Form: Family papers - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Buffington–Marshall papers, 1707-1876 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The manuscripts in the collection cover the years 1707 to 1876. The bulk of the collection is connected to two families, Buffington and Marshall. Buffington family manuscripts begin with emigrant Richard Buffington (d. 1747/8). He was married three times and his children included Ann, Ruth, Richard (d. 1741, married Phebe Grubb), Thomas, William, John, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth, Lydia, Abigail, Joseph, and Alice. The Marshall family manuscripts originated from the family of emigrant Abraham Marshall (1669-1767) and his wife, Mary Hunt Marshall (d. 1769). Topics include: farming, botany, legal system, politics and elections, the poor, education, medicine, crime (includes murder, fornication and bastardy cases, etc.), slavery, etc.

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Colonel Richard Thomas papers, 1741-1919 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Richard Thomas (1744-1832) was a Revolutionary War colonel and a politician. He served in the Revolutionary War in the 5th Battalion Association despite his Quaker faith and served as an Assembly man from 1796 to 1790, as Pennsylvania Senator from 1790 to 1794, and as Congressman from 1794 to 1798. The collection dates from 1741 to 1919 with the bulk of materials dating from 1741 to 1857. The materials in the collection document the history of Chester County and the United States as well as the personal side of the Thomas family.

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Miller-Dickey Family papers, 1786-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 10.0 boxes
Abstract:: This collection consists of papers of the Cross, Dickey, and Miller families of Chester County, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. John Miller and his wife, Margaret, emigrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania with their young daughter, Jane, in 1786. Miller, who was trained as a stone cutter in Scotland, developed a thriving marble business in Philadelphia; he also owned a farm in Great Valley, Pennsylvania. John was active in the Philadelphia community; he was an early member of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, and a supporter of the Magdalene and Missionary Societies. The papers in this collection consist primarily of personal correspondence, business records, genealogical notes, diaries, and family photographs, of the Cross, Dickey and Miller families. The collection is particularly strong on relationships between women, family health, Presbyterian church, the history of Oxford, Pennsylvania, marble cutting business, and the genealogy of the Miller, Dickey,...(see more)

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

Logan family papers, 1684-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:: 11.0 linear feet and 10 containers, 62 volumes
Abstract:: The Logan family was prominent in Philadelphia from the start of the province, serving the people in many capacities, including political, medical and literary. This is a collection of manuscripts obtained by the Library Company of Philadelphia that relates to the Logan family. The collection includes papers of the Logan family members Albanus Charles, Algernon Sydney, Deborah Norris, William Jr., and James as well as family materials collected by Frances A. Logan and William Logan Fox. The collection dates from 1684 to 1925 and consists of family papers, correspondence, diaries, writings, medical texts, lecture notes, financial records, poetry, visiting cards, and invitations.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Read family papers, 1792-1896 (bulk) 1736-1896 (inclusive)

Extent:: 70.0 linear feet and
Abstract:: The Read family consistently played an important role in American government and politics from the time that George Read, a Delaware resident, signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Throughout the 17th to 19th centuries, the Reads served as lawyers, judges, politicians, generals, consul-generals and foreign ministers. This collection contains the papers of four generations of the Read family of Philadelphia, consisting of John Read, Judge John Meredith Read, General John Meredith Read, and Harmon Pumpelly Read. The materials date from 1736 to 1896, with the bulk dating from 1792 to 1896, and include extensive correspondence, bills and receipts, genealogical notes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks and ephemera. The majority of the collection consists of General John Meredith Read’s papers relating to his family history and genealogy, correspondence, and political materials. The collection is particularly valuable in illustrating...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Rush family papers, 1748-1876 (inclusive)

Extent:: 34.5 linear feet
Abstract:: The Rush Family papers includes material from Benjamin Rush, physician, social activist, educator, writer and patriot; his brother Jacob Rush, lawyer, Supreme Court judge, and patriot; and Benjamin’s son James Rush, physician and Treasurer of the United States Mint. These American men were “strong characters, zealous patriots during the stirring period in which they lived, tenacious of their convictions and of the high standard of individual duty which they set for others, and typified in themselves,” (Richards, page 53). The bulk of the collection is the papers of Dr. Benjamin Rush and his son Dr. James Rush. Judge Jacob, John, Richard and William are represented, but to a much lesser degree. The other Rush family members are represented in a very limited manner. The collection contains correspondence; financial records; medical notes, lectures, and case histories; writings regarding medicine, politics, and the judicial system; and observations on colonial Philadelphia, the...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Stevens-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning collection, 1734-1982 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Stevens-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning family papers document the development of a white family and a prominent middle-class African American family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, beginning with the 1760s emigration of John Stevens from England to South Carolina. The materials date from 1734 to 1982 and consist of scrapbooks, ephemera, newspaper clippings, Common Prayer books, invitations, holiday cards, correspondence, business papers, and a variety of personal papers. The materials document the Stevens-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning families’ professional, family, and personal lives as well as the development of a prominent middle-class African American family.

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Jacob Cist correspondence and documents, 1794-1829 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.5 cubic feet
Abstract:: Jacob Cist (1782-1825) was an American naturalist, artist, inventor, businessman, author, treasurer and United States Postmaster. He was also one of the most important pioneers in the marketing of anthracite coal and a leading authority on its economic potential. This collection includes personal and business letters, documents, agreements, memorabilia, clippings and records of Cist's service as United States Postmaster of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His accounts as treasurer of the Wilkes-Barre Bridge Co. are included, as are records of his activities as a co-founder and officer of the Luzerne County Agricultural Society and his service as a Commissioner from his county to the Pennsylvania Commission for Internal Improvement. His tax accounts as County Treasurer, with supplementary letters give details of the procedures in vogue during that era. The collection also includes some typescript and some facsimile copies.

Held at: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Weiss family of Weissport, Pennsylvania papers, 1777-1916 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.75 linear feet
Abstract:: The Weiss family was prominent in the coal business in eastern Pennsylvania during the late 1700s and 1800s. The Weiss family collection dates from 1777 to 1916 and documents, most fully, Jacob Weiss (1750-1839), Francis White (1773-1845), and Francis White (1819-1888). The papers include diaries, geological and surveying notebooks, maps and observations; personalia and biographical notes; transcribed documents, portraits, scrapbooks, business journals, daybooks, mercantile records and account books as well as correspondence of many members of the family.

Held at: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque papers, 1818-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.0 linear inches
Abstract:: Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) was a naturalist who is best known for his contributions to scientific classification and nomenclature and giving Latin names to approximately 6,700 plants. While in the United States, he toured west of the Alleghenies and made important botanical discoveries in Kentucky and Illinois. This collection dates from 1818 to 1977 and consists of copies of Rafinesque's professional letters, family material, and research by F. W. Pennell regarding Rafinesque. The majority of the collection is composed of biographical letters and rough drafts made by Pennell.

Held at: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Constantine Hering and Calvin B. Knerr family papers, 1820-1940 (bulk) 1820-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.0 linear feet (12 document boxes, 4 half-size document boxes)
Abstract:: Dr. Constantine Hering (1800-1880), born and educated in Germany, immigrated to Philadelphia in 1833 and devoted his life to the study, practice and education of homeopathic medicine in the United States. As such, he is considered the father of homeopathy in America. Hering founded several schools and organizations devoted to teaching homeopathy, especially the North American Academy of the Homeopathic Healing Arts, aka the Allentown Academy, in 1836, and the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1848. Hering’s pupil and eventual son-in-law and professional assistant, Dr. Calvin B. Knerr, also practiced homeopathy. Knerr was integrally involved in the editing of two of Hering’s books and also devoted much time and effort to writing Hering’s biography, The Life of Hering. This collection primarily houses papers of Dr. Constantine Hering and his son-in-law, Dr. Calvin B. Knerr from 1820 to 1940. To a significantly lesser extent, the collection documents the...(see more)

Held at: Drexel University: College of Medicine Legacy Center [Contact Us]

Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1820-1910 (bulk) 1798-1980 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.0 linear feet (5 containers)
Abstract:: Incorporated by William Wagner (1796-1885) in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum and educational institution in Philadelphia that is dedicated to providing free public education in the sciences. The Robert Chambers collection on William Wagner and the history of the Wagner Free Institute of Science includes material collected by Chambers and contains correspondence; genealogical and family information; documents on William Wagner's early business career with Stephen Girard, the Lennoxville Steam Saw Mill and Snowden and Wagner; Wagner Free Instute of Science financial and operational material; and personal material from Sydney T. Skidmore, a member of the Board. This collection will almost certainly not provide a researcher with all the information needed—instead, this is an excellent starting point. Because these materials were, according to institutional memory, removed from other collections by Robert Chambers and kept close at hand due to...(see more)

Held at: Wagner Free Institute of Science [Contact Us]