Call Number:

05

Repository:

African American Museum in Philadelphia

Extent:

1.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1879-circa 1980

Creator:

Banks, Antonio M.

Abstract:

Antonio Banks, Sr. was born in Middlesex, Virginia in 1893, and settled in Philadelphia with his wife Florence. Their son, Antonio M. Banks, Jr., was born around 1925, earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Howard University, and worked in Philadelphia as a government engineer in public building service. The Antonio M. Banks, Jr. family papers, 1879-circa 1980, include notebooks, ledgers, receipts, cancelled checks, financial records, and deeds from Antonio M. Banks, Jr., his parents, and other family members. The collection also includes a large amount of printed materials and objects. Of special interest are photographs and clippings on an African American baseball team, Zulu Giants Baseball Club, circa 1930s.

Antonio Banks Sr. was born in Middlesex, Virginia in 1893. His wife, Florence, was also a native Virginian, although the couple spent most of their lives in Philadelphia. He worked a variety of jobs, including farm laborer, shipping clerk, and barber. He earned a certificate from Bodee Dental Institute in 1926. Antonio M. Banks Jr. was born around 1925. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Howard University in 1948 and worked in Philadelphia as a government engineer in public building service.

This collection is comprised of materials from Antonio M. Banks Junior and his parents, Antonio Banks Senior, and Florence Banks. The collection includes several school notebooks, circa 1945, and personal account and appointment books from Antonio Banks Junior. There are also some ledgers relating to his father, Antonio Banks Senior, including England and Walton Co (3rd and Vine Street, Philadelphia), ledger 1920-1922, and barber accounts, 1924. There are also various receipts, cancelled checks, financial records, and deeds from the family. There are photographs of the family and friends as well as Philadelphia scenes. Of special interest are photographs and clippings on an African American baseball team, Zulu Giants Baseball Club, circa 1930s.

A rough inventory of the collection exists on-site. It lists the following documents: Deed Charles Koenigenun to Joseph Shoemaker 1879 Deed William Miller To Emily Cersher Sept. 1915 Inter Club Alliance Treasure Book Miscellaneous Business Cards Miscellaneous Notebooks (6) Miscellaneous Receipts Mortgage Clearance Ceremonies of Zion Baptist Church Certificate of acknowledgement 1955 Antonio Banks Photo of Ben Franklin Bridge Railroad Pass March 11, 1924 Real Estate Receipts 1926, 1927, 1928 Real Estate Title From Antonio Banks to Martin Flood 1925 Relocation Ceremonies of Zion Baptist Church Program School Roster Antonio Banks

According to the on-site inventory, the collection also includes the following printed materials: Constitution And By-Laws of Crispus Attucks, Post No. 151 American Legion, 1939 Historic Views of Gettysburg Text by Robert C. Miller 1907 Holy Bible Lincoln And Men of Wartimes by A.K. McClure, LL.D 1892, The Times Publishing Co. Speeches And Addresses by Abraham Lincoln The Death of Crispus Attucks by Lorenzo Harris 1934 The Forty-Third Anniversary of Crispus Attucks Post No. 151, June 16, 1962 The Latest Philadelphia Street Guide

Objects also form a large part of the collection, enumerated in the on-site inventory as follows: 1 Wall hanging with three people 3 Flowered wall hangings Coronet and Case Eyeglasses and Case Face Powder Hampton Button Home Nursing Pin Howard University Pennant Metal Receipt Box Money Bag Central - Penn National Bank of Philadelphia No. 5 Pennant: 37th Annual Grand Lodge Convention Brooklyn New York 1936 Shaving Brush and Holder Tennis Racket Tuskegee Button