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Allen Family Papers

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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

Call Number:
RG5.001
Repository:
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Extent:
2 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], Allen Family Papers, RG5/001, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
Date:
1700-1954 (inclusive)
Creator:
Allen family, Allen, Charles, 1776-1843, Allen, George Briedenhart, 1804-1869, and Westtown Boarding School
Form:
biographies (documents), Deeds, Diaries, genealogies (histories), and Account books
Abstract:
Contains the papers of the Allen Family, a Quaker family of Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, which traced its ancestry back to one of William Penn's commissioners. Includes papers relating to the Allen and related Breidenhart, Casdorp, Gibbons, Hubley, Jacobs, Matlack, and Samuel families. The Allen family papers contain extensive genealogical material, family correspondence, journals and memorials which provide excellent source material on Quaker family life in the 19th century in the Philadelphia area. Of particular interest are letters from Charles and Rebecca Allen to their children, several of whom were educated at Westtown School.

The Allen family traces its ancestry to one of William Penn's commissioners, Nathaniel Allen, who landed at Chester Creek in 1681. The collection's main focus is on the 5th and 6th generations: Charles Allen (1776-1843) and his son George B. Allen (1804-1869).

Charles Allen, a druggist, first married Sarah Breidenhart (1778-1807) and later married Rebecca Jackson (1781-1860), a teacher. Their home was on Pine Street in Philadelphia, and Charles and Rebecca were overseers and elders of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Southern District. Charles frequently accompanied ministers on their visits to other meetings. Rebecca served on the committee in charge of Westtown Boarding School.

George B. Allen, a farmer at Marple Hill, was an active member of Springfield Meeting. He married Sidney Jacobs of Bradford Meeting, a teacher. One of their sons, Joshua B. Allen (1832-1902) became a physician and was one of the original members of the Philadelphia Obstetrical Society. He is responsible for the research on the Allen family ancestry. Later additions were made by Mary S. Allen (1871-?), his niece.

Contains the papers of the Allen Family, a Quaker family of Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pa. Includes correspondence, journals, notebooks, genealogical charts, biographical sketches, memorials, marriage certificates, deeds, and other papers relating to the Allen and related Breidenhart, Casdorp, Gibbons, Hubley, Jacobs, Matlack, and Samuel families. Persons represented include Charles Allen (1776-1843), a Philadelphia druggist, and his son, George Breidenhart Allen (1804-1869), a Delaware County farmer.

The Allen family papers contain extensive genealogical material, family correspondence, journals and memorials which provide excellent source material on Quaker family life in the 19th century in the Philadelphia area. Of particular interest are letters from Charles and Rebecca Allen to their children, several of whom were educated at Westtown School.

The collection is divided into six series:

  1. Biographical and genealogical material
  2. Correspondence
  3. Journals and diaries
  4. Financial papers
  5. Legal papers
  6. Miscellaneous

Donor: Alice Allen, 1976

The following material was removed from the collection and recatalogued:

  1. Transferred to Deeds: Allen, Nehemiah to Allen, Nathaniel 10mo 20 1718,
  2. Transferred to marriage certificates: Allen, Nehemiah to Tyson, Esther 4mo 17 1700
  3. Transferred to marriage certificates: Allen, George B. to Jacobs, Sidney 9mo 13 1827
  4. Transferred to marriage certificates: Pyle, Jesse to Jacobs, Susan H. 5mo 18 1815

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
FHL staff
Finding Aid Date
1976
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

Archival Resource Key. Genealogy and Family History of Allen Family.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes 3 partial copies, with sections on Breidenhart, Casdorp and Hubley families. Also includes two genealogical charts.

Scope and Contents

Includes Breidenhart, Casdorp, Jacobs, and Samuel lines, Chart on p. 21

Archival Resource Key. Casdorp family genealogy.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. John Gibbons and his descendents, 1881.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Jacobs family with supplements, 1894.
Box 2
Physical Description

2 copies

Archival Resource Key. Matlack family record.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen family.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Breidenhart and Hubley families.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Gibbons family.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Jacobs family.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Biographical Sketch of George B. and Sidney (Jacobs) Allen, by Joshua G. Allen.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Biographical Sketch of Joshua G. Allen.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Memorial Book.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

1856 4mo Elizabeth Allen to Rebecca J. Allen, (contains memorials of Lydia Allen, Sarah B. Allen, Sidney Allen, and Lydia Jacobs)

Archival Resource Key. Allen, Lydia, 1839 4mo 12.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Sarah B, 1842 5mo 31.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Smedley, Mary, 1866 2mo 16.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Gibbons, Jane, 1898.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Elizabeth, 1901.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Samuel L., 1918.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Sarah H., 1928.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, George Breidenhart, 1932.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Caroline R., 1935.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Also includes Resolution adopted by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Media

Archival Resource Key. Will, Smedley, Rebecca J., 10mo 2 1854.
Box 2
Physical Description

copy

Scope and Contents

Concerns the genealogical material gathered by Joshua G. Allen and additions by Mary S. Allen. Correspondents are: Charles, Charles J., George B., Deborah S. Jr., Elizabeth, Elizabeth C.B., Elizabeth R., John C., Joshua, Mary (Dutton), Rebecca, Rebecca S., Richard J., Samuel L., and William C. Allen. Also: Rebecca Allinson, George Bailey, Deborah Baldwin, Rebecca Beach, Lydia G. Bell, Mary P. Brown, Gilbert Cope, Richard W. Davids, J. Allen DeCou, R.J. Dutton, R. Elkinton, Charles L. Fry, Marianna Gibbons, Alfred A. Hubley, A.R. Jacobs, H.E. Jacobs, Phebe Jacobs, John B. Kieffer, Emmanuel Nidecker, Anna M. Nixon, Arthur R. Pennell, Francis Rawle, Eliz. A. Roberts, Joseph Snowden, Elizabeth Thatcher, Hannah A. Warner, Yardley Warner, Martha Warrington, and Seth Warrington. Arranged chronologically.

Archival Resource Key. 1789 5mo 26 Casdorp, Jacob and Elizabeth to Allen, Joseph (father of Charles).
Box 3
Scope and Contents

These are primarily the letters of Charles and Rebecca Allen to their children and grandchildren.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1814-1815.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1821-1825.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1826-1832.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1837 and undated.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1840-1843 and undated.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1839.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1846-1849.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1857-1869.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

These concern the genealogical material gathered by Joshua G. Allen and additions by Mary S. Allen.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1875-1899.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1901-1954.
Box 3

Archival Resource Key. Allen, George B., 1831 10mo 7-15.
Box 4
Scope and Contents

Diary of a journey to look at coal mines near Wyoming Valley, PA.

Archival Resource Key. Allen, Sidney (Jacobs), 1836 9mo 12-1847 9mo 13.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Elizabeth C. (Bromley),, 1892 1mo 25-1893 7mo 26.
Box 4

Archival Resource Key. Account Books, 1813-1816, 1817.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Account Books, 1826-1831, 1831-1835.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Account Books, 1841-1845, 1847-1851.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Miscellaneous Receipts.
Box 4

Archival Resource Key. Allen, Clement E., papers.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Sketch of proposed construction of intersection in Media, Pa.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Appraisal of Sarah M. Caldwell property in Brookhaven held in trust by Chester MM, 1949.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Blueprint of highway condemnation of above property, 1950.
Box 4

Archival Resource Key. Album: Geometry exercise book, Allen, George B.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Art Work, Allen, Sidney (Jacobs), 1823.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Hannah W. "Instruction in Elocution", 1886.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Elizabeth R. "On the trail of the Friendly Haven Ranch".
Box 4
Scope and Contents

Friend Haven Ranch was a cattle ranch in New Mexico.

Archival Resource Key. Catalogue of trees planted, 1847 11mo 22.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. News Clippings.
Box 4
Physical Description

copies

Archival Resource Key. Passport: Allen, Joshua G., 1882 6mo 22.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, George B. Jr. and family.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Gravestones, Breidenhart - Hubley.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Sewel, William, The history of...the Quakers... showing signature of Joseph Allen on title page and the signature of Nathaniel Allen on first page.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. [Oakmann] Bible births and deaths.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Marriage certificate of Richard and Lydia Jacobs showing signatures.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. 1927 4mo 22 Alumni prize speaking contest.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. 1928 3mo 10 Oral English Contest.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. 1929 5mo 18 Twelfth Night.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. 1930 6mo 11 Westtown Commencement.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Pronunciation Lesson: "One exquisite evening...".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Report to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting: Allen, William C. and Allen, E.C.B. "Far Service.", 1922-1924.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Sermons, fragments: Pennington, Isaac, 1904 1mo 4.
Box 4
Physical Description

copy

Archival Resource Key. Allen, Charles: "Lydia", 1837 6mo 2.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous "Fourth Month Thirteenth, Nineteen Hundred and Four.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous "Humanity and Ingratitude", 1845 10mo 18.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous "Mourn not...".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous "The Old Oaken Bucket" modernized version.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Anonymous "Revised Version (by GP) of The Pageant (by Whittier).".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Branch, Mary Bolles: "The Petrified Fern.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Deborah Smedley: "A Budget of Rhyme.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. [Allen, Deborah Smedley]: "The Quaker.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. [Allen, Deborah Smedley]: "Reflections.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Allen, Deborah S. Jr.: "The hours I spent with thee...".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. [Allen, Elizabeth]: "Remarks of E.A. at Kitchen Surprise.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Satterthwaite, Eliz. A.: "Garden Surprise for MES JRP.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. [Satterthwaite, E.A.]: "He Leadeth Me.".
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Satterthwaite, Eliz. A.: "Pennsylvania 1776-1926" (copy).
Box 4

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