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Samuel George Morton papers, 1832-1862 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.2 linear feet and 5 containers, 13 volumes
Abstract:
Samuel George Morton (1799-1851) of Philadelphia was a physician and natural scientist whose work focused on the craniometric studies of humans with conclusions regarding the relative intellectual capacities of the “five races.” His work had a profound influence on the development of physical anthropology in antebellum America. He also made contributions in the fields of geology, mineralogy, paleontology and natural history. Morton served as a professor of medicine at Pennsylvania College (now, the University of Pennsylvania). This collection contains mainly the papers of Samuel George Morton, which date from 1832 to 1851, when Morton devoted his research efforts almost exclusively to ethnology and to the collecting of human skulls for comparative studies. The bulk of the papers consist of incoming correspondence, from 1832 to 1851, relating to ethnology and other related interests such as anthropology, craniology, paleontology and Egyptology. The remainder of the collection...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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James Grier Ralston papers, 1833-1881 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear feet (; 1 box)
Abstract:
For a greater portion of his life, James Grier Ralston (1815-1880) was an educator and very much concerned with the religious/spiritual life of his pupils. His interests in religious affairs and education led to the founding of a seminary for women and missionary activities in Wisconsin. Privy to the needs of his community, he gave considerably of his time to community affairs in Norristown, for which he was most honored and respected. Ralston was also a mineralist and collector. This collection consists of four volumes that contain Ralston’s notes about religion, natural sciences, a trip to Europe, and his activities as a student and teacher, as well as news clippings related to his death.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Harold W. Arndt papers of the Delaware County Institute of Science, Geological and Mineralogical Section, 1938-1942 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.75 linear feet
Abstract:
Harold W. Arndt (1892-1979) was a design and structural engineer for various steel companies in and around Philadelphia, PA. He also had an interest in mineralogy, botany, and ornithology and served as president and vice president of the Philadelphia Mineral Society, president and treasurer of the Delaware County Institute of Science (Media, PA) and curator of the mineral collections at Bryn Mawr College (Delaware County, PA). The Harold W. Arndt Delaware County Institute of Science Geological and Mineralogical Section papers, 1938-1942, consist of minutes from the Geological and Mineralogical Section, drafts of lectures, newspaper clippings, a few photographs and film negatives, and some illustrations on blueprint.

Held at: Delaware County Institute of Science [Contact Us]

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Edward Drinker Cope papers, 1848-1940 (inclusive)

Extent:
.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:
Letters, notebooks, notes, and sketches related to Cope's work in paleontology and related natural sciences. Also sketches of birds, reptiles, and amphibians, some colored. Letters on various scientific subjects from Alexander Agassiz, Louis Agassiz, Alexander Graham Bell, Pliny Earle Chase, Havelock Ellis, Benjamin Apthorp Gould, Arnold Henry Guyot, Joseph Henry, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Thomas Henry Huxley, Maria Mitchell, Sir Richard Owen, Robert Edwin Peary, Herbert Spencer, and others.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Pierre Eugène du Simitière collection, 1492-1784 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.8 linear feet and 12 containers, 4 volumes
Abstract:
Pierre Eugène Du Simitière (1737-1784) was a collector, artist, and historian, who opened the first public museum, the American Museum, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the American Musuem, Du Simitière presented his many materials collected during his travels and from his collections. The Library Company of Philadelphia purchased many of the manuscript materials at an auction in 1785 following Du Simitière’s death and the closing of the American Museum. The following collection is Du Simitière’s manuscript collection purchased at this auction. The collection reflects his interests and his lifestyle and includes poetry, sketches, watercolors, newspaper excerpts and clippings, treatise, correspondence, lists of nature, historical chronologies, bibliographies, and copies and originals of historical documents. The collection includes compiled information on places such as the West Indies, Pennsylvania, New England, New York, and the Carolinas in the form of historical chronologies,...(see more)

Held at: Library Company of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Ferdinand Denis letters and manuscripts, 1847-1882 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 box
Abstract:
Consists of letters, manuscripts and notes dating from 1847 to 1882, from French historian, writer, and librarian at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, Ferdinand Denis. Also included is one letter written to him. Many of the items concern Brazil, but there are also two chapters apparently intended for a book.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

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T. Chalkley Palmer natural science teaching collection, circa 1880-1930

Extent:
8.0 cubic feet
Abstract:
T. Chalkley Palmer (1860-1934) was a chemist who worked for the Sharpless Dye-Wood Extract Company near Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He was also interested in botany and mineralogy and served as president of both the Delaware County Institute of Science (Media, PA) and the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA). The T. Chalkley Palmer natural science teaching collection, circa 1880-1930, largely consists of biological, botanical, mineral specimens, and microscopic slides. A card catalog that corresponds to the specimens and some of Palmer's lecture notes are also present.

Held at: Delaware County Institute of Science [Contact Us]

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Patrick Coad family papers, 1798-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 2 boxes)
Abstract:
Patrick Coad (1783-1872), an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia, was the first patentee of a graduated galvanic battery with insulated poles. Touting his battery among other uses as an instrument that helped cure various diseases, Coad’s invention attracted a good deal of attention within the scientific and medical communities. A teacher whose interests focused on medicine and the sciences, Coad also travelled throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding area as a lecturer on the natural sciences. The collection includes Coad’s correspondence, his lecture and medical notes, and ephemera, such as newspaper clippings, pamphlets and broadsides, publicizing his galvanic battery and lectures. Several of Coad’s family members are also documented through correspondence, ephemera, and estate items, including his son Joseph R. Coad (1829-1868), a prominent Philadelphia physician. A family scrapbook with miscellaneous materials is also included.

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

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