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Samuel Walton 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:
RG5.254
Repository:
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Extent:
1.75 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], Samuel Walton Family Papers, RG5/254, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Date:
1813-1890 (inclusive)
Creator:
Stratton, Edward F., 1876-1968, Walton, Joseph, 1817-1898, Walton, Samuel, 1827-1899, Walton, Sarah J. (Sarah James), 1826-1911, Kite, Mary, 1793?-1861, Kite, Nathan, Evans, William, 1787-1867, Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative : 1854- ), Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Orthodox : 1828-1854), Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends (Orthodox : 1827-1955), and Walton, Rebecca, 1814-1859
Abstract:
The Waltons were prominent Quakers in Philadelphia, Pa., and Belmont County, Ohio. Joseph Walton (1817-1898) taught at Westtown School, edited the Quaker periodical, The Friend, and served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox). His brother, Samuel Walton (1827-1899), moved to Ohio in 1847 and in 1854 married Sarah James Edgerton at Stillwater Monthly Meeting, the center of Wilburite Quakerism in Ohio. The family was deeply involved in matters relating to the Society of Friends. This collection contains primarily family correspondence, particularly of Samuel and Sarah Walton of Stillwater Monthly Meeting and Joseph Walton of the Westtown School, Haverford College, and Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Other correspondents include Rebecca Walton, Lydia L. Walton, and Mary and Nathan Kite. Topics include family and religious concerns, the Wilburite - Gurneyite controversy in Ohio, and related issues in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. There are lengthy descriptions of the yearly meetings and meetings for worship with visits by Quaker ministers including Thomas B. Gould, William Evans, and Ezra Comfort.

Walton family members were prominent Philadelphia Quakers. Joseph Walton (1784-1853) was a Philadelphia bookseller. He married Abi Kite (1787-1865), daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca (Walton) Kite, in 1813, and the couple had nine children: Rebecca (1814-1859), unmarried and a teacher; Charles (1815-1892), married Deborah Lightfoot; Joseph (1817-1898), married Lydia Lippincott of Chester MM, New Jersey, in 1858; Mary H. (1819-1857), married Nathaniel Brown in 1854; Henry (died in infancy, 1821); Anna (1822-1882); Abby (1825-1861) married Francis Lightfoot in 1848; Samuel (1827-1899), married Sarah J. Edgerton of Stillwater MM, Ohio, in 1854; and Jane (1830-1872), married Benjamin Lightfoot in 1852.

Joseph Walton (1817-1898) was a graduate of Westtown School and Haverford College (1836). He taught at Westtown School for about ten years, edited the Orthodox Quaker periodical The Friend, and served as Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. In 1858 he married Lydia Lippincott at Chester Monthly Meeting in Moorestown, N.J. Much of the correspondence is directed to him from other family members, especially his older sister, Rebecca, who was a teacher at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, and from his brother and sister-in-law, Samuel and Sarah Walton, of Barnesville, Ohio.

Samuel Walton (1827-1899) moved to Ohio in 1847 and in 1854 married Sarah James Edgerton, daughter of James and Anna (Hall) Edgerton, at Stillwater Monthly Meeting, Belmont County, Ohio. That year the family moved to Philadelphia, but returned to Ohio in 1857 where Samuel had a dental practice. Samuel and Sarah are both buried at Stillwater Monthly Meeting which was the center of Wilburite Quakerism in Ohio.

Samuel and Sarah Walton had five children: Joseph J., James, Anna, Samuel Francis, and Abby. James (1857-1951) was superintendent of the Barnesville Boarding School and active on its Board. He gave his home, which was across the street from the School, to Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) for use as a boarding home. It was in The Walton that this collection of letters was found.

This collection contains primarily family correspondence of the Walton family, especially letters to Joseph Walton from his siblings and the correspondence of Samuel and Sarah Walton of Stillwater Monthly Meeting. A large number of the earlier letters are to Joseph Walton from his sister Rebecca, while many of the later letters are from Samuel and Sarah Walton who lived in Barnesville, Ohio. Other correspondents include Rebecca Walton, Lydia L. Walton, and Mary and Nathan Kite. Topics include family concerns, the Wilburite - Gurneyite controversy in Ohio, and related tensions in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The papers were preserved by Edward F. Stratton, Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting.

Organized into two series:

  1. Correspondence
  2. Miscellaneous papers

Gift, Edward F. Stratton, 1965

Edward Stratton was Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting.

The Walton family letters were given to Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College by Edward F. Stratton in 1965. Edward Stratton was Custodian of Records for Ohio Yearly Meeting and worked with the Meeting to find a suitable repository for Ohio Hicksite and Conservative records. Archival materials that he collected were received in a series of deposits beginning in 1961 until after his death. When received in 1965, staff at Friends did a rough sort of the Walton papers into multiple chronologically ordered folders. They were stored together with an earlier deposit of Maule and Stratton Papers with the title Stratton (Maule) Papers, under the authorship of Edward F. Stratton, collector. The Stratton-Maule-Williams Papers were interfiled and arranged chronologically, the Walton Family Papers stored separately.

In 2006, the collection was reprocessed and divided into two parts. The Stratton-Maule-Williams Papers were divided into appropriate series and described as Edward F. Stratton, Collector, Collected paper. The Walton Family Papers were removed into a separate Record Group, sorted and described in a new inventory.

Walton-Kite family papers, 1789-1937, Haverford College Special Collections

People
Subject

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
FHL staff
Finding Aid Date
2007
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

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/.

Collection Inventory

To Joseph Walton from Stephen Pike, 1813.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca, 1832-1837.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca, 1838-1839.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Joseph Walton, Westtown and Haverford School, most to his sister Rebecca, 1833-1844.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Abi Walton to family, including her sister, Mary Kite, 1835-1847, n.d.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters (2) from Aunt Mary Kite to Samuel Walton, 1836, 1847, n.d.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Mary Kite to Joseph Walton and others, 1836-1857, n.d.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Joseph Walton to Aunt Mary Kite, 1837-1858, n.d.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Includes account of visit to New England Yearly Meeting and stay at Thomas Gould's home.

Physical Description

1 folder

Samuel Taylor, Baltimore, to Mary Kite, 1837, 1839.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Samuel Walton correspondence, 1837-1846.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Joanna Meader, Vasselboro, to Mary Kite, 1838.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca, 1838-1839.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca, 1840-1841.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters to Mary Kite, 1841-1860.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sister Rebecca, 1842.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sisters Rebecca and Abby, 1843.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford, from his sisters Rebecca and Abby, 1844.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Interesting letter of 5 month 8, 1844, concerning Catholic riots in City of Philadelphia.

Physical Description

1 folder

Kite family to Joseph Walton, 1844-1858.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Joseph Walton from his brother Samuel, 1844-1845.
Box 1
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford or Abby Walton, 1845.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Samuel Walton to Mary Kite, 1845, n.d.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

With an account of William Evans address and Phila. Monthly Meeting, Northern District, and discussion of New England separations.

Physical Description

1 folder

To Anna Walton from her siblings, 1845-1846.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Interesting description of Ezra Comfort sermon at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Northern District from Samuel

Physical Description

1 folder

To Sarah Edgerton, 1845-1849.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous Walton correspondence, 1845-1853.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, most to Joseph Walton at Westtown and Haverford or Abby and Anna Walton, 1846.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

To Joseph Walton, most from Rebecca, 1846.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Ann Perry, Westerly, to Rebecca Walton, 1847-1858.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Discusses New England Yearly Meeting, sudden death of Thomas Gould.

Physical Description

1 folder

To Joseph Walton, most from Rebecca, 1847-1848.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

To Anna Walton from family, 1847-1849.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

To Joseph Walton from Thomas Harvey, 1848-1850.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Samuel Walton to his parents, 1849.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

With an account of Ohio Yearly Meeting.

Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family letters, 1850-1854.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Including letter of 6mo 25 1850 visit by J. Walton to New England Yearly Meeting and others including tensions in Ohio.

Physical Description

1 folder

Sarah Edgerton correspondence, 1850-1853.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family, mostly to Samuel Walton, 1850-1854, 1858.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family, mostly Samuel and Sarah correspondence, 1855-1856.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family, mostly Samuel and Sarah correspondence, 1857-1858.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, many from Samuel Walton, 1858.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Concerning local Ohio Quaker issues.

Physical Description

1 folder

To Joseph Walton from Lydia Lippincott, 1858-1868.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Jane Lightfoot to family, 1855-61, 1868.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 folder

Jane Lightfoot to Mary Kite, 1859.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

With account of Quarterly Meeting.

Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, 1859.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Interesting account of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 10 mo 1859.

Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, mostly Samuel and Sarah, 1860.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Rebecca Shinn to Ann Walton, 1860-1868, n.d.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, most Samuel and Sarah, 1861.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Joseph Walton from Kite family, 1860-1877.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, primarily Samuel and Sarah, 1862-1863.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Samuel Walton correspondence, 1864-1869.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Hannah Warrington to Joseph H. Branson (?), 1866-1872.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Lightfoot family members to Joseph Walton, 1866-1875.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

John Kite to nephew, 1870-1871.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton correspondence, mostly Samuel and Sarah, 1870-1873.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Interesting discussion of scarlet color in children's clothing

Physical Description

1 folder

Barnesville Walton correspondence - Samuel, Sarah, Anna, 1874-77, n.d.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Lydia Walton to husband, Joseph, 1875-1880, n.d.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Francis Lightfoot to Joseph Walton, 1876.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

James Kite to cousin, 1876-1879.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Sarah and Samuel, 1876-1890.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters concerning B. F. Dixon, 1880.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Walton family correspondence, Samuel and Sarah, and others, 1876-1890.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Concerning Abigail Vail, 1885-1886, n.d.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Including her disownment in 1885, with earlier letter from her(1854).

Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from S. Francis Walton, 1888.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Announcing his engagement to Louisa Sidwell

Physical Description

1 folder

Charles Evans to Joseph Walton, n.d.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Cover note returning Walton's letter to The Friend (rejected)

Physical Description

1 folder

Undated correspondence, n.d.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

Fragments, n.d.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 folder

A list of the Names and Numbers of the boys at Westtown boarding school in the summer of 1840, 1840.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Notes on Philadelphia Yearly Meetings, 1850.
Box 4
Scope and Contents

In three different hands. Discussions concerning pressures from other yearly meetings.

Physical Description

1 folder

Notes on Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Women's minutes, 1851.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Notes of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1854, 1856.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Notes on yearly meetings (Philadelphia and Ohio?), n.d.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Student essay, Joseph and Anna Walton and others.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Verse, most copied, some written for family occasions.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Accounts of deaths of Joseph Walton (1853) and Rebecca Walton (1859), 1853, 1859.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Account of death of Christopher Healy, 1851.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous writings, n.d.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Business papers, most from Samuel Walton, 1832-1859.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Book on astronomy, n.d.
Box 4
Physical Description

1 folder

Print, Suggest