Anna Braithwaite Thomas Family Papers

Anna Braithwaite Thomas was the daughter of J. Bevan and Martha Gillet Braithwaite, born in Banbury, England, in 1854. She attended Bedford College and in 1878 was married to Dr. Richard H. Thomas of Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of Haverford College. The Braithwaite family was active in American Quaker activities, and Anna Thomas was a writer, peace activist, and involved in various Quaker concerns. She lived in England during the First World War where she served on the Alien's Committee and a relief mission to Vienna, Austria, after the War. Her daughter, Dr. Henrietta Thomas, died in 1919 after war service. Anna Braithwaite Thomas was recorded as a minister of Baltimore Monthly Meeting, and she represented Baltimore Yearly Meeting in various Quaker conferences. Anna Thomas died in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland.

The collection contains correspondence, diaries (8 volumes, 1894-1896, 1936-1944), the earlier diaries describe a trip to England and Europe taken by Anna Thomas and her husband, Richard Henry Thomas (1854-1904), a Baltimore physician, and drawings, notes, albums, poems, and photos; together with notebook (1869-1871) of Richard Henry Thomas while a student at Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, article and related materials concerning the couple's daughter, Henrietta Martha Thomas (1879-1919) and her World War I pacifist service in Germany and Austria, and material relating to the genealogy of the Braithwaite and Thomas families.

The collection is divided into four series:

1. Biographical and genealogical material
2. Writings
3. Memorabilia
4. Pictures

Accession information

Donor: Mrs. William Watkins, 1967

Mary Caroline Braithwaite, sister of Anna Braithwaite Thomas, married Willis Norton Whitney, brother of the mother of Mrs. William Watkins, the donor. (Her birth name is Kaji). Mrs. Watkins received the papers through her sister, Miss Mabel Kaji of Baltimore, a close friend of Anna Thomas, to whom they came after Anna Thomas's death.

Received partially sorted. Arranged and placed in documents boxes, in Record Group 5. Certain items removed to Miscellaneous manuscripts, and other FHL files (See materials catalogued separately.)

See also:

1. PG7, Memorial for Anna Braithwaite Thomas (1854-1947)
2. FHL catalogue of books by Anna B. Thomas
3. J. Bevan Braithwaite, A Friend of the Nineteenth Century, by his children, FHL call no. BX7796, B82T4

The following materials, originally part of the collection, have been recatalogued:

1. William Charles Braithwaite, Memoir and Papers; FHL call no. BX7796,.B832T4
2. "Baltimore Yearly Meeting (Homewood) Directory, 2/1941" (paper-bound, mimeographed) See PG 1.
3. "Homes and Haunts of the Poets," Original etchings (5) by W.B. Closson -Whittier, See picture file.
4. "Illustrated lecture on Vienna" prepared by the Friends' relief Mission, 1920. See manuscript catalogue under "Vienna" or "Friends' Relief Mission."
5. Facsimiles of "A Few Select Extracts from the Journal of Joseph John Gurney," 1851, 2 copies. See Miscellaneous manuscripts.
6. Facsimiles of 8 ALsS and I D, in folio, Hanna and/or William Penn, to various recipients, 1674-1701. See Miscellaneous manuscripts.

Use

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], RG5/148, Anna Braithwaite Family Papers, 1869-1943, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Publisher

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Finding aids author

FHL staff

Date

1967

Creator

Thomas, Anna Braithwaite

Thomas, Richard Henry, 1854-1904

Thomas, Henrietta Martha, 1879-1919

Subject

British Americans -- Maryland

Peace -- Religious aspects

Quakers -- Austria

Quakers -- Maryland

Quakers -- Diaries

People

Braithwaite family

Thomas family

Language

English