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Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records, 1920-1966

Extent:

0.67 linear feet (; 2 boxes)

Abstract:

Slovak Catholic Sokol is a social, recreational, and sports association open to people of Slovak or Slavic descent, organized in 1905. Its primary purpose is to unite Catholic Slovak Americans in social and recreational activities. The organization sponsors athletic events and provides scholarships and insurance benefits. The collection contains minutes, membership and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Stiefel family papers, circa 1920-2007

Extent:

2.6 linear feet (; 6 boxes, 1 volume)

Abstract:

Asher Shtevel/Stiebel and his wife, Miriam, lived in Poketilov, Russia (now part of the Ukraine) in the nineteenth century. Three of their sons came to Philadelphia in 1887: Abraham, Jacob, and Michael (1871-1954), who were followed by other brothers, including Hyman (1860-1927). Sometime after 1887, the American branch of the family started using the name Stiefel. In 1903, members of the Stiefel family set up a movie theater in Philadelphia, the Fairyland on Market Street. In the following years, they opened other theaters in Philadelphia, elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and in Baltimore, New York, Washington DC, and California. The Stiefels were also in the film distribution business and produced live shows and at least one film. Theaters run by the Stiefels, notably the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia and the Howard Theatre in Washington, were part of the so-called "Chitlin Circuit" and gave starts to many black entertainers whose music later appealed to a wider audience. The...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Athena Tacha papers, 1942-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:

3.4 linear feet (3.4 linear feet, 12 boxes, 2 volumes )

Abstract:

Athena Tacha (1936-) is a Greek American sculptor, photographer, and conceptual artist who received degrees from the National Academy of Fine Arts (Athens, Greece), Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio), and the University of Paris (Sorbonne). In the 1960s she settled in the United States and became a professor of sculpture at Oberlin College. Her commissioned pieces are installed as public art across the United States and in several other countries as well. This collection contains mostly early correspondence, education materials, publications, and artwork from 1950 through the 1980s, although it spans from 1950 to 2000.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Merchants Fund records, 1853-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:

13.0 linear feet (; 9 boxes, 24 volumes)

Abstract:

"The Merchants Fund is a Philadelphia charity established in 1854 to provide charitable gifts to business persons facing financial hardships. It evolved from the Mercantile Business Association, an organization dedicated to providing business advice, networking opportunities, and protection from financial failure or defualt due to illness, old age, or disability." (From their website) The collection consists primarily of administrative, financial, and legal records of the Fund. There are board minutes, business and legal correspondence, and tax returns. There are also extensive files on beneficiaries that include wills and estate papers. Other financial records include audit reports, treasurer's reports, tax- and Social Security-related records, and reports on the "Oliver Fund." Among the records are also several volumes, some dating to the mid 1800s. These include ledgers, cashbooks, bound annual reports, and bound minutes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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United Singers of Philadelphia records, 1887-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (;1 box; 1 oversized photograph)

Abstract:

The United Singers of Philadelphia was an umbrella organization that represented approximately forty area singing groups, the majority of which were comprised of German immigrants. This collection dates from 1887-1932, although the bulk of the material is from 1905-1916. It includes a scrapbook compiled by the United Singers of Philadelphia, a German songbook, and a panoramic group photograph. The scrapbook contains detailed press coverage of German-American singers, musicians, and choirs, and political events in Philadelphia in the years before and during World War I. Contents include concert programs and reviews as well as clippings describing related (and often overlapping) political meetings and rallies.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Viri Viginti (Twenty Gentlemen) Club of Philadelphia records, 1980-1985 (bulk) 1962-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (; 1 box, 1 flat file)

Abstract:

Latin for "twenty gentlemen," Viri Viginti is an African American social club founded in 1914 in Philadelphia. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the city. This small collection of its records includes by-laws, membership lists, minutes, photographs, correspondence, clippings, and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Volksverein of Philadelphia records, 1886-1949 (inclusive)

Extent:

2.1 linear feet (; 1 box, 12 volumes)

Abstract:

Now defunct, the Volksverein of Philadelphia was a local unit of the Catholic Central Union of America, which is a national Catholic social action and social welfare organization. The collection contains minutes of the meetings of the Volksverein, and job, financial, and subscription records of the organization's official organs, Philadelphia Volksblatt and Nord Amerika. The collection includes eleven ledgers recording cash transactions, subscriptions, and advertising. Also included is one book of minutes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Harry E. Adamson papers, 1880-2021 (inclusive)

Extent:

11.1 linear feet (; 27 boxes, 6 volumes)

Abstract:

Harry Egan Adamson Jr. (1949-2021) was a Philadelphia AIDS and gay rights activist and restaurant manager. Infected in 1982, Adamson lived with HIV for nearly 40 years. He moved to Philadelphia in 1981 with his partner David Yontz. The couple stayed with Dr. John E. Fryer (1937-2003), who became one of Adamson’s lifelong friends. Yontz returned to Chicago in 1982, but Adamson remained in Philadelphia. Many of his friends and former lovers succumbed to AIDS between 1984 and 2000, but Adamson was a slow progressor and did not need to start medication for his disease until 1998. Though his HIV disease was under good control, neuropathy in his extremities became disabling in 1993. Adamson remained as active as he could, completing a master’s degree in pastoral counseling at La Salle University in 2002, acting as agent executor for Dr. John Fryer’s estate after his death in 2003, and serving on the board of Philly AIDSThrift from 2010-2013. Nonetheless, medical problems and depression...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Thomas Cole Wright diaries, 1850-1864 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.25 linear feet (; 1 box, 7 volumes)

Abstract:

Thomas Cole Wright was a young glove and hosiery shopkeeper in Philadelphia. The diaries trace his courtship and marriage to Emma Butler, the birth of their daughter, the death of both daughter and mother in close succession, his remarriage several years later, his service in the Pennsylvania militia during the Civil War, and the decline of his health which eventually led to his death in November 1864. Entries also discuss the weather, his glove shop, church attendance, purchases, social activities, and charitable contributions. There are seven volumes, with entries for approximately 2,500 days, plus ca. 100 pages of miscellaneous loose papers.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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George Subers Broadbent diaries, 1861-1898 (inclusive)

Extent:

0.48 linear feet (; 6 volumes)

Abstract:

George Subers Broadbent (b. 1839) was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church in several Pennsylvania towns and cities. The diaries detail his work as a preacher and Sunday school teacher, family life, and finances. The first volume is a recording of the events in his and his siblings’ early lives in Montgomery, Berks and other Pennsylvania counties. While this volume begins with a discussion of the events that occurred in 1852, it is actually dated in 1861 which most likely indicates that the volume is a retelling (or reflection) of those experiences.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]