Leon Gardiner collection of American Negro Historical Society records

The American Negro Historical Society was founded in Philadelphia in 1897 by a group of upper-class African-Americans. The society’s membership was open to both men and women and its mission focused on collecting historical materials related to African-American history. Members met monthly at its headquarters in the parish house of the Church of the Crucifixion to discuss matters related to race, collection of materials, and the publishing of pamphlets and other printed material to share the history of African-Americans.

Founding members of the organization held prominent positions in Philadelphia’s society. The first president of the organization, Robert Mara Adger, was a city merchant and the son of an abolitionist; Theophilius J. Minton, who became the organization’s first vice-president, was an attorney. William Carl Bolivar, bibliophile and journalist with a particular interest in historical documentation, wrote columns for The Philadelphia Tribune. William Henry Dorsey worked as a Philadelphia municipal official, Matthew Anderson served as minister of the Berean Presbyterian Church, and Henry L. Phillips, the society’s treasurer, was the rector at the Church of the Crucifixion.

According to William C. Welburn, who studied William Carl Bolivar’s interest in preserving the history of African-Americans, the efforts of organizations like the American Negro Historical Society “formed the foundation for black collections and collecting practices today and were integral to the development of African American historical studies and African diaspora studies in general.”

I. Correspondence and Personal Papers, 1812-1962, undated; 83 folders

II. American Negro Historical Society Records, 1861-1905, undated; 20 folders

III. Banneker Institute, 1790-1865, undated; 28 folders

IV. Pythian Baseball Club, 1867-1870, undated; 16 folders

V. Lebanon Cemetery, 1825-1901; 12 folders

VI. Philanthropic, Civic, and Religious Organizations, 1829-1893, undated; 38 folders

VII. Portraits of Black Leaders and Abolitionists, undated; 3 boxes

VIII. Negro Activities: Broadsides, Printed Matter, and Miscellaneous material, 1825-1904, undated; 2 boxes and 28 folders

IX. Volumes, 1715-1933, undated; 35 volumes and 5 folders

Welburn, William C. "To "Keep the Past in Lively Memory": William Carl Bolivar's Efforts to Preserve African American Cultural Heritage." Libraries and the Cultural Record 42.2 (2007): 165-179 Gatewood, Willard B. Aristocrats of Color: the Black Elite, 1880-1920. University of Arkansas Press, 2000.

A microfilm guide for this collection is available at the reference desk. Please see the Alternative Formats note in this finding aid for more information on this collection's microfilm.

Volumes 11 and 12, records concerning the Clarkson Institute, were mistakenly included in this collection when the collection was reprocessed. They have been removed from this collection to their proper collection, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society records (Collection 490). They can be accessed using the call numbers AmS .3311 and AmS .3313, respectively.

At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania Abolition Society papers (Collection 490)

Pennsylvania Abolition Society records (Collection 3637)

Abolition Society of Delaware minutes (Am .421)

At other repositories:

Scorecards, 1870(ca.)-1979, New York State Historical Documents; National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, National Baseball Library, Cooperstown, New York.

William Still Correspondence, 1865-1899; Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University Libraries.

Publisher

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Sponsor

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Lori Cohen.

Finding aids author

Finding aid prepared by Willhem Echevarria.

Date

2013

Creator

Gardiner, Leon, 1892-1945.

Subject

African American abolitionists

African American baseball players--History

African American churches

African American civic leaders--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

African American educators

African American families -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

African Americans--History--Societies--19th century

African Americans--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Societies, etc

African Americans--Social Life and Customs--19th century

African-American Presbyterians--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Baseball--History--19th century

People

Still, William, 1821-1902.

White, Jacob C., 1837-1902.

White, Jacob C., d. 1872

Organization

American Negro Historical Society.

Banneker Institute.

Language

English