1924), Mary Elizabeth (1840-1898), and Robert M. (1846-1894).
Joseph Elfreth (1824-1898), eldest child of Jacob R. Elfreth Sr. and Abigail Pierce Elfreth, married Hannah Hill, daughter of John and Esther Hill, in 1851. They had three children: Florence (1852-1875), John, and Esther.
Jacob R. Elfreth Jr. (1827-1924), the son of Jacob R. Elfreth Sr. and Abigail Pierce Elfreth, was born on October 22, 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a Quaker merchant, elder, and minister. Initially apprenticed for five years to J.R. Sowers & Co., dry goods, Elfreth started a carpet business with his brother, James Elfreth (1833-1907). Elfreth Jr. never married and died November 14, 1924, in Landsdowne, Pennsylvania.
The collection consists primarily of the letters written to Joseph Elfreth (1824-1898), a Quaker, many of which relate to family matters, including health and the birth of children, and occasionally indicates the connections among Quaker families. Many of the letter writers only sign with an initial, but some who can be identified include: Caleb P. Elfreth and James Elfreth, Joseph's brothers, and Abigail Pierce, their mother. There is also a box of financial accounts, including two notebooks kept by Jacob R. Elfreth. There are also miscellaneous letters, documents and a few photographs. Unusual among the latter is an eye-witness account by Florence Elfreth, Joseph's daughter, of events at the Equal Rights Convention, ca. 1870s.
Letters to Joseph Elfreth are arranged alphabetically.
Original processing information unknown. Revised by Allison Hall; completed June, 2020.
People
- Gurney, Eliza Paul, 1801-1881
- Nelson, Judith W.
- Elfreth family
- Cowperthwaite, William C.
- Elfreth, Caleb P.
- Elfreth, Jacob R., Sr., 1789-1870
- Elfreth, Joseph
- Harris, William
- Hill, William
- Marsh, Rolph C.
Subject
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).
Collection Inventory
There are two letters from Joseph Elfreth, written in 1834 and 1846; another, dated 1863 and signed "Joseph and Hannah" is likely to be from him as well. Letter writers include Joseph's mother and brother, Caleb, as well as William Harris, William Hill and Rolph C. Marsh. Many of the letters refer to family matters, including health; the subject of travel and its difficulties is also encountered. In 1852 [sic, though likely 1862], Joseph's mother writes of a drafting of 300,000 additional men "leaving for parts unknown...The hospital nearby, fifth & Buttonwood Sts...has been seriously charged with secesion, the owner ...has been arrested." A letter, perhaps directed to Hannah Hill (Joseph's wife) from W. Hill in 1868 speaks of the Ku Klux Klan and that he feels the majority of American people have no sympathy with them. William Harris' letters detail his travel in Pennsylvania from 1869-1873. The greatest number of letters is from Rolph C. Marsh, 1859-1869, where the main discussion is about his failing health, but also some amount of travel. Letters often mention the thoughtfulness of Joseph Elfreth.
Physical Description2 folders1. A-G; 2. H-S
Includes clippings, random notes by Joseph Elfreth, poems as well as a schoolboy journal "A Fable" written in 1832.
Physical Description10 items
10 items
Financial accounts of various people in the collection. Of particular interest is Jacob R. Elfreth's (1789-1870) account notebook which also includes genealogical information. Many of the bundles are tied, indicating some relationship.
Physical Description1 boxes
Included are: a first-person account of the Equal Rights Convention by Florence Elfreth; letters to various Elfreth family members and others, including Clarkson Sheppard to Josiah Evans, 1869 and William Cowperthwaite, 1892; two notebooks containing an alphabetical list of dead people, including their death dates, kept by Jacob R. Elfreth; published letter, 1865 re drafted men and volunteers; miscellaneous poems and empty envelopes; miscellaneous clippings
Physical Description1 folders
Card index to pages in an unnamed work on Quakers and African Americans; photographs, primarily tintypes, but also albumen, including of Eliza Gurney, Mary Elfreth, Sally Elfreth.
Physical Description1 folders