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Coles Family Papers, 1819-1870 (bulk) 1760-1921, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
1.6 linear feet (; 3 boxes, 5 volumes, 4 flat files)
Abstract:
Edward Coles was the governor of Illinois from 1822 to 1826. Prior to that position, he was private secretary to President James Madison and special envoy to Russia. Coles was a staunch abolitionist and worked against the legalization of slavery in Illinois. The Coles family papers provide insight into the private and political life of Edward Coles, as well as glimpses of the lives of several other family members, including his son Edward Coles Jr. and brother John Coles. The collection provides information about planter family life, politics in Illinois, and the politics of abolition in general, as well as the personal activities of Edward Coles throughout his life. This collection contains correspondence, land deeds, ledger books, newspapers, scrapbooks, speech notes, tax forms, tariff papers, government appointment papers, certificates, and various miscellaneous material.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Wood and Bacon account books, 1773-1774, 1787-1827

Extent:
4.2 linear feet (; 19 volumes, 1 box)
Abstract:
Wood and Bacon was a general merchandise store located in Greenwich, New Jersey, that was run by Richard Wood and David Bacon. This collection consists of financial volumes kept by the store's proprietors during the late 1700s and early 1800s. The volumes are mostly daybook and ledgers, but there is also a general accounts book (Volume 7), and calculations book kept by David Wood (Volume 6), and a legal book that was used, at some point in its past, as a scrapbook (Volume 4).

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Waln family papers, 1759-1888 (inclusive)

Extent:
5.6 linear feet (; 14 boxes)
Abstract:
The Walns were a family of prominent Quaker merchants in Philadelphia. In 1774, Richard Waln, moved the family to Crosswicks, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where he purchased "Walnford" and established a flour mill. The Waln family papers document primarily the family's business activities. Richard Waln (1737-1808) who was engaged in the milling business in Walnford, New Jersey, also was involved with financial concerns in Philadelphia. His nephew Robert (1765-1836) was the director of the Philadelphia Insurance Company from 1804 to 1813. Robert a successful merchant, joined into a partnership with his cousin Jesse, and traded with England and the West Indies, and later with East India and China. The collection consists largely of correspondence and financial records.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Parrish and Pemberton families papers, 1614-1880

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 2 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 flat file)
Abstract:
The Parrish and Pemberton families were wealthy Quaker merchants living in Philadelphia during the 18th century. They shared a dedication to several benevolent causes, among them the abolition of slavery, improvement of relations with the Indians, penal reform, and the poor. This collection contains a selection of documents from and pertaining to both families. The Parrish documents focus on several noted family members, principally John Parrish (1728/29-1807), who was a Quaker minister active in promoting good relations with the Indians, and his nephew Dr. Joseph Parrish (1779-1840), a noted Philadelphia physician who was an outspoken abolitionist and crusader for penal reform. The Parrish family documents then follow Joseph Parrish’s sons Dillwyn Parrish (1809-1886), a prominent Philadelphia pharmacist who was also a dedicated abolitionist and crusader for racial equality, and his brother Samuel Parrish (1822-1872), who appears to be largely responsible for gathering much of the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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John Meredith Read papers, 1818-1873 (bulk) 1746-1917 (bulk 1818-1873) (inclusive)

Extent:
11.0 linear feet (; 28 boxes)
Abstract:
John Meredith Read (1794-1874) was a Philadelphia lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was a founding member of both the Free Soil and Republican parties. This collection of John Meredith Read's papers deals mostly with his legal career and covers his political career to a lesser extent. The collection spans Read life and includes some papers from his ancestors as well as his children. There is both business and personal correspondence, legal papers, financial records, estate papers, papers on the Masons, miscellaneous ephemera and printed matter, and volumes.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker diaries, 1758-1807, 1975, undated

Extent:
1.5 linear feet (; 4 boxes, 41 volumes)
Abstract:
The diaries of Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker highlight the life of a Quaker woman living in Philadelphia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Between 1758 and 1807, Drinker fastidiously wrote in her journals, usually about her family and their health and well being. Occassionaly, she also detailed medical practices and her own moral standards. She discussed major events insofar as they affected her family, such as the Revolutionary War and the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. As a member of the famous merchant family, the Drinkers, she also came in contact with many other well-known families, including the Shippens, Whartons, and Rawles, and such encounters are often noted. The collection includes her original diaries, as well as typescripts of excerpts from them and photocopies of the diaries from the years 1797 to 1807.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Logan family papers, 1731-1838 (bulk) 1704-1842 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet (; 1 box, 3 volumes)
Abstract:
The Logan family of Philadelphia, beginning with James Logan (1674-1751), secretary to William Penn, became one of the most prosperous and influential families in the region. This small collection contains in three volumes and one box a miscellaneous assortment of documents and letters, most of which revolve around James Logan; his son William (1717-1776), William's son George (1753-1821); and George Logan's wife, Deborah Norris Logan (1761-1839). William Logan's papers make up the bulk of the collection, and they primarily relate to business, horticulture, and estate settlement. Notably, the collection also contains an undated memorandum, initialed by William Penn, of Colonel Robery Quary's complaints against the administration of Governor William Markham.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Benjamin West drawings, circa 1765-circa 1819, undated

Extent:
0.95 linear feet (; 4 boxes)
Abstract:
Benjamin West was raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and worked most of his life as an artist in Pennsylvania and London, England. He created a wide variety of works during his career, from simple portraits to historical and religious scenes, and often utilized neoclassical elements in his designs. This collection consists of thirty-three original drawings and sketches by West, several of which served as studies or were made in preparation for larger paintings.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families papers, 1789-2007 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of the Batcheler, Hartshorne, and Sahlin families, descended from Axel (1826-March 5, 1909) and Axeline Sahlin (1834-1922), a Swedish couple whose children lived in Europe and the United States. Four generations of the family are documented here, with documentation centering around five families. In the United States, the family is represented by Gertrude Chandler (July 17, 1860-1953) and Axel Sahlin (1855-1937); their daughter Ellen Sahlin (February 21, 1895-June 4, 1988) and her husband, Judge Richard Hartshorne (February 29, 1888-September 19,1975); and their daughter, Penelope Hartshorne (1928-2007) and her husband, George Batcheler(1926-2009). The Swedish side of the family is represented by Axel and Axeline Sahlin and the family of their daughter, Essie Sahlin (1859-1950) and her husband, Simon Johannes Boëthius (1850-1924). The contents of this collection are mostly correspondence and other personal papers, including diaries, artwork,...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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