Call Number:

MC.1262

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

0.75 linear ft. (2 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Wistar Family papers (HC.MC.1262), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1861-1950 (inclusive) and 1861-1900 (bulk)

Creator:

Wistar, Elizabeth Vaux, Wistar, Mary Emlen, Wistar, Caleb Cresson, 1846-1916, and Wistar, Emma

Form:

travel literature and family papers

Abstract:

This collection contains letters and cards exchanged between various family members, including Elizabeth (Bettina) Vaux Wistar, Mary Emlen Wistar, and Frederic Vaux Wistar. Many of the letters were sent from Europe between 1893 and 1894. There is also an assortment of financial and legal papers. The section "Travel and Sightseeing Materials" is particularly noteworthy. It contains a journal written by Emma F. Wistar in which she recounts her 1866 trip to Niagara Falls, making special note of botanical specimens, including dried plant and flower samples. Additionally, there is a brief account by B.V. Wistar about his experience at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The collection contains formal photographs taken by Philadelphia photography studios.

This collection centers around the Wistar family during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Wistars were a long-standing Philadelphia family with many well-known members, including Caspar Wispar (1761-1818), a physician and friend of Thomas Jefferson who served as president of the American Philosophical Society and is the namesake of The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. Family members featured in this collection include Caleb Cresson Wistar, who was born on July 21, 1846 in Philadelphia and died on August 8th, 1916. He was the son of Bartholomew Wyatt Wistar and Annabelle Elliot Cresson. Caleb graduated from Haverford College in 1865 and became a business man. He married Mary Emlen Wistar in 1876, and together they had four children: Wyatt Wistar, Frederic Vaux Wistar, Caleb Cresson Wistar Jr., and Elizabeth Vaux Wistar, all of whom are featured in this collection. Emma F. Wistar, whose 1866 journal is also found in these materials, was the sister of Caleb Cresson Wistar. She was born in 1848.

This collection contains a variety of different materials related to the Wistar family. There are letters and cards exchanged between various family members, including Elizabeth (Bettina) Vaux Wistar, Mary Emlen Wistar, and Frederic Vaux Wistar. Many of the letters were sent from Europe between 1893 and 1894. There is also an assortment of financial and legal papers, such as wills and hotel bills. The section of "Travel and Sightseeing Materials" is particularly noteworthy. It contains a journal written by Emma F. Wistar in which she recounts her 1866 trip to Niagara Falls, making special note of botanical specimens that she saw and collected along the way. In fact, dried plant and flower samples are interleaved with the pages of the journal. There is also a "Certificate of Travel" presented to Emma by her uncle, Joshua H. Morris, in recognition of her successful 1866 trip. Additionally, there is a brief account by B.V. Wistar about his experience at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The collection contains a number of images, many of which are formal photographs taken by Philadelphia photography studios. Some are labeled with the names of Wistar family members. Finally, the collection ends with a brief miscellaneous section for additional materials.

Materials are arranged according to type. Within each set of related items, the contents are organized chronologically. Materials without dates are placed at the end of each section.