Call Number:

08

Repository:

Germantown Historical Society

Extent:

9.4 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1874-1931 (inclusive)

Creator:

Jellett, Edwin C., (Edwin Costley), 1860-1929

Abstract:

Edwin Costley Jellett (1860-1929) was an engineer and amateur botanist, gardener and local historian known for his various books about Germantown, its environment, gardens, old homes and residents of the area. He was very active in the Germantown Horticultural Society and in the Germantown Historical Society. The Edwin C. Jellett papers, 1874-1931, contain scrapbooks, manuscripts, photographs, notes, and journals. Major subjects in the collection include the Wissahickon park, Germantown history, and Jellett's daily life.

"Engineer and amateur botanist, gardener and local historian, [Edwin Costley] Jellett [1860-1929] is known for his various books about Germantown, its environment, gardens, old homes and residents of the area. He was very active in the Germantown Horticultural Society and in the Site and Relic Society of Germantown [Germantown Historical Society."

Bibliography:

Finding aid for "Jellett, Edwin Costley, 1860- Flora of Germantown, 1903," collection 432. Archives of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Accessed January 30, 2011. http://www.ansp.org/library/archives/coll_400-499/coll0432.xml

The bulk of the Jellett papers is made up of scrapbooks, 1874-1925. The scrapbooks mostly contain newspaper clippings, manuscript writings by Jellett, and photographs; there is also a small amount of correspondence, copies of poems by other authors, drawings by Jellett, and other miscellaneous material. There are nine volumes on the Wissahickon Creek, 1890-1925 (with an index created by Jellett, and two binders with typed transcriptions of Jellett's handwritten notes); two volumes of Germantown historical miscellany, circa 1880-1910; thirteen volumes of "Nature Notes," 1874-1908; and five volumes of "British Notes: A Record of a Trip to England in the Summer of 1894". There are also a few scrapbooks on miscellaneous topics like R. Robinson Scott and Shakespeare, Fairmount Park, and "Flora of Germantown." The "Flora of Germantown" scrapbook, with a letterpress title page and running title, contains news clippings of 35 articles written as a series, which appeared in the Germantown Independent Gazette in 1903. It is illustrated with botanical prints. There is also a scrapbook of correspondence regarding copies of Jellett's books donated by the author.

The Jellett papers also include a manuscript entitled "Germantown Reminiscences Gathered by Edwin C. Jellett" (1905-1907), a box of Edwin C. Jellett/Naaman H. Keyser newspaper clippings (1899-1931), photographs and postcards of Wildwood, New Jersey (circa 1906-1907), photographs, notes, and other book manuscripts.

A highlight of the collection is three journals, 1876-1884. In these journals, Jellett recorded his daily activities, including cast assignments for theatrical productions he attended, copies of essays, and copies of minutes/reports he wrote for clubs in which he was involved (e.g. the Mermaid Club).