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Grandom Institution (Philadelphia, Pa.)
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Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 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
Hartt Grandom (1778-1840), the son of Philadelphia Quaker parents, provided in his will for his considerable estate to be used for a number of charitable purposes, primarily the establishment of a permanent fund "to alleviate the most prudent of the poor (but not the intemperate) in procuring fuel, clothing and other necessaries, which such persons want in winter..." A second provision was made for a society "composed of discreet members" who would dispense financial aid to young men needing assistance in getting started in trade, "and whose parents are unable or unwilling to aid them." In accordance with this bequest, The Grandom Institution was chartered in 1841 and organized in 1846. The incorporators and the managers were largely members of the Society of Friends.
Additions to the funds of the Institution have been made from time to time by bequest.
In 1926 the Fuel Savings Society of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, established in 1821 for distribution of fuel to the poor, became affiliated with The Grandom Institution when the two organizations had the same managers. A further consolidation was effected in 1956 when the Philadelphia Soup House, founded in 1814 as The Society for Supplying the Poor with Soup, remained a separate corporate entity, but its managers had dual membership, also serving as managers of The Grandom Institution.
In 1937 the Fuel Savings Society received a bequest which from that time on was treated separately as The William Keinath Coal Endowment. In 1971 the distribution of fuel and food was turned over to the Philadelphia Board of City Trusts.
The collection contains original minutes, financial records, annual reports (typed, printed), deeds, correspondence, etc. Also, bound volumes and folders of miscellaneous papers and two framed documents.
The collection is organized into six series. The series are:
- History, Constitution, and By-Laws
- Legal papers
- Minute books
- Annual reports
- Financial records
- Miscellaneous
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Deposited by The Grandom Institution, 1971
In 1971, distribution of fuel and food was turned over to that Philadelphia Board of City Trusts, and individual managers of the Grandon Institution, Fuel Savings Society, and Philadelphia Soup House no longer had direct responsibility for distribution to the needy. At that time these records were deposited by the Grandom Institution. A few items, source unknown, were added from SG 3.
These papers of these three affiliated institutions were processed as a single collection under the title "The Grandom Institution" when they were received in 1971.
People
Organization
Subject
- Quakers -- Pennsylvania
- Society of Friends -- Charities -- Records and correspondence
- Quakers -- Social service
- Endowments -- Pennsylvania
- Food relief -- Pennsylvania
- Poor -- Pennsylvania
- Poor -- Energy assistance
- Poor -- Services for -- Pennsylvania
- Soup kitchens -- Pennsylvania
- Charities -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Social service -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- FHL staff
- Finding Aid Date
- 2000
- Sponsor
- Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.
Collection Inventory
Printed
Ms.
Printed
Various historical notes, lists, clippings concerning managers: notebook of William Biddle, with supplement by Mary E. Salthouse; some notes on Grandom family records by Dept. of Records of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Arch Street, 2/6/1930)
Framed, 16.5" × 13.5"
Judgement in Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, to Thomas Coombe against David Potts, concerning property on east side of 3rd Street, Philadelphia.
For a lot on the east side of 3rd Street, Philadelphia
For a property of on the east side of 3rd Street, Philadelphia
For three lots on the north side of Peach St., Philadelphia
For property on the east side of 3rd Street, Philadelphia
For property on east side of 3rd St., between High St. and Church Alley, Philadelphia
For property on the east side of 3rd Street, between High Street and Church Alley, Philadelphia
For properties in Phila., on Sansom St. at 7th St., etc.
For property on the north side of an alley, Philadelphia
Copy
Copy
Copy
Includes Supplement, 1863
Physical Description3 copies
Copy
Concerning practical matters of handling their charge: increase in secretary's compensation, rental of an office, etc.
Copy
Copy
Concerning the right of the Board of Managers to invest in equities
Final settlement of Hartt Grandom's estate