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Martin, Campbell, and Furlong families papers, 1825-1930 (bulk) 1795-1963 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.2 linear feet (; 13 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection contains papers that document several generations of the Martin, Campbell, and Furlong families with the Martin family receiving the most coverage. To a lesser extent, the Kennedy and Jenkins families, who had strong personal and mercantile ties to the Martin family, are also represented. These interrelated middle class Irish Catholic families from Philadelphia were involved in several prominent industries in the region, including overseas commerce. Devout in their religious beliefs, the families, the Campbells in particular, played a significant role in shaping Catholicity in Philadelphia. Members of the Campbell family were also actively involved in political and social movements of the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries, including the labor movement and women’s suffrage. Distinguished members of these families are represented, including suffragist and writer Sarah Jane Campbell (1844-1928). Items in the collection date from 1795 to 1939 with the majority of...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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The Right Reverend Monsignor Louis Meyer papers, 1918-1985 (bulk) 1910-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.5 linear feet (; 18 document boxes)
Abstract:
Louis Joseph Meyer (1897-1985) attended St. Charles Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania starting in 1914, was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in 1923, and served as a parish priest for the next 19 years. He served as an Army chaplain during World War II, and was stationed in the China-Burma-India Theater until 1946. Upon his discharge from the service, Meyer resumed his parish duties in Philadelphia. He was elevated to Monsignor in 1965, retired in 1972, and passed away in 1985. The Right Reverend Monsignor Louis Meyer papers document the writings, travels, and service of Monsignor Louis Joseph Meyer (1897-1985). This collection dates from 1910 to 2007 and consists of Meyer’s theater work, short stories and writings, speeches and sermons, academic materials relating to St. Charles Seminary and the University of Pennsylvania, travel documents and ephemera, correspondence, notes, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and subject files containing clippings and other printed...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Dr. Peter F. Moylan records, 1770-1917; bulk 1917

Extent:
0.5 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
Dr. Peter F. Moylan was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1860. Moylan studied at Wilkes-Barre Academy and later enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1887. Soon after graduation he served his residency in St. Mary's Hospital where he later assumed the charge of the surgical department. On May 4, 1904, Moylan married Miss Nellie A. Drislane of Philadelphia. The couple had three children; Peter F. Moylan Jr., Agnes Margaret Moylan, and Helen Moylan who died while still very young. Moylan eventually led a life that made him a prominent Catholic layman and an esteemed physician. For instance, in 1909, Moylan was made medical director of St. Vincent's Home and Maternity Hospital. He also served as a visiting physician of St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Mary's and Misericordia Hospitals. In terms of his Catholic accomplishments, Moylan was made a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Benedict XV in June of 1917. On September 27, 1922, Pope Pius XI elevated Moylan to the...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Robert M. O'Reilly papers, 1862-1925 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
Robert Maitland O'Reilly (1845-1912) was the 20th Surgeon General of the United States Army serving from September 7, 1902 to January 14, 1909. O'Reilly served a long military medical career beginning as a medical cadet in August 1862 during the Civil War. Other notable appointments include physician at the White House during both of President Grover Cleveland's administrations, attending surgeon in Washington, D. C., and chief surgeon for several units during the Spanish-American War. He also served as a delegate at the International Conference for the Revision of the Geneva Convention in Geneva in 1906. During his time as surgeon general, O'Reilly made significant improvements by elevating the status and personnel of the army medical corps and furthering medical research. This collection contains both personal and professional correspondence, much of which documents O'Reilly's service during the Civil War. Also included are personal papers, including certificates of appointment...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Rodrigue family papers, 1770-1875 (bulk) 1770-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.59 linear feet
Abstract:
Marie Jacques Dominique D’Orlic (1748-1825) was a French colonist and a wealthy planter in St. Domingue, a French colony on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now modern-day Haiti). D’Orlic and his wife and daughter were forced to flee the island during the slave uprisings of the 1790s, and lost their wealth. The D’Orlics eventually landed in Philadelphia by 1795, where D’Orlic served as a trusted advisor to other white refugees from St. Domingue. Jacques Andre Rodrigue (1759-1844) was also a French aristocrat and a wealthy merchant and sugar planter in St. Domingue. Rodrigue lost nearly all his wealth in the slave uprisings of the 1790s and was also forced to flee to Philadelphia, where he settled, married the daughter of D’Orlic, and built another large business as a merchant trading with France. The Rodrigue family papers date from 1770 to 1975, with the bulk of records dating from 1770 to 1875. This collection contains the papers of Jacques Andre Rodrigue (1759-1844) and the...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Anna Scull Case records, 1881 (bulk) 1881-1917 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; one small box)
Abstract:
Anna Scull was born in December of 1832. She devoted nearly 30 years teaching in the public schools of Philadelphia. By 1874, Scull was appointed principal of the Hunter Girl’s Grammar School located at Dauphin and Mascher Streets in Philadelphia. During a class lecture in February of 1881, Anna Scull was alleged to have taught students false statements that insulted the Catholic faith. As a result of these allegations, a petition dated March 8, 1881 was presented by parents, citizens, and city taxpayers to the Board of Education. The Petitioners alleged that Anna Scull and the Hunter Girl’s Grammar School were in violation of the Commonwealth’s law to not teach or defame any religion in secular schools. More severe, the Petitioners alleged Anna Scull not only promoted the Lutheran Reformation, but she also “attacked, vilified and abused the faith, religion and belief” of their children as well as “assailed the religious creed and faith” of the Roman Catholic Church. Under pressure...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth Ann Seton letters, 1799-1818 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
This small collection includes letters from Elizabeth Ann Seton to Matthias and Joseph O’Conway. Matthias, a prominent Philadelphian especially within the Catholic community, was the father of Cecilia O’Conway, Philadelphia’s first nun and the first women to join Seton’s order, the Sisters of Charity. The correspondence is personal in nature and relates to several members of the O’Conway family, particularly Cecilia. Also included is a letter from Elizabeth to her sister-in-law Rebecca Seton regarding members of the Seton family.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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John Gilmary Shea Correspondence, 1836-1891; undated (inclusive)

Extent:
3.0 linear feet (; 7 boxes)
Abstract:
John Gilmary Shea (1824-1892) was a notable writer, editor, and historian of American Catholic history. Shea is considered one of the first American Catholic historians in the United States. Much of his recognition and lasting fame comes from the accolades and accomplishments of publishing nearly three hundred articles and books. The John Gilmary Shea Correspondence preserved in the Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center primarily consists of correspondences received by Shea throughout the 19th century. Some of the larger files of correspondence are from Oscar W. Collet, Archbishop Michael Augustine Corrigan, John Ward Dean, Edmond Mallet, J.W. Powell, and Eugene Vetromile. There is only one folder of approximately twelve outgoing correspondences and another folder of unidentified received correspondence.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Walter George Smith papers, 1836-1933 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.8 linear feet (; 7 boxes)
Abstract:
Walter George Smith (1854-1924) was a prominent Philadelphia attorney. A devout Catholic, Smith worked and lectured extensively for the anti-divorce cause. Among other activities, he was involved in advancing the causes of uniform state laws, was an appointed member of the Board of Indian Commissioners, a Manager of the Drexel Institute, and President of the American Bar Association. The collection contains correspondence, including family correspondence; diaries, journals and travel logs; speeches, addresses, published and unpublished writings. Scrapbooks, memorabilia, and obituaries are also included.

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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Archdiocesan Superintendent of Schools records, 1910-1926 (bulk) 1890-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:
9.6 linear feet (, 23 document boxes)
Abstract:
The parochial school system in Philadelphia officially began in 1852 under Philadelphia's fourth bishop, John Nepomucene Neumann. However, the first Catholic schools in Philadelphia can be traced to the mid- to late-18th century under the purview of local parishes, and early expansion occurred unsystematically until the 1850s. Since few parishes had the resources to provide a K-12 education, many Catholic households chose to send their children to Philadelphia's public schools. Due to several factors (including doubts about the suitability of a public education for Catholic children and growing anti-Catholic sentiment and the nativist riots of 1844), Bishop Francis Kenrick began pushing for separate parochial schools for Philadelphia's Catholic families. By 1850, nearly every parish had a free school. By 1852, Philadelphia had a parochial school system administered by a central school board. Consistent policies were established in 1890, when the central board voted to create an...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center [Contact Us]

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