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Kite-Bassett 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
The Kite and Bassett families were Orthodox Quakers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Lynn, Massachusetts, respectively. James Kite was born in 1808, the son of Benjamin and Rebecca Kite of Philadelphia. In 1837 he was granted a certificate to Salem Monthly Meeting in Massachusetts to marry Lydia B. Rodman, widow of Caleb Rodman and daughter of Isaac and Ruth Bassett of Lynn. James and Lydia had eight children, viz. Ruth, James Rodman, Eliza B., Rebecca, Isaac C. Bassett, Hannah B., Lydia and Abby; Eliza and Isaac died young. James died in 1856 at the age of 48. Lydia B., a minister in Philadelphia Monthly Meeting for the Northern District, died in 1872 at the age of 60 years. Ruth Kite married Jacob Smedley Jr. in 1865. Ruth MacCollin, a granddaughter of Lydia B. Kite, was active in Quaker reconstruction work in France. She married Wray Hoffman in France in 1919 while they were participants in the American Friends Service Committee relief efforts.
The collection contains correspondence and other papers of the Kite and Bassett families, mainly describing family life but also relating to Quaker activities, especially events at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Orthodox) and the New England Yearly Meeting and including discussions of the Wilbur-Gurney controversy. Several of the Kite children attended the Westtown School, and some of the letters are between them and their parents. Correspondents include Ruth Bassett, William Bassett, Elizabeth B. Boyce, Eunice B. Boyce, Hannah Bassett, Anna B. Newhall, Lydia B. Kite, James Kite, Ruth K. Smedley, Jacob Smedley, James R. Kite, Rebecca Kite, Abbie Kite, and Ruth MacCollin Hoffman, granddaughter of Lydia B. Kite. Of particular note is the correspondence of the latter, 1918-19, describing Quaker reconstruction work in France while she was a participant in the American Friends Service Committee relief efforts.
The collection is divided into four series:
- Bassett family correspondence
- Kite family correspondence
- Other correspondence
- Miscellaneous
Donor: Gift of Donald and Ruth MacCollin Hoffman
Date: 1974
The collection was given by Donald and Ruth Hoffman; Ruth MacCollin Hoffman is a granddaughter of Lydia Bassett Rodman Kite.
Letters and papers of Kite and Bassett families received unprocessed. Papers sorted and filed in documents boxes and placed in Record Group 5.
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- FHL staff
- Finding Aid Date
- 1974
- Sponsor
- Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
- Access Restrictions
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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
2 folders
3 folders
3 folders
Ruth Hoffman was the granddaughter of James and Lydia Kite.