Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Repository University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Subject Political science Place United States -- History -- 1783-1865 Language English

Roy F. Nichols papers, 1893-1963 (inclusive) 1948-1963 (bulk)

Extent:: 2.4 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: Roy F. Nichols (1896-1973) was an author and a historian who studied 19th century American history and won the Pulitzer Prize in history for his book, The Disruption of the American Democracy. This collection consists of manuscript and typescript drafts for his biography on Franklin Pierce, The Disruption of the American Democracy, The Stakes of Power, 1845-1877, and Blueprints for Leviathan: American Style; as well as a scrapbook of correspondence and newspaper clippings of articles and reviews from the Philadelphia Press written by Francis Newton Thorpe.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Alfred Gemmel draft of biography of William Darrah Kelley, circa 1950s (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: Alfred Gemmell (1916-1957) was a historian who focused on the history of Pennsylvania, an instructor in History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a member of the Pennsylvania Historical Association. This collection contains a typed draft of Gemmell's unpublished biography of William Darrah Kelley (1814-1890), a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania during the Civil War who was active in the country's economic recovery during Reconstruction.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Hopkinson and Dale family collection, 1779-1870 (inclusive)

Extent:: .2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:: The Hopkinson and Dale families are tied to the colonial and early American history of the Mid-Atlantic, to the medical field, and to the University of Pennsylvania for at least four generations. The families joined when Edward Hopkinson (1850-1935) and Abigail Dale (1859-1887) married, probably in the early 1880s. This collection provides small glimpses into the lives of four generations of the families. Each individual is represented by only a few documents; however, this scant group of documents addresses important issues in early American politics, including George Clinton and Aaron Burr as vice presidential candidates and the Burr conspiracy; life as a sailor in the United States Navy in the 1820s; the Siege of Paris in 1870; and the importance of family.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Horace Howard Furness autograph collection, 1757-1893, undated (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:: This collection consists of autographs of 18th- and 19th- century notables, primarily of American and British extraction (along with three Frenchmen, a Prussian and a Piedmontese aristocrat). These figures include abolitionists, artists, clergymen, journalists, merchants, military officers, scholars, poets and politicians (among them presidents, vice-presidents, governors, cabinet members and U.S. congressmen).

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Samuel D. Ingham correspondence, 1734-1910 (inclusive)

Extent:: 6 boxes
Abstract:: The Samuel D. Ingham correspondence comprises letters predominantly as well as other papers relating to Ingham and his life. The majority of the collection is correspondence either written by Ingham, to him, or to and from other political figures. Important subsets of the correspondence addressed to Ingham include letters regarding the Peggy Eaton Affair, a 1831 scandal that led to the resignation of President Jackson's entire cabinent (including then Secretary of the Treasury Ingham), as well as a series of letters from President Jackson to his Secretary of the Treasury. There are two letterbooks containing copies of letters from Ingham to others, particularly centered on but not limited to his time as Secretary of the Treasury. Other materials include postcards of Ingham's home and grave, published speeches by Ingham, a biography written by his son William Armstrong Ingham, and newspapers with articles regarding him.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Gordon Block collection of Lincolniana, 1760-1963 (inclusive) 1840-1950 (bulk)

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet (13 boxes)
Abstract:: Gordon Alexander Block (1885-1964) was a Philadelphia lawyer and collector of Lincoln documents and memorabilia. The collection includes twenty-three documents either signed by Lincoln or in his hand including a number of pleadings and court documents from his years as a lawyer in Illinois. The collection also contains a variety of ephemera from the Civil War era, including campaign ribbons and songbooks from 1860 and 1864 as well as broadsides, ribbons, and mourning cards issued after Lincoln's assassination. In addition, researchers will find a rich selection of visual representations of Lincoln in the collection, including lithographs, prints, photographs, and engravings of the sixteenth president.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

John Mills Hale collection of letters, autographs, and images of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1736-1824 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.66 linear_foot (2 boxes)
Abstract:: This collection consists of a complete set of autographs of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]